Reminder: Catch your Breath

While in many ways, the lockdown has brought us closer to our families as we work from home – it has also changed the way we think about the workday.

Technology has forever shifted the goalposts for what we consider an appropriate turnaround time, as the business world we exist in is no longer limited by the print run, or faxes, or couriers, or by the physical limitations of film, photography or tape video.

Year after year, we have been introduced to marvellous innovations that promise to make business quicker, to bring people closer together, to bring work to life faster than ever before… and don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful!

The impact of COVID-19 has been pounding television screens for months, but it would have been so much worse if we were unable to communicate so easily with our clients, suppliers and colleagues.

Twenty years ago, the prospect of 10 different people working on the same document at the same time from 10 different locations would have been a daunting one, but it is possible to collaborate and produce excellent content with the technology that we have access to.

That said, the uncomfortable reality of bringing this world home is that expectations have begun to change again.

The modern laptop has more processing power than the technology that put man on the moon. We have access to near unlimited knowledge through the internet, and we carry around cell phones that in the 1950s would be considered science fiction.

With all this power and portability comes the pressure of delivery.

I tip my hat to the parents who juggle young children on their laps during 3-hour long conference calls that extend beyond the traditional workday – or wake up at 4 in the morning to reply to emails that went unseen in the chaos of the supper-time rush.

It is not uncommon – as we all connect digitally – for Carte Blanche to play unwatched on the television while people get a head start on the week ahead. It certainly can feel cluttered, crowded, and claustrophobic.

To clients and colleagues alike, a reminder as we live through unprecedented times: time carries incredible value.

With time, good ideas can become brilliant ones. Little sparks of creativity can ignite into beautiful campaigns.

That reply can wait until the morning. Some of the best ideas come whilst in the shower, or in the middle of the night, or as you boil the kettle for that morning coffee.

Providing additional lead time for the creative process gives those involved an opportunity to filter through possibilities and allows for great ideas to percolate. It’s a good way to prevent a rushed execution of a good idea and ensures that the I’s are dotted, and the T’s are crossed.

As we all get used to a new way of working, let us remember to find the time to breathe – so we can be sure that the work we put out in the world is our best.

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