What do you do when you’ve too much to do and not enough time in which to do it? But if you don’t do any of it, nothing ends up getting done at all.
This is the dilemma freelance journalists such as myself face. Meeting up with contacts – whether or not they are friends – is essential if you are to get story ideas or even good old-fashioned exclusives. But time away from the office (or the typeface) means time away from writing up the stories you have got.
But it’s a little bit less of a dilemma when meeting up with contacts allows you the luxury of having some pampering at the same time.
I very nearly cancelled my meeting with one PR this week, I was stuck in case-study hell, when sourcing someone to illustrate my story on a certain financial product ended up being way more difficult than it should have been.
But rather than cancel I opted for multi-tasking, so while the PR and I chatted, we both had a pedicure and at the same time I managed to source a case study and file my story.
It was stressful but I got three things done, made a contact, filed a story and ended up with pretty feet (in Jessica’s gothic black shade) courtesy of the Sanctuary in Covent Garden, oh and thanks to an understanding PR and pedicurists who have probably seen it all, and worse, before.
This type of networking is nothing new by the way, a few years back I used to do spin classes with contacts.
As an aside, I’ve been sent a pair of Hi Tech V-Lite Infinity running shoes to test. I’m wearing them as we speak.
They may nearly supplant my Adidas Stella McCartney running shoes, which also look very funky (and glow in the dark), as my wear-anywhere trainer.
In fact they are so comfy I might not even swap into my normal shoes today..
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