The Remote-Working Diaries: On working from home (or wherever)

While I’m back at LaunchSquad, I still am based out of Portland – which, more often than not, means working from my living room (or kitchen, or on particularly lazy mornings, my bed). Seemed like the ultimate office situation for me who, even with my best effort, always managed to get to the office 30 minutes later than I meant to. Now I can get to work right away, and still sleep till a reasonable time! That’s the dream, right?

Honestly, it’s been pretty great. It’s flexible – I can run to the store if I need to (as long as I don’t have a call I need to be on), and I can work at any place that has wifi, as long as I have my laptop. Also, the company supports me completely, and that extends to my account teams, who make the extra effort to make sure I’m looped in. Plus, technology these days totally facilitates remote working – the ability to make free calls from Google keeps phone bills down. We’ve used Yammer, and now Tibbr (client) to share information (interesting links, media contact info, talk about trends, etc.) between offices and it’s been great for unifying the company.

Further, we just started using Skype for our weekly company meetings. That has been… an adjustment. I’m not used to people seeing me during the workday.

Top-left is the SF office, top-right is New York, and bottom-center is Boston. That’s me on the bottom left. I look thrilled, right? But at least my hair looks semi-combed. Babysteps, people. Babysteps.

It’s odd, but though I’ve been doing this since August, it’s still challenging sometimes. I haven’t quite found the knack, and I still need to focus on being focused. Turns out there’s something oddly motivating about the morning ritual of getting dressed, and ready to do work. Maybe it’s that working from sweats is just demotivating.

That said, you adjust and do as much as you can. For me, it was all about breakfast. I needed to make coffee, and have a good breakfast before I could really dig in. Plus, that’s just good to do anyway, and it wasn’t always a priority when I had an office to get to. The next step was getting semi-dressed (jeans, non-sleep shirt), then productivity goals (pitch five people before 9AM (PT, of course)).

Well… my current office (Starbucks, which, by the way, has awesome, awesome, free internet. Always reliable.) is getting super crowded and loud, so I’m going to log off. Until next time…

Now, Where Were We?

I’m back. Back at blogging, back at tech PR with LaunchSquad. 

I tried my hand at food and consumer PR, but I’m afraid I missed the constant conversation that is so unique to tech media. I missed the constant hum of news and announcements that surrounded my accounts, and being in-the-know on the newest innovation. 

Not to say that Food PR was a negative experience; it was quite good, actually. It was fun to be able to make a food editor’s day with the delivery of the newest flavor of potato chips or cheese. And I loved the creativity and conceptualizing that goes into consumer engagement campaigns. 

But in the end, I missed the scrappiness of the startup culture, and the do-or-die nature of the work – the constant challenge of “What can I do to help my client succeed today?” The thrill of spotting an in-depth story, the gratification of knowing you’ve added to the success of a small company with big dreams. 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s famed quote sums it up nicely; I wandered to give myself a broader scope of my profession, but was never too far from where I needed to be, and eventually made my way back. 

GHOSTWRITER!

There’s a good chance that many of you, as kids, were allowed to watch TV that wasn’t PBS, but here’s hoping that some of you will recognize the above  educational program.

I recently was asked to participate in a survey around ghostwriting for a blog, er… “ghost blogging.” It ultimately asked if it’s OK for blog posts to be written by a PR firm and whether or not companies should disclose it. At first I leaned toward answering ultra-ethically, like I know I’m supposed to (you know, the “strongly disagree that you should steal music on the internet” answers…).

But, who are we kidding? I’ve been a ghost blogger – meaning that (by their definition) I’ve drafted blog posts (then tweaked, revised, reworked) that were featured on the company’s “corporate blog” that were not attributed to me, and were instead attributed to the CEO.

Let me first say that I don’t believe it must be one way or the other. I think there are brands that are what they are because of the genuine charisma and accessibility to the leadership. PR people should take advantage of that. Likewise, there are others whose CEO/founder would be a disaster if given the login to the WordPress account.

What doesn’t sit well with me is that there’s even an ethical dilemma in ghost-writing a blog in the first place.

