There is a common misconception that working in PR means spending your days at glamorous events, sipping champagne, and chatting to journalists over coffee. While those things do happen, a typical day at Partners PR is usually a little more varied than that. A glamourous event is much more likely to be a factory tour with high vis vests and safety shoes – but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

My day typically starts around 7am. If I’m working from home, I’ll get ready, head downstairs and feed my cats, who are very good at letting me know if breakfast is even one minute late.

Then, it’s time to settle down with a coffee or peppermint tea and some breakfast, usually Greek yoghurt with homemade granola and fruit, or porridge. I like to start the day with something healthy, so I feel marginally better about the pizzas and burgers that inevitably come later.

While I eat, I’ll catch up on the trade news that could affect our clients, particularly across sectors like rail, and manufacturing. I tend to save the wider world news until lunchtime. There’s only so much doom and gloom I can handle before 8am.

By 8.45am, I’m ready to start my day. I’ll check my to-do list, go through my emails and see what’s urgent, what meetings I have and what preparation I need to do.

I try to live by the ‘eat the frog’ rule, so I’ll usually start with the biggest or hardest task on my list, particularly if it’s something I know I’ll be tempted to put off.

 

Around 1pm, my cats will be demanding their next feed, so I’ll take a break and either head out for a 20-minute walk around my local village or do a quick weight training session at home.

Then it’s lunch, during which I’ll catch up on the world news I avoided earlier and work out what needs tackling that afternoon.

After lunch, I’ll pick the second biggest task on my list and get stuck in while I’ve still got plenty of energy.

PR is one of those jobs where the afternoon could involve almost anything, from media relations and client meetings to planning campaigns, writing content, preparing for new business pitches, or developing social media ideas; there’s rarely a dull moment.

By around 3.30pm, my energy starts to dip, which is usually when another hot drink or a crisp Diet Coke makes an appearance. Then it’s a case of powering through the rest of my to-do list.

I aim to finish up any tasks by around 5.15pm, then I’ll check my emails one last time, organise my priorities for the following day and close the laptop.

If I’m working from home, I’ll have a quick tidy around the house before getting ready for the evening. I find having a plan for the next day makes it much easier to properly switch off.

If I’m in the office, most of my day will stay the same, although my commute is around an hour and a half without traffic, so my breakfast time becomes my time to catch up on  my favourite podcasts, or howl along to my music whilst I drive.