You log onto your computer in the morning and check your calendar. Back-to-back meetings. The panic sets in as you think about all the deliverables you should be working on instead.

While there’s no doubt meetings are the oil that greases many an organisational wheel, in most marketing roles it can be a juggle striking a balance between planning and creating the outputs that need to be delivered.

Videos, podcasts, fact sheets, blog articles, social media posts and newsletters – all of those assets that do the heavy lifting in promoting the business – take time to create, and from my personal experience working in-house I understand how difficult it can be to strike a balance between these two aspects of your role.

My tips on how to do it successfully are below.

1. Learn how to say no

Before you hit RSVP think about whether you have to accept every meeting that pops into your diary. It’s great when the rest of the business includes marketing to keep you across what’s going on but are they engaging you at the right point? Prioritise, delegate and, when appropriate, push back on the value of the meeting to clear more time for execution in your diary.

2. Set your own meetings

Rather than living in the present when it comes to your calendar, look to the future. Block out reoccurring ‘meetings’ that are actually chunks of time you’ll dedicate to creating the outputs required in your role and others will think twice about booking you into meetings during those times. By placing this value on your time your colleagues will too.

3. Outsource the execution

If your marketing headcount has shrunk but the workload hasn’t, look to freelancers to plug the gaps. They’re cheaper than full-time employees and can be dialled up and down as the workflow requires.

Conclusion

By valuing your time, prioritising and outsourcing, you, too, can live a double life at work. And if you’re looking to outsource any written content creation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.