Steve Jobs said that “…innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem.” This creative mentality is what set Jobs and Apple apart from the competition.

Challenge yourself to think differently and explore ideas and solutions beyond what seems obvious. Keep in mind that routines can limit your thought process. If you feel stuck and out of ideas, try shaking things up. Here’s five ways to shake up your routine and get the creative juices flowing:

1) Get organized and reduce clutter. It’s a great way to reduce stress and help you think more efficiently.

2) Get an early start on your day. Less time rushing around means more time to relax and think. Try coming into the office a few minutes early. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish before your inbox is flooded and the phone starts ringing!

3) Read whatever you can get your hands on- newspapers, blogs, books, magazines, etc. It’s a great way to gain fresh perspective.

4) Take on a challenging and interesting new project. It will keep you on your toes, and help you keep your critical and creative thinking skills sharp.

5) Get involved in an organization outside the office, and attend their events and meetings regularly. Take an active role in helping them solve problems and make improvements. It’s a great opportunity to give your brain some “problem solving” exercise outside the office.

Everyone copes with stress in different ways. In our office, laughter is often the best medicine. We make sure to have a good laugh as often as possible. It helps us keep our cool, and work at our best. Here’s some proof that we can all stand to laugh more, both in and out of the office: Laughing may help ease blood pressure, boost mood, and enrich health in other ways.

As a follow up to my post ‘The REAL Grinch who Stole Christmas – And all my holiday cards, too!!!‘ I wanted to share this story with you from the U-T.

Now that’s what I’m talking about! You Go Baker Family!!

I’m a Christmas/holiday nut. My decorations in the office and home are up the day after Thanksgiving. I start planning our office party in October, and set a special calendar of friend’s and client’s holiday events the second I get invited so I don’t forget or double book.

Ever since I was little, my favorite part has been sending and receiving holiday cards. Even now, I still get excited when the mailman announces his arrival in our office by shouting, “Mail is here!” I get a smile on my face as I skip from my office to the lobby each day, quickly culling through the bills and stuffers to find that almighty Holy Grail….the holiday cards! It’s fun guessing who has sent it, if there might be a photo and what personal note and sharing of information might be inside.

In addition to the cards we send out here, I personally send out nearly 100 cards from home. I enjoy having a glass of egg nog, turning on the holiday radio channel and writing notes on each one, especially to friends who I don’t see frequently or sometimes, not at all, during the past year. It’s a way to remember all the memories of the year and the people who made it special.

But if you’re like me, you’re noticing an alarming trend — a lot less cards coming your way this year.

I’m sure there are a lot of good excuses why people aren’t sending cards.

Maybe it’s because they’re too busy. I mean, heck, what busier time of year is there than the holidays? All that shopping, overeating at company parties, watching college and pro football games on TV, not to mention planning the big Christmas dinner with the entire family. It’s exhausting just thinking about it all.

And, sending cards is expensive. When Hallmark, who started making cards more than 100 years ago, first starting selling them, I’ll bet a single card wasn’t more than a few pennies. Today, a nice box of 20 Hallmark cards can run you upwards of $10 (unless you get them the day after Christmas like I do for half off for the following year). Add in the stamp and you’re at almost $1 per recipient. Wow! But, I’ve noticed those electronic cards are even down this year (and frankly, I’m glad to see them go! Poor excuse for a personal contact if you ask me).

I’m afraid the real excuse is something a bit more sinister. It’s more like a new really bad holiday-excuse Grinch……It’s the TECHNOLOGY GRINCH!

Facebook, texting, Tweeting and emailing has put everyone in such constant contact, I’m afraid people are now thinking that a “like” or a “tweet” is good enough for communicating on a really personal level at such a special time of the year.

I’ve got news. It doesn’t because it can’t.

And I can prove it.

I’ll bet you can tell me right now who has sent you an actual card in the mail this year. But can you tell me who tweeted you or emailed you a greeting??

Sure it takes time, and costs a little bit. Don’t let the technology Grinch take away your best way of saying “Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and I’m Thinking about YOU!!!” to someone special this holiday season. They’ll be glad you did.

