What burnout? Work Smarter & Carve Out Time and Space To Create

By: Katie Thompson

​Burnout. Whether you’re a student, young professional or seasoned PR pro, we’ve all experienced it before. Emails are piling up, deadlines are quickly approaching and you find yourself throwing in the towel, feeling completely overwhelmed. 

Michael Smart, CEO of Michael Smart PR, shared his methods behind avoiding burn out and taking the time to create more at his What burnout? Work Smarter and Carve Out Time and Space To Create session at the PRSA ICON conference. Smart started the session by pointing out the obvious, “the giant distractions you endure, every moment includes your email, phone and social media, even when you don't even realize it.”

If these elements are causing our distractions at work and school, we should eliminate them, right? Unfortunately, as students and professionals, it is almost impossible for us to eliminate these distractions, especially in public relations, where our work may consist of emailing stories to journalists, keeping in touch with clients and managing social media pages. Below are Smart’s critical points on avoiding burnout and creating the time to do the work that will get you to your goals. 

• Change how you express your value at work: Remember why you’re doing the work, reassess your priorities. Smart suggests using the script “I help [people/orgs] [achievement/result] by [how you do it]” to remind yourself of the value you bring to your work and practice it until you “ooze” self-assurance when you say it. Once you know your value at work, you can express it to your boss and coworkers that you have the knowledge and experience to do the job well, and they will take a step back from worrying about the details. ​​
• Break free from email and Slack:  “Would you rather be paid based on the speed of your responses or on the quality of your work, the creativity of your solutions and the clarity of your thinking?” Yes, email and slack are necessary tools for communication, but spending all day in your email isn’t working smarter. To prevent yourself from replying to emails all day, try checking your email “periodically and purposefully.” Set up blocks of time where you can reply to emails and then close your inbox. This can be challenging at first, but Smart stresses that this should be a gradual process. Use that extra time to create the stories, content, messaging and branding, which will attract attention. “You want to get results, not be responsive.”
• The PR pro’s toughest challenge: saying no  Smart explains that we avoid saying no to avoid the social awkwardness that comes with it, so we say yes to something that will make our life harder and keep us from achieving our highest and best impact on the world. “Remember your deeper, yes.” By putting too much responsibility on your plate, you take yourself away from the projects that mean the most to you and your goals. Smart uses the example of joining the PTA, “If you say no to being in the parent-teacher association, without that added burden and distraction, you'll be able to be a better parent. And that way, you'll be able to make a much bigger impact on the world.”
• Reconnect with core beliefs: The first principle of reconnecting with the core beliefs is to “act, not be acted upon.” When you take the initiative into your own hands, you can accomplish so much more that will put you closer to your goals. Smart reminds us that “the status quo is arbitrary.” We are not meant to be working all the time. When you take things into your own hands and start working smarter rather than harder, you can accomplish so much more and have the time to enjoy your life. 

This is a lot of information to take in, and Smart emphasizes that this cannot be changed all at once. Start with a few of Smart’s tips and slowly implement them into your life. Soon you won’t be worrying about “burnout” and creating the time to work on the things you are genuinely passionate about. Good luck! 




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