Comfortable commodities

Time is a commodity. As the days pass and we grow older, its value in our lives increases. Ultimately, we find ourselves evaluating how, where and with whom we spend it. Although we never seem to have as much as we’d like, paradoxically, we often waste it.

As communication professionals in a relatively small yet dynamic agency, we must divide our time meticulously among our days — a Harvard Business Review study reveals that we spend about 80% of our workday in meetings, on the phone, or responding to emails, leaving little time for focused work.

This issue is particularly acute in the PR world, where responsiveness and adaptability are crucial. To cope with these challenges, our team prioritizes tasks based on urgency and impact, uses project management tools to streamline workflows, and sets clear boundaries to maintain a work-life balance. Despite our efforts, the pressure to make time elastic remains. It comes with the job — or rather, it is the job — but it remains a constant challenge nonetheless.

This is not to say that we don’t love what we do. Having such a supportive environment such as the one at The Square is crucial. It’s not just about what you do, but who you do it with that truly adds value to our time at the desk, talking to people, writing emails nonstop, dreaming up new content, or devising the next big pitch.

But for now, of course, we should move on to our next task and the remainder of this newsletter. Thanks for coming along on this little reflection — and a special shout-out to ChatGPT for speeding up this text.