Little Black Book Read online

  Copyright

  4th Estate

  An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF

  www.4thEstate.co.uk

  This eBook first published in Great Britain by 4th Estate in 2017

  First published in Great Britain in 2016

  Copyright © Otegha Uwagba, 2016, 2017

  Otegha Uwagba asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  This book is designed to give the reader a general overview of working in the creative industry, it does not give detailed legal or financial advice, readers are always advised to consult independent legal advice.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins

  Source ISBN: 9780008245115

  Ebook Edition © June 2017 ISBN: 9780008245108

  Version: 2017-05-05

  Dedication

  Dedicated to my parents,

  who taught me the meaning of hard work,

  and continue to lead by example.

  Contents

  COVER

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  FOREWORD

  CHAPTER 1. GETTING IT DONE: Ways To Maximize Your Productivity

  CHAPTER 2. OVERCOMING CREATIVE BLOCKS: Getting Your Mojo Back

  CHAPTER 3. BUILDING YOUR BRAND: Not Just A Corporate Buzzword – The Importance Of Personal Branding

  CHAPTER 4. PUBLIC SPEAKING 101: How To Give A Kick-Ass Presentation

  CHAPTER 5. MONEY TALKS PART I: KNOWING YOUR WORTH: Getting Paid What You Deserve

  CHAPTER 6. MONEY TALKS PART II: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Managing Your Affairs

  CHAPTER 7. BACK TO SCHOOL: How And Why To Learn New Skills

  CHAPTER 8. THE ART OF NETWORKING: Because Who You Know Is As Important As What You Know

  CHAPTER 9. LOOKING AFTER NUMBER ONE: Keeping Your Mind And Body On Track

  CHAPTER 10. Q&A: Words Of Wisdom From Some Inspirational Women

  APPENDIX: Everyday Resources

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

  FOREWORD

  If you’re a working woman and you’ve picked up this book, it’s probably because you’ve got some questions. Maybe you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re already pretty experienced. Still, you’ve got questions. You’re in the right place – read on.

  The book you’re holding right now is a curation of career advice and insights inspired by my own experiences as a young woman trying to make my way in the world. Despite having been lucky enough to start my career at some of the world’s top ad agencies, and later working for cult youth brand Vice, after a few years I found myself at something of a career crossroads: completely unsure of what to do next, but knowing deep down that I needed to make a change – sound familiar?

  Feeling certain my own experiences couldn’t be unique, and desperate to connect with other like-minded women, I decided to combine the things I’m most inspired by – creativity, women and work – into a platform that could support and inspire working women everywhere. Enter Women Who: a modern community connecting women who, separately, are all having the same thoughts when they wake up in the morning. Women who are striving for more. Women who, like me, want – or need – to make a change.

  Because things are changing, aren’t they? The offices, studios and coffee shops where we spend the majority of our waking hours are constantly evolving, and with them the rulebook on how to build a successful and fulfilling creative career. For the generation of fiercely ambitious and entrepreneurial women that I’m a part of, navigating that ever-changing landscape throws up a bunch of complex questions – from little things like how to write a sensitive email, or use Instagram to your advantage; to the big, existential, career-defining quandaries, like how to build the kind of personal brand that opens doors, whether to try freelancing or not, and of course, the lifelong dilemma every creative faces – how to find that delicate balance between starving artist and corporate shill.

  All of which brings us right back to this book, which I wrote to help answer all of those questions (and a few more besides), and to show you how you can achieve success on your own terms – whatever those may be.

  Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned along the way, it’s that we all have ideas – sometimes we just need a little help figuring out how to make them happen.

  So – let’s get to work, shall we?

  To find out more about Women Who visit www.womenwho.co or follow @womenwho on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

  Chapter 1

  GETTING IT DONE

  WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

  ‘Nothing will work unless you do.’

  – Maya Angelou, poet and activist

  Producing creative work often means juggling a seemingly endless number of deadlines and projects. This can be both a blessing and a curse: while a bit of variety keeps things fresh, good time management is infinitely trickier when you have lots of competing demands on your time. Read on for some effective ways to make the most of your working hours.