In this new world where the company blog is the new mission statement / “about us” section / conference keynote… unless you’re one of those charismatic CEOs above, if you’re employing a PR team, it’s simply silly not to have the PR folks write the damn post. After all, they write all of your other public-facing material – why wouldn’t they pen the blog content, which is much more  readable (consumer-friendly) than any press release. This is the team that handles (and likely came up with) all the messaging and positioning for the brand. Not to mention that they’re, you know, WRITERS who make words sound good.

In this way, a blog post is pretty comparable to a quote in a press release. You wouldn’t attribute a press release quote to the person who actually crafted it. It’s controlled messaging plain and simple.

Now that I think about it, when I did write a post for a client blog and later find it attributed to me, it made me very uncomfortable at first. My squeamishness stemmed the fact that I was afraid of representing the company as a non-expert and getting them the wrong kind of attention. The ultimate PR fail. It’s from that same nervousness that I aim to shield my clients when I ghost-write anything on their behalf, or conduct media training, or create any messaging – the list goes on. Crafting words to get the best message across is what I do. I don’t build the technology, or create the product, or design the hotel, but if you do, I want to help you talk about all of that in a meaningful way.

The transparency argument doesn’t hold much water when you can sort that out by collaborating with the “author” (CEO, chef, designer, developer, etc.) to create an editorial calendar, and incorporate the tone and voice into the writing, etc. And, now that I think about it, a blog isn’t really social media anymore (in the way that Twitter, Facebook are). It’s just another corporate comm channel. Let’s treat it as such.

It’s very possible that I’m missing some angle that could easily push me to either side of this, and one might easily assume that I’ve abandoned my social media idealistic ways of transparency and conversations, and listening and engagement, (etc.) and embraced some corporate agenda of people who don’t get PR or social media.  The truth is, if I believe there is any value in my work at all, this is a high horse that I can’t hop onto. I think I’ll stay on the fence for now.

Let me know if you’d like more metaphors.

{Photo credit}

SXSWi: Parts 2-5

I’ll begin by disclosing that I had no idea how much time I wouldn’t have at SXSWi for things like, oh I don’t know, blogging. Or sleep.

This is why you’re getting one lump summary of my ensuing experience, which might more appropriately serve as a sigh of relief that, yes, it was indeed a truly valuable experience.

–

When you’re tackling a conference that offers 15-20 sessions per 1.5-hour time slot, you have to commit to a strategy or random wandering. It’s just the way it is. I found that both strategies, employed as appropriate to my energy level, served me well.

SATURDAY: I tried to hit all the marketing sessions, since I’m so very marketer-y and branding-y these days.

My favorite: Client Knows Best? How to sell Unsolicited Ideas

• This simulated every party that would be present at the table in a marketing effort: creative, digital, marketing, and client. The “client” was Verizon’s marketing VP, John Wimsatt, who did a fantastic job of representing a client juggling multiple ideas and the brand’s goals
• Essentially the takeaway here was passion. I heard over and over that whoever had the idea should not only pitch it, but should they win the work, run with it as well.
• The other thing I heard was that the pitch should always, always serve the brand needs, scope and goals. It should never be self-serving.

Honorable mention: Dear Miss Manners: the Social Web, WTF?

• This was a random choice after the session I’d hoped to attend was hopelessly full. But I’m glad I went because I’ve been very social-web-existential lately, and being very careful as I curate my social identity.
• Anyway — the standout point for me was the question of whether or not there was a social contract for the social web, specifically pertaining to this anonymity that propels nasty comment threads. There is no etiquette or written rule-book on how to behave online.
• What resonated with me was, how do I, as a “community manager” of sorts for my clients, explain or revise this social contract to the brand stakeholders?

Takeaway: Don’t go to the marketing sessions. They tend to be run by marketers who are marketing themselves.

SUNDAY: Got up a little late.

My favorite: Daily Deals: Where Ads Become Content

• This panel was hugely interesting as a subscriber to deal sites (Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.).
• It was interesting to realize that this is a potentially very lucrative monetization tool for content creators, both new media (DailyCandy, who had a rep on the panel) and traditional (New York Times just launched theirs).
• The “why” question came up when the panel brought up the NYT’s TimesLimited service. The answer is that publishers continue to influence spending, why not get a cut of it to save publishing?
• *Of course, curating deals for your audience is key.

