Catching