When I start my work day, I do the usual: log on, check for any urgent emails and run through the calendar for the day. And then, perhaps a little too excitedly, I head over to the LinkedIn puzzles.
I try to finish all seven, but I tend to start with my favourites: Queens, Tango and Zip. It’s become a small morning ritual that makes me feel like my work day has officially started.
It’s also interesting to see how I rank against colleagues and friends. And I’d be lying if I said there weren’t certain people I specifically try to outrank. Why? Just because. Winning is fun.
I think there’s something satisfying about accomplishing a small goal before properly getting into the working day. And somehow, because the puzzles are on LinkedIn, which is ultimately a 'work focused social media platform', it feels like a fun first item to tick off the day’s to-do list.
But this wouldn’t be a LinkedIn blog if I didn’t find a way to link it back to my chosen profession. And I do think there is a connection between LinkedIn’s puzzles and the corporate world, particularly PR.
At its core, a lot of what we do in PR is about making connections. We’re trying to connect our clients with the right publications, journalists and audiences. To do that, we need to choose the right words, much like Crossclimb, and use those words to find the right connection, like Pinpoint. We have to do all of this while navigating deadlines, budgets and competing priorities, much like trying to place everything correctly in Queens.
Of course, there’s plenty of logic involved too, (hello Tango). And more often than not, a good PR strategy means thinking a few steps ahead, just like Zip.
There’s another reason I think the puzzles feel particularly at home in the PR world: we’re an industry that rarely knows exactly what the working day is going to look like.
You can have a perfectly organised to-do list at 9am and, by 9:15, a journalist request, breaking news story or unexpected client update can completely change your priorities. There’s something quite fitting about starting a day like that with a puzzle. You know there’s an answer somewhere, you might not see it immediately, and sometimes you must change your approach before you find it. In many ways, that’s a pretty accurate warm up for a day in PR.
Maybe I’m giving my morning puzzles a little too much credit. But if they get my brain working, give me a small win before the day properly begins and exercise a few of the same skills I use in PR, I’d say they’re a pretty productive way to start the working day.
And if I happen to beat a few colleagues while I’m at it, even better.