“I’m always in the weeds. I can’t even think about strategy!”
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this this frustration expressed by comms pros, and we’ve all been there. When you’re up to your eyeballs in leadership talking points, town hall agendas, intranet articles or infographics, it can be next to impossible to step to back to assess the big picture. One tip I’ve shared with clients is my “Last Friday of the Month” rule.
No matter your workload, earmark at least two hours on your calendar on the last Friday of every month, splitting the time into “strategy,” “housekeeping” and “connection” work blocks. This approach carves out a regular opportunity to assess where you are, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there.
Strategy
During your “strategy” work block, quickly review your organization’s business priorities, your team’s priorities, and the comms goals/objectives you’ll be evaluated on at year’s end. (If these aren’t formally articulated, get them down on paper immediately!) Is the work you’re doing today still aligned? Were any new tasks added to your/your team’s plate this month that don’t support these priorities? Has the business direction changed? What messages are most important to your leader, and are they getting out consistently? A quick scan should tell if you’re on the right track.
Next, briefly assess your progress. Have you reached any targets in the past month, or are you simply “churning and burning”? What were the month’s biggest wins and opportunities? Have you learned anything recently that might help you (or your team) work more efficiently or effectively and have you shared what you’ve learned with others? If not, now’s the time.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping time should be used to address any administrative, non-urgent, or easy-but-time-draining tasks you tend to push off. Do you have training you’re required to complete? Unprocessed invoices on your desk? Folders, files or emails that should be deleted? Expenses to submit? Dedicate this time to any “chores” you put off earlier in the month. This prevents them from “snowballing” into urgent issues next month that can take away from your strategic thinking time.
Connection
Communicators need to maintain strong relationships with subject matter experts, influencers and general “eyes and ears” within the company. These folks can help you better understand employee and customer needs, surface internal and external rumors, identify issues and source ambassadors. Use this time to arrange lunches, meetings or calls with your key contacts in each business or function. (If you’re already regularly connecting with these partners, use this time to learn more about your leaders, your business or key industry trends.) You can also use this time to connect with colleagues or peers that inspire you and light you up. Conversations with them can spark creative ideas, offer insight and help you see your messages and channels through fresh eyes.
I find that the “Last Friday” timing often works best because Fridays tend to be less meeting-heavy, allowing you to focus on your own work and goals. The end-of-the-month timing also mentally signals a clean transition, capping off one month, while setting your following month up for success.
If you can fiercely protect this time and use the Last Friday of the Month rule wisely, it can pay dividends in a few short months. While it won’t eliminate your tactical day-to-day to-do list, this time can help get you out of the weeds and thinking more strategically about the communications road ahead.
