Tag Archives: engauge

Defining Busy: One Year Later

6th February 2013

If you haven’t been able to tell through my past posts, I’m a big fan of nostalgia. Stories, cards, photos, I keep them all. When I stumbled across Timehop a little over a year ago, I was instantly obsessed.

If you aren’t familiar with Timehop, this brillant little app takes your data from across your social networks and delivers it to you in a nice, neat little daily email sharing exactly what you were doing one year ago on that day. You can also download their app for extra love and see back as far as you have been active on a particular social network…posts from freshman year of college are AWESOME in case you weren’t aware.

As much as I LOVE Timehop, it’s not exactly the primary purpose of this post. So back to our regularly schedule programming we go.

A year ago, I posted this to Twitter:

Working ~~in a client-facing business~~ means I’m constantly pulled in a billion different directions. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the hoopla of it all and share with everyone just how busy you are as if there were some award for having the most miserable schedule. Believe me, I’m guilty too.

A year ago, I challenged myself to remove those words from my vocabulary, I even blogged about the ordeal and how it made a difference in my day.

There will always be a deadline, another project, or something else to check off of the list. It’s only going to get crazier from here – heck, I’m a single girl and I don’t have the responsibility of a cat in my apartment, let alone a husband and children. If I’m completely honest with myself, that future juggling scares me to death.

BUT …

At the end of the day, you are busy doing the things YOU want to. Only you can make the decisions for how you fill your days – that’s one of those great perks of being a grown-up. I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by some awesome people who are constantly trying to remind me of that, as difficult as that can be somedays.

One year later, I’m still guilty of letting the b-word slip, but it’s a work in progress. Taking time to do things like sit, set goals and blog more are now also on my to-do list. I love this quote from Jessica Lawlor in a recent interview post for Rachel Esterline’s 13 in 2013 series:

The truth is, there is no such thing as work-life balance; there’s just balance.

I couldn’t have even thought to sum it better myself. How do you keep balance between the crazy?

Real World Review: 1 Year at Engauge

8th September 2011

I’ve officially hit the one year mark at Engauge, and more impressively in my head, the one year survival mark in the real world. It’s been quite a whirlwind of a year and I’ve learned more than I could ever write, but I’ll try to touch on some of my biggest lessons here so far.

Go big or go home. Don’t settle for good. Good doesn’t cut it in this business, great does. Push yourself everyday, ask why, innovate, go the extra mile and you just might find your job is easier and a little more rewarding along the way.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Yes, everyone is in over the their heads, but the good news is everyone is in over their heads. They get it. Your coworkers know why you are losing your mind and how to help you get back on your feet. It’s OK to admit defeat sometimes, you’ll feel much better when you have someone to watch you back and help you on the bad days.

Take a time out. One of the most rewarding things I’ve been able to do in the last year is spend one hour a week volunteering with an elementary reading program. I’m convinced I find more relaxation and learning during of the hour I spend not doing my job than I do for any time spent during after work hours.

Be a customer service expert. This extends beyond what we preach to our clients in the digital space and takes a role in everything you do. Put into your work, your relationships and your clients, everything you would expect from a waitress at your favorite restaurant.

Stay ahead of the curve. Learning didn’t end when I turned in my last final and that has to be one of my favorite roles in my job. Take time to read, to ask questions and to share ideas with anyone willing to listen. One of my favorite practices at Engauge are internal events like Technology Thursdays and Lunch Clubs where members from different departments simply share and debate on some of the latest trends, campaigns or work we may have produced.

Speak up. This one seems simple, but has probably been one of the most challenging tasks for this former shy girl over the past year. If you are interested in learning something new, working on a project you are passionate about or disagree with a coworker, have an open conversation. Sometimes raising your hand is the hardest step, but I’ve found the responses never seem to be quite as scary. Going back to my first learning: everyone wants to help.

I have been given far more than I ever could have imagined in my last year here at Enguage. I still find myself thinking “normal 23-year-olds should not be doing this at their jobs” on a weekly basis. I’m still learning. I don’t know a fraction of what some of the people I work with have taught me. I’ve found an industry I’m passionate about, a place I want to go every morning and I cannot wait to see where the next year takes me.

PS want to come work with me at my super amazing, badass agency? We’re hiring.

Setting a date

12th August 2011

Today I came across the following entry in my weekly planner (yes, at that point I somehow managed to find the time to write in a planner). My second, and what would be final, interview at Engauge a year ago tomorrow.

A year ago, I was working for an amazing brand, with an incredibly talented team, working on really cool projects and starting to discover exactly where my passions lie in the digital space.

I have always told myself I would know when I was ready to move on from a job, even an amazing one. Around this time last year, I started to test the waters for agencies around the Atlanta area, making lists, checking them twice and meeting with contacts. I knew I wanted to work somewhere where the people around me would drive my passions professionally through work and personally through culture.

You hear the stories about agency life: the endless hours, crazy clients, cut throat mentality. My cozy corporate fit sure seemed much safer, but safe wasn’t quite for me anymore. I wanted to work somewhere that would push me to learn more, to step up and speak my mind and have a great time while doing it. I found that at Engauge the first time I walked through the door. (It might have helped that half of my first interview consisted of college cheerleading memories with Carla and Dave).

And guess what, agency life is not really what it’s made out to be. Sure, I’ll never work a perfect 40 hour work week. I juggle multiple clients, projects, teams and meetings. I forget to each lunch sometimes. But I love it.

In the past year, I have learned more than I could have ever imagined, been given opportunities to grow that no 22-year-old should ever feasibly be trusted in tackling and made friends with people that feel like family. Not to mention, I get to have a little a lot of fun while doing it.

Looking back, I know I 150% took the right risk and I can’t wait to see where the next 12 months take me. I’ll probably fill in the gaps in more nostalgia posts over the next few weeks (if you know me, you know I love a good story, so if that’s not quite your thing, my apologies in advance) but until then, thanks Engauge for setting a date with me, taking a chance and teaching me that the ‘grown up’ world isn’t so bad after all.