  THE EARLY BIRD

  Try starting your working day an hour earlier. If you’re not used to early starts this will probably be a little painful at first, but you’ll soon notice the benefits of getting a head start on your work without anyone to disrupt you, especially if you have clients to report to. Consistency is key to making this habit stick, which means getting up at the same time every day. Studies have also shown that people who get up early actually tend to have higher energy levels, and feel more in control of their day – even more reason to become a morning person. And on that note …

  POWER HOUR

  Resist the temptation to check your emails or social media accounts first thing in the morning, as you run the risk of falling down an Internet rabbit hole. Instead, dedicate the first hour of your working day – when your mind is at its freshest – to establishing what your priorities are for the day ahead and making a start on them. That first hour is precious, so make the most of it.

  GETTING DRESSED

  Many world leaders and CEOs swear by having a ‘work uniform’, i.e. returning to the same outfit (or variations thereof) day in, day out. Eliminating smaller choices such as what to wear each morning means one fewer decision to make over the course of your day, so you can save your brainpower for the important stuff. Plus, you’ll save precious minutes in the morning, which can only be a good thing. Having a consistent look is also a great way of establishing your personal brand – find out more about that in Chapter 3.

  MAKE A LIST

  Despite the many wonders of modern technology, the humble list remains one of the most effective productivity power tools at your disposal. At the start of each week, make a to-do list of your key goals for the week ahead, prioritizing them in order of importance. By spending a few minutes planning your workflow upfront, you free your brain up to do the real work of creative thinking the
rest of the time. You might also find it helps to go analogue with this – the process of committing your thoughts to paper can be incredibly clarifying, and having a written list to hand means your goals won’t get lost in the jumble of draft tweets and browser tabs that tend to dominate our lives.

  QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

  Working non-stop doesn’t necessarily equate to getting more done, as your brain simply can’t operate at peak performance for long stretches of time. Instead of trying to work marathon sessions, aim for shorter periods of focused activity interspersed with regular breaks allowing your brain to recharge. Try scheduling your day into a few two-hour ‘work blocks’, comprised of ninety minutes of work followed by a thirty-minute break. Resist the temptation to carry on working beyond the allotted time for each block just because you’re ‘in the zone’ – you’ll be more motivated to return to work if there’s something you’re dying to finish, as opposed to working yourself to the point of exhaustion.

  ONE THING AT A TIME

  Multitasking is overrated! If you’ve got several projects on the go, it’s easy to get distracted by flitting from one project to another but that’s an exhausting way of working, and one that reduces your efficiency. Don’t fracture your time by jumping from task to task – pick one task you want to complete in a given time slot (e.g. one or more work blocks) and focus on just that.

  PEAK TIME

  Identify your most productive times of day – are you an early bird or a night owl? It’s natural for your energy levels to fluctuate throughout the day, so figure out the time of day when your focus tends to be at its peak and schedule important tasks for then. Try starting with the most difficult task on your to-do list first. The sense of accomplishment (and relief) from having ticked it off your list will give you a burst of energy that propels you through the rest of your day.

  LUNCHTIME

  Avoid a hastily gobbled lunch ‘al desko’, and always aim to take a full hour for your lunch break if possible. At the very least, make sure you’re well away from your phone or computer when eating your lunch – this is your time to recharge your brain so don’t try and multitask. If you can manage it, take a quick walk outside, too. A few minutes of fresh air will do wonders for your energy levels and sense of calm.

  COMPARTMENTALIZE

  Relegate emails, admin and social media activity to specific times of the day, factoring in your ‘peak energy’ hours and working around them. If you need to, consider switching the notifications settings on your phone from push to pull, to avoid the distraction – and temptation – of notifications popping up. Frequently interrupting your work to check or respond to messages stops you from getting properly immersed in it, as it takes the average person around twenty-five minutes to get back into the swing of things after a distraction. The same principle applies to ‘life admin’ such as going to the supermarket or doing housework – set aside a regular slot once or twice a week to deal with everything in one go. Knowing you have a pre-allocated time to tackle these tasks will also help you put them to the back of your mind and concentrate better the rest of the time.

  THINK IT OVER

  It’s easy to feel as though constant busyness is the ultimate indicator of productivity, but making time for ‘deep thinking’ is just as essential to your output as ticking items off your daily to-do list. Try to block out at least one hour-long slot in your diary every week just to think, strategize and evaluate how you’re working. That might feel like something of a luxury in the face of the endless demands on your plate, but taking the time to clarify your priorities, think about how you’re expending your energy and generate new ideas is a vital investment in making long-term headway on your goals.

