Marijane Funess November 4, 2011 | 07:00:06
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If We Could Turn Back Time

Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend as we turn the clocks back and gain an hour. And we all know how valuable an hour of quality sleep is to mental and physical well-being. But you don’t have to take your hour in sleep; you can do other productive things with this “gift of time!” Here are some suggestions.

Have a brief chat with your co-workers. A five-minute chat that’s NOT about account specifics, but aspirations, i.e. how to  improve workflow, fresh ideas, etc. can be invaluable to improving work relationships and morale.

Brush up on pop culture.  If you’re in PR, then yes, reading TMZ, Life&Style, and following Ryan Seacrest on Twitter may be required reading! Of course, doesn’t hurt to throw in NPR and the Atlantic Monthly for good measure, but part of the job is knowing what’s trending and how to tie a client, however loosely, to “boldface name” news.

Master some social media or online service you’re curious about. Even if it’s just the new Gmail or something more sophisticated like whatever Meltwater Buzz is hyping, the “techy tool” landscape changes swiftly and spending just an hour familiarizing yourself can pay off big time.

Research new business prospects. After visiting a client yesterday, we happened to drive by a classic comfort food brand we’d kill to work for. Multiply that curiosity by 10; create a target list and an outreach strategy, and, voila!

Have coffee. With a potential client; a current client; a media contact; a former co-worker; a former boss – you get the

picture.
What will you do with your hour?

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