Honorable mention: Go Here, Do This: Location + Collective Action

• The word “flash-mob” in the description is what got me to this panel. It was all about collective behavior transitioning from the web to physical action (including grassroots movements, group purchasing/payment, etc.). Had some great brands represented in this geo-centric panel, including Virgin America, Foursquare, Yelp, LivingSocial and was moderated by Clive Thompson.
• Fascinating: Location has become one of the most important things about our online identity
• Another thing I found was interesting was that while there’s a low barrier of entry to developing geo apps, the expense is making them interesting.

Takeaway: Whatever the session, there will be things you can takeaway and learn from.

MONDAY: Best day.

My favorite (of the whole damn conference): Bite Me—Are Ethics Gone in Food Criticism?

• I knew this would be a great panel when Robert Sietsema (16-year Village Voice food critic) was wearing a mask to preserve his anonymity. Other panelists included Ben Leventhal from Eater/The Feast, restaurant ownerJames Holmes, Chow’s Jane Goldman, and TableHopper’s Marcia Gagliardi
• This was a fascinating session because, while the idea of citizen journalism isn’t new, the thought that it seeps into such veins as food criticism was something I hadn’t pondered. In the wake of food blogs, Yelp reviews, etc, what happens to the sterling opinion of such heralded voices as Sietsema’s? The inner workings of the restaurant business were very interesting, especially to realize what a sad thing it is for a review to be “outed” (have their picture taken and circulated within restaurant staff, should they come to anonymously review).
• I was particularly interested in a story about Time critic, Josh Ozersky, who wrote about Portland’s food scene last fall, and got caught in a “cluster” when he wrote a roundup review about the food at his wedding. Much of it was done by local NYC chefs he knew. His “fluff piece,” as Sietsema called it (and wrote an open letter about), triggered huge amounts of criticism from the food critic community who were angered that he didn’t disclose that he got hundreds of thousands of dollars of food for free. This brought on opinions about comped food and disclosure. On both sides of the table, both were argued as either necessary or not.
• Chef James Holmes brought a great voice to the panel, giving insight on how Yelp messes with chef/restaurateurs’ minds and how paranoid it can make chefs to think about a reviewer stopping by (Sietsema surprised him by disclosing that he’d been to Holme’s restaurant earlier that week.)
• *Food people hate Yelp. There’s no value in those reviews.
• *There should have been a restaurant publicist at the table. Publicists know a great deal about inner workings and negotiating reviews.

Runner up: The Thank You Economy

• This was a really inspiring session with Gary Vaynerchuk, and I’m ashamed to say that this is this first time I’ve heard him speak. He was not so much promoting his new book (The Thank You Economy) as he was promoting the ideas behind it — thanking your customers every day in every way.
• He had a great story about a customer who’d bought copious amounts of wine and to thank him, they went to his Twitter account found out that he was an obsessive sports fan, and bought him a signed jersey from that team. Nothing to do with their brand, just a way to say thinks.
• The best part of seeing him speak is seeing how the audience loves him and loves interacting with him (and how he interacts back). At the end of a session, people came up to the question mic to tell him, among legit questions, 1. Exactly how many times he’d cursed during his speech, 2. thank him for featuring the cover art they’d submitted in his book even though they didn’t make the winning cover.

Honorable mention: #Hashtag Takeovers and Successes in Innovative Virtual Activism

Image via Mashable

• Another random panel that I attended because I didn’t want to leave the boonies Hyatt.
• This featured really controversial brands (PETA and Greenpeace) and discussed the ways they’d successfully employed social media to spark activism.
• The best part was when PETA’s community manager was describing a hashtag takeover she’d done at a recent TWTRCON session featuring NASA’s PR person, which called out NASA for its irradiation experiments on monkeys. Knowing that the conference projected hashtag conversations in the background of its sessions, PETA took over the conversation, calling NASA murderers. Well, after the conversation went on for a bit too long (aided by the PETA folks) and started to detract from the value of the conference, the TWTRCON organizers, who are still getting complaints about the disruption, came to the panel to confront PETA. It was angry. It was awesome.
• The Greenpeace guy brought up something he called a “ladder of engagement” which illustrated how to wrangle volunteers based on  moving them through various levels of engagement. One guy said he thought it should be called an escalator of engagement since it’s the brand’s job to do all the moving for the user, rather than the user’s job.