Outside the office I spend most of my time on the soccer field coaching 11 and 12 year old girls. The best advice I have to offer other youth coaches is this: Write up a detailed plan for every practice and every game… then plan on nothing going according to plan. Time for a Back-Up-Plan.

The same rules apply in public relations.

In an industry where the situation is constantly changing as the day unfolds, your client’s needs and goals may change on a daily, or sometimes hourly basis. Things aren’t always going to go according to plan- so when they don’t- how will you respond?

Earlier this year one of our clients was invited to participate in an event here in San Diego. It was a huge branding opportunity for them, which made it critical that we deliver a great event and promote the client’s participation in a creative way. We came up with a few ideas, presented our favorite to the client, and they loved it.

We all agreed it was sure to be a success— until two weeks later. The client decided that while it was a good idea, it wasn’t exactly what they wanted, which sent us back to drawing board with a lot less time to work with. Fortunately, we had a “WHAT IF” plan from our original brainstorming session.

Sure, we loved the original idea and were sad to see it dropped, and sure, we didn’t have a lot of time to shift gears, but in the end, the event was a success. We were able to take things in a different direction and help the client represent their brand the way they had envisioned.

When things don’t go as planned, beyond just doing damage control, you may even have an opportunity to IMPROVE the original plan, learn something new and create something better than you had imagined.

So whether you’re making plans for a client, or just planning your day – after you’ve thought of everything and the ONE thing you didn’t think of occurs – stay calm, stay focused, and embrace the opportunity to be a problem solver. Keep that Back-Up-Plan in your pocket…..you might need it.

Nine recent SDSU grads received 2010-2011 Fulbright awards, ranking them 3rd in the State (tied with UCLA). Stanford (27) and UC Berkeley (12) were the only universities in California to produce more Fulbright Scholars than SDSU.

The Fulbright program is considered the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, and is revered as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the world. Fulbright awards merit-based grants to the best and brightest students, scholars and professors in a highly competitive pool to allow them to pursue international graduate study, advanced research, and international teaching at the primary, secondary and university levels.

Sometimes the partnerships work, and sometimes, they don’t.

For one San Diego restaurant group and a special high school, the partnership is as well matched as turkey and gravy.

Since 1998 the Cohn Restaurant Group has partnered with Garfield High School, the nation’s first alternative continuation school for non-traditional students. Many Garfield students were former drop outs, are single mothers or have had problems in the traditional school setting. The school staff, together with strong business partnerships, helps ready these students for a career, college and beyond.

Culinary Arts is one of many CTE+ROP (Career Technical Education + Regional Occupational Program) courses Garfield offers as part of their school-to-career program. CTE+ROP courses provide students with hands-on, real-world experience that prepares them for entry level jobs in a variety of industries.

By donating the use of their restaurants, kitchens and chefs, David and Lesley Cohn have worked with Garfield students to help train them for entry level culinary positions. The culmination of their hands-on teaching is the annual Garfield Thanksgiving feast, held each year at The Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park. The students work side-by-side some of San Diego’s top chefs, days in advance, to prep for the biggest luncheon of the year.

Educators, legislators, business leaders and parents of the students are invited to the luncheon which sells out nearly each year. The event is a perfect example of cause marketing that works for both Garfield High School and the Cohn Group, and is a great way for attendees to get a jump start on the holiday’s with a fantastic meal.

This year’s 14th annual luncheon takes place on Wednesday, November 16 at 12pm at The Prado. For tickets and more information contact Karlene Dockery: kdockery@san.rr.com or 858-484-1597.

Internships are becoming increasingly hard to come by as experienced, mid-career job seekers are now competing for unpaid internships as a way to keep their minds sharp, network and learn new skills while searching for new jobs.

As the competition for internships gets fierce, it’s critical that students take advantage of as many internship opportunities as possible, and start thinking about interning as early as high school.

At Heying & Associates we have always been advocates of student internships, and have mentored many interns over the years. In fact – we are looking for fall interns now! So, if you’re a college student looking for hands-on experience in public relations, send us your resume.