Back to School…or New Year’s Eve

Brianne here, Senior Counselor at LCI. When you work in PR, particularly media relations, it’s kind of hard to remember what season we’re in.  Right now, the bright yellow school buses are back on the street and hordes of kids are storming Target for boxes of crayons and 3-ring binders.  Our friends on the East Coast are bemoaning the end of summer weekends at the beach and buying sweaters.  And here in San Francisco, the staff at LCI is pitching New Year’s stories and breaking out the short sleeve shirts (finally). 

 

I often compare living in the Bay Area to living in Australia – we’re a little opposite on the weather (this year, we were lucky enough to have the coldest summer in decades). With little real physical transition between summer and winter, I’d describe San Francisco as a “temperate” place.  But when you add in the “oh, I have to pitch the long lead media on New Year health issues today” – well, who knows what season it is?  Technological advances have allowed us to pause live TV, never get away from our email (thanks, smartphones), and work from almost anywhere.  But we still can’t seem to shorten those lead times for the big consumer media seasons.  It’s back to school outside, but we got through that season at LCI back in May.

 

While confusion can sometimes reign supreme, I always feel like September is the beginning of something new, and a great opportunity to take a fresh look at work.  So in honor of all those kids cringing at the thought of homework, here’s some for you:

 

·         Buy a fresh notebook and sharpen a #2 pencil.  Then brainstorm.  It’s time to create something new.

·         Pack your lunch for work?  Follow the lead of today’s eco-conscious kids and make sure you use a lunchbox and invest in a few reusable sandwich bags. 

·         Step away from the computer.  Really.  Actually talking to colleagues is the best way to come up with the next good idea. 

·         Did you work on Labor Day?  If you checked your email that day or wrote a draft of a report, you need serious help.  We’re a hard working population and deserve a day off – if you need convincing check out these Labor Day themed stats from the U.S. Census Bureau.

·         Add some spice to your kids’ lunch boxes! Our client, Biscoff, has the most delicious cookies, each containing fewer than 3 grams of sugar.