Takeaway: Let the gravity do its job. The sessions that you’re drawn to, will likely be very useful.

 

SXSW: Part 1

As I draft this, I’m 30,000 ft in the air, on my way Austin for my first bout with SXSWi. I don’t believe much of the hype, and as I’m sitting on the plane perusing the schedules and recommended sessions (with my inflight wifi), I can’t help but feel a desperate need to make this as valuable an experience as possible.

Sitting between the window and a sleepy couple, purposefully dehydrated so I don’t have to use the plane restroom, I find myself haphazardly constructing a schedule of branding/marketing/food/social/mobile/innovation/entrepreneurship sessions that avoids the following scenarios over the next two days:

• Burn-out (too many sessions, information overload)
• “Spring Break 2011!” (too many meetups, happy hours, parties; too little learning)
• Nomadic nonsense (no clue what to see, where to go)

While I’m hearing that the overall is increasingly trite and has lost touch with its indie/innovation roots, I feel almost paralyzed by the potential of this conference. The session schedule alone is a daunting vortex of… jeez, who even knows.

SXSW seems be like a trip to that amazing vintage store you keep hearing about. By the time you make it there, you just stand at the entrance, summoning the energy to dig through racks and racks of potentially amazing gems of awesomeness that will inspire months and months of creativity and ideas.

Maybe all three scenarios are inevitable, and really, the charm and POINT of SXSW… And that’s why creatives, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and generally interesting and interested people keep coming back.

I’m going to get back to planning my schedule. But here are the first few gems I’ve found:

• Folkways These Days: Crafty Knowledge in Digital Networks
• It’s Not TV, It’s Social TV
• How Brands Respond to Facebook Attacks
• Marketing Budgets Have Gone Social – Is It Working?
• Bite Me–Are Ethics Gone in Food Criticism
• Love Can Pay the Bills (knock ‘em dead, Phil!)

 

The Culinization of Megan Soto

Nothing inspires more trepidation in me than word combinations like braised arugula, caramelized onions and pan-seared scallops.  I’m a terrible grocery shopper, and in the four months since moving into my apartment, I’ve had to crack the window to clear my smoky kitchen about as many times as I’ve had to take out the recycling.

Immersion in San Francisco’s foodie culture and a gaggle of gourmet friends did nothing to build my confidence, or, frankly, capture my interest. It’s not that I don’t appreciate that some foods taste better or are better quality than others, I get that. And I’ll own up to some epicurean stirring in my heart when I watch Julie and Julia and Ratatouille.

Let’s just say that there is no farmers market magic for a girl who grew up in rural Oregon where there were fresh produce stands, rampant wild raspberries, and orchards lining every road. And honestly, ‘cooking for one’ for the last two-and-a-half  years always dampened those small sparks of inspiration.

But that’s a dish for another meal.

You can see why, then, it was such a “Wait, what?” moment for a few of my friends when we discussed my new career direction while they unloaded a massive, perfectly browned roast from the oven or whipped up fresh pesto in (what I’ve since learned is) a food processor. …  Just let that sink in.

The transition from tech PR to food PR seems about as stark a difference as you can get. Buzz words suddenly change from innovation, NextGen, solution, etc. to organic, grass-fed, GMO/hormone free, artisan, etc.

My resolve to acquaint myself with what so many of my friends have touted for years — the ability to cook – crystallized a few weeks ago with an article that was circulating our office here at Maxwell. When I read Josh Ozersky’s write-up on Portland in Time , which name-dropped such hallowed haunts as Beast and Bunk, I decided I have a rare opportunity to bolster research for my industry AND sharpen (er, learn) a skill in tandem. The following grounded that resolve:

• I finally watched Food, Inc. which led me to promptly join my local food co-op.
• I now have a fridge, oven and shelves that are completely my own, untainted by house-mates (and their ever-judging eyes), with which to furnish and cook ingredients, ingredients, ingredients.
• The more I learn about my clients’ products, the more I want to give my body the wholesome and healthy — and learn to do it myself.