  SET DEADLINES

  Having an actual deadline can improve your performance and reduce your tendency to procrastinate no end, so as you begin each task allocate yourself a set amount of time within which to finish it. Make sure the deadline is achievable and allows enough time to get the job done well – don’t subject yourself to unnecessary pressure by setting unrealistic goals. Not allowing tasks to expand to fit the time available to you is a crucial habit to cultivate, and it’s even more salient if you’re a freelancer and your time is, quite literally, money.

  DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

  Perfectionism is very often the enemy of progress. Resist the urge to endlessly tweak projects or creative work at the expense of ever actually finishing them. Following through – even if you’re not 100 per cent happy with the final product – is more valuable than endlessly chasing an unattainable ideal of ‘perfection’. Recognize where to draw the line and put your work out into the world. After all, if no one ever sees your work, then it doesn’t really exist, does it?

  Chapter 2

  OVERCOMING CREATIVE BLOCKS

  GETTING YOUR MOJO BACK

  ‘Show up, show up, show up, and after a while, the muse shows up, too.’

  – Isabel Allende, writer

  Everyone struggles with creative block from time to time, and finding that your ideas come less easily at some points than at others is pretty much part and parcel of doing creative work. Still, when your livelihood depends on your ability to generate ideas, going through a creative dry spell is far from ideal. Whether you’re dealing with a seemingly impenetrable brief, or having trouble going from idea to execution, here are a few simple strategies to help you get your work back on track.

  LOOK OUTSIDE YOUR GENRE

  Your best ideas won’t always come to you when you’re sitting at your desk, so get out there and find fresh sources of inspiration. Whether it’s going to a talk, reading a book, or travelling somewhere new, putting yourself in a position to absorb information from outside your usual frames of reference is great for sparking new ideas, and developing work that reflects your own unique range of inspirations.

  DON’T SURROUND YOURSELF WITH YOURSELF

  Don’t be afraid to open your work process up to others – if you’ve hit a wall, talking things through with someone else can really help. It’s a simple but often overlooked truth that a fresh pair of eyes usually helps you look at problems from a different perspective. No woman is an island, so open up to someone whose opinion or judgement you respect.

  PRIORITIZE

  On a day-to-day level, simplify your to-do list to make it more manageable. Chances are you’ll find you don’t have to do everything right now, and it’s always better to do a few things well than many things badly. Be ruthless in figuring out what you can delay, delegate (if you work in a team), or skip altogether.

  ACE YOUR SPACE

  Creating the right conditions for inspiration to strike is crucial to doing your best work. Your working environment has a huge impact on your mindset and creativity levels, particularly if you regularly work from home – it needs to be somewhere you’re happy to be in for hours on end, day in, day out. It’s also far easier to get in the zone (and out of it when your workday’s over) if you have a dedicated workspace, no matter how small. Whether you’re working from home or based in an office, make sure you’ve got these basics sorted.

  Get organized

  Some people swear by organizing their desk every morning before getting down to work, in the belief that a tidy desk equals a tidy mind – or at least helps. Kondo (for the uninitiated, this means declutter) your workspace using desk drawer organizers, folders and filing cabinets, and treat yourself to some cute desk accessories to elevate your workspace beyond the mundane. Muji is a great option if you like your stationery minimal, and cheap.

  Go green

  Recreate the mood-boosting properties of the great outdoors by sprucing up your workspace with some greenery. If a continual supply of fresh flowers is too much hassle for you, go for an easy-to-care-for succulent such as aloe vera, which has the added bonus of purifying the air around you.

  Lighting

  Ensure you’re working in a well-lit environment – if you can work somewhere with plenty of natural light, all the better.


  Make your space unique

  Adding some personal touches to your workspace by pinning up a few pictures, postcards, or inspirational quotes can do wonders for keeping you motivated when you’ve hit a wall.

  Get comfortable

  Your workspace should be as conducive to comfort as possible – if you’re uncomfortable, you won’t be able to concentrate properly, particularly on those days when you need to put in long hours. Make sure your computer screen is at the right height, and that you’ve got a chair with good back support. If you use a laptop, get an external mouse instead of relying on its touchpad; over time that can strain your hands and wrists.

  Tune in

  Music can go a long way towards creating the right ambience for your workspace, so experiment a little to see what works for you. Or you could take a leaf out of writer Zadie Smith’s book: she listens to ‘brown noise’ (like white noise, but more soothing) as she works. Unconventional, sure – but it’s great for drowning out distracting thoughts and sounds, and you might find that avoiding music with words or a distinct melody while working is less distracting. If you work in a busy office, make sure you’ve got a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones on hand for those times when you really need to power through.