In truth, I feel a little cliché saying “I moved to Portland and now I’m into food!” But denying it would be nonsensical since it doesn’t so much make me a bandwagon foodie, but rather someone who can transition into a new industry, right?

Here’s the thing, maybe it’s not that new.

While SF offers an array of authentic ethnic and local food options, Portland is quickly solidifying its reputation as hub for innovative food solutions for the NextGen of American Epicureans — innovation that happens on the street, in restaurant kitchens, on our rural and urban farms. Innovation and shifts and trends that spring out of and  yet, pour into, an industry that’s constantly churning with novelty and development. When you look at it that way, you can’t tell that I left tech PR (or Silicon Valley) at all.

But I did. And that flag is staked, the culinization has begun.

Peace out, SF

I’d like to think I’ve been saving this post, waiting until I’d had the full experience required to really synthesize it for you. But the truth is, like a bald-faced confession, it’s just a tough thing to spit out.

I recently switched jobs.

Phew, you might be thinking, that actually looked quite easy to say. And, really, many of you who read this knew that anyway. But not many of you know the ensuing story of that announcement that halted my drafting and publishing of this post. You see, you can’t just switch jobs. In looking for a job (while still employed), there’s a dance and a game you end up playing and when reality sets in (when you get the job, that is) there’s an admittance to your current employer that you’re no longer happy in the position or workplace in which you’ve been, well, working.

In my case, that was not the problem. I loved my job. I am lucky, as I’ve stated many times on this blog, to have worked at LaunchSquad and to have loved every minute. It was a fantastic two years filled with growing pains and growth spurts, of trials and triumphs. Yes, I loved working. And that was the problem.

In a prior post, I defended my San Francisco workaholic lifestyle as a necessary evil in the development of this young professional. And while I still believe that to be true, I think I used work as a distraction from what I was missing. Home, friends and family. Top it off with day-to-day life in a city that didn’t fit.

Maybe those aren’t good enough reasons, but they were good enough for me. So I put my ear to the ground — and enlisted help here and there — to come back to Oregon.

I sent out resumes and cover letters to positions that seemed worth it. Even to some that didn’t. I felt like a college senior all over again: “My experience translates across industries…” Finally, the interviews came. I talked with so many companies in so many industries, half determined, half guilty for not allowing myself to just be in San Francisco, half dreading (for good reason) leaving my company, coworkers and clients (amazing all around).

Finally, in a strange plot twist (if you consider the current economy), I landed two consecutive interviews in Portland at two very astute companies. One offered me a job on the spot — the other made me work a little harder, but eventually offered the job. I accepted the latter offer on July 29th. And three weeks later, moved into a brand new Portland apartment and started a brand new job — in a brand new industry.

SUCCESS! I now have content for this blog!

My work no longer involves fantastic technology companies, but now, ladies and gents, I’m working with fantastic food companies at Maxwell PR. What an incredible and daunting road lies before me in my professional development. And since I’m sure you’re positively on-the-edge-of-your-seat with anticipation, I cannot wait to take you on this new adventure.

Why You’ll Fall In Love with Tech PR – And why it’ll love you back.

You’ve probably heard that from people who get into Tech PR with reluctance kind of end up loving it. You’ve probably been surprised to hear it. Well, you’re as surprised as I was. To address that skeptical look on your face, let’s liken it to, say, having your first geek post-high school crush. (editors note: Please continue to read after the below image. Unfortunately he is not the main point of this post.)

Sometimes technology is pretty attractive.

He’s witty and quirky and not at all like the high school soccer jock you always imagined yourself with back when prom was the big event in your life. When you’re first getting into PR, you think it’s going to be like Samantha on SATC or Lauren and Whitney on the Hills, taking orders from Kelly Cutrone while you sit at your desk with your iMac and perfect weave surrounded by hip couture as you, you know, do PR. And at first, that sounds pretty cool. OK, it will always sound cool, but after a few months in the industry it also sounds fictional. Oh, sure, there are those Oscar De La Renta PR girls out there, but there are so many other opportunities to do real PR. Without cat-fights.

When it comes to tech, at first it’s confusing and a little (a lot) over your head. But then it’s intriguing. You start to understand the ins and outs of the industry, your competition, why it really is competition (it’s a race for innovation!). How technology is changing and maturing faster than it ever has and how you, yes YOU, get to see it with your own eyes — all the behind the scenes stuff and you get to influence it. Wow, that’s kind of exciting. Think I’m developing a tiny crush, but I mean, I’m not going to be his girlfriend or anything. This is just harmless flirting…

You resist, and also don’t. He’s funny and sweet, and loves your attention because, well, he’s a nerd. And suddenly, you’re interested in the things that he finds interesting, and you now find that you want to support him in his endeavors. It’s OK, let yourself get excited about things like public APIs and SXSW INTERACTIVE. These are valuable things that matter and are the building blocks to the important and critical technology that will eventually be infused throughout business, lifestyle, culture – and the rest of The New York Time’s sections.

You bring something unique to the table, something the tech industry needs badly. An “everyman (woman)” perspective. How will this be received and by who? Where should we have an online presence? How do we explain this in simple language so that people will understand the story? How do we get past jargon and tell the story to anyone? They need you because you are good with people. You make them feel comfortable and can move easily in and out of social situations.

He teaches you things. Every day you’re launching stuff that eventually brands across every industry will want to be a part of. And you can help them get there. You learn the “next thing” and see trends before they break – Tech PR people were the first to see the branding potential in Twitter, Facebook and now Foursquare.

In Tech PR, your clients are often services or platforms being used for PR initiatives. Knowing the space around these companies gives you a good leg-up on how to leverage them.

He introduces you to his friends: Being able to find, access and leverage online communities is vital these days. Clients will want to know who is talking about their brand, what they’re saying and how to reach them. By working in tech PR, you’re already managing that, if not working to garner those communities and which platforms they’re on. Everyone is a publisher these days and knowing how to tell your story to all of those channels is hugely important.

He’s everything you never knew you were looking for. Tech PR gives you an incredible opportunity to practice traditional PR (press releases, media tours, press kits), while staying sharp as the media changes and the PR industry changes. So much of PR is about web content and content creation – blogging for clients, doing client videos, creating media properties (like external, loosely branded sites) – to engage with the community, and knowing these trends is half the battle. Tech PR will do that for you.
Almost every major (and successful) branding campaign has some kind of online component and social web presence – be it sports, fashion, food, travel, eCommerce, politics, non-profit, etc. You need to know how to lead the charge.

On that note, LaunchSquad is hiring at all levels in SF, NYC and Boston. Interested? http://launchsquad.com/about/join-the-team.php

On Being the Expert

One of the things I’ve really struggled with in my client relations development is being “the expert.” When you work for an outside consulting firm, as I do, you are basically the adviser to your client in all things media and publicity – you are the expert. It’s difficult, as you build rapport with your client, maybe even to the point that your team calls with them are friendly and collaborative, to assert yourself with authority, especially if you’re young. This can mean telling a client when one of their ideas sounds like a bad one – horror of horrors.

• Speak with conviction. You can be unsure about something, without sounding like it. And you can say you don’t know without sounding incompetent. The more you express your ideas with conviction, the more confidence your client has in you, even if you’re wrong.
• Be researched. It’s easier to speak with conviction if you know what you’re talking about. Be ready to address all the outcomes, all questions, all concerns with sound and knowledgeable advice.
• Rehearse. Speaking confidently with clients comes with experience and a lot of practice – and even with critique. Ask for feedback from your teams and your coworkers and really work on areas where you falter.
• Disagree with a client. Being upfront about bad and risky ideas tells the client that you’re forward thinking, not combative. This also means you’ll need to have an alternative direction or a new idea at the ready. When you’re able to be on-the-level with a client, you can get a lot more done.
• Be firm. Part of this is the whole “speaking with authority/conviction/your heart” deal, but in the long run, it’ll let the client know that you’re not wishy-washy. But this also means being ready to hash out why it’s a bad idea.
• Be flexible. Your client is paying you. At some point, they’re going to remember that too and you need to know that they’re going to make whatever decision they want to make. You need to be ready to go with it whole-heartedly and have a game-plan around it.
• Have managers/coworkers read your client emails before sending. Feedback is important in your growth here. You may think your email conveys a lot of value and expertise, but your more experienced coworkers can help you spot weak and passive language and ultimately make you a stronger communicator.

The point here is that you never want the client to have to ask “Why didn’t you tell us this was a bad idea?” if you can avoid it. What they decide after you advise them is their own deal. And they’ll know “you told them so” without you having to say it. But this isn’t about being right – it’s about putting the client first and trying your hardest not to let “wrong” things happen. That’s what makes you the real deal and the expert.

In Defense of Being a Young Workaholic

The way I work has triggered such negative accusations as “Your job owns you!” and “You’re never not working” and “You have no life!” I’ll admit. Working throughout the morning of this last Christmas Eve did little to squelch these rumors.

LaunchSquad provided me a MacBook when I was hired and I was in nirvana. My crush on Apple’s beautiful white laptop lasted all through college and my lust was even worse for the iPhone. Both devices have become a source of acute irritation to my boyfriend because they mean one thing – I’m always connected, always able to work. Always.

Being thus equipped ends up meaning that I don’t quite have a work-life balance, adequately appropriating work to one location and time-frame and personal life to another. Work, for me, is – if I may call upon some industry jargon – cross-platform and happens in real-time. If’ I’m watching TV, I often have my computer open and on my lap, and while I’m likely not doing any writing-intensive projects, I’m still carrying out tasks, however miniscule – updating media lists, searching for coverage, maybe a bit of pitching. This can happen whenever and wherever. And it does. Here’s why it’s not bad:

• AGILITY: I have no children and do not live with my significant other so I’m not sacrificing quality relationship time to work. I’m young enough that work doesn’t exhaust me enough yet to keep me from doing other things if they come up. When work emergencies come up, I can jump on them easily and as I am already so engaged in the accounts, I often know exactly what needs to be done.
• RELOCATION FROM HOME: Let’s face it – after college you may have to move away to find a job. And a new city can (in my case, anyway) mean a staggered, at best, social life. Which also means I have more time to work. And I take advantage of that – it can help ease the loneliness.
• ENERGY FOR THE WORK I DO: I love my job, my clients and my work. Not everyone is so lucky, but learning to engage in hard work, I mean HARD WORK – the kind that keeps you up and at the office at night, goes through hours and hours of revisions, endless thought-processing, and finely-tuned technical planning that strains your energy, social life, and sleep patterns – is an important lesson and career move that translates across jobs, whether they suck or shine in your life.
• FUTURE IN MIND: I work like this so that one day I won’t have to. I work hard to eventually manage others to do the same. Look at the people who manage you – more likely than not, they’ve sacrificed a fun evening out for an all night project or two.

Again, I’ve got the idyllic situation for this kind of lifestyle and sometimes it can really suck to know that I could take a less stressful job and enjoy a much more socially-friendly personal life. I had to accept, though, that while I’m not in college anymore, I didn’t graduate to stop working hard. It’s a bit heart-stopping to realize that the morning and evening commutes and everything in between are your life now (and may bleed into other parts of your life), don’t let that stop you from tackling the challenge that our generation is so afraid to face these days – hard work.

We are so eager to be lazy, so eager to take advantage of lax work environments, to work till the bell rings – till quitting time. To leave work at work and invest in the fun life that a salary can buy. It’s an effect of an entitled generation who sees jobs and day-to-day work marginalized in the media and not worth the effort until we’re making six figures in a corner office. Sure, shoot for the stars. But understand that the groundwork for that life happens NOW because, while MTV and our culture will tell you differently, those perks are a direct result of hard work and your very best effort. The sooner the better.

Mike Rowe’s TED talk on Dirty Jobs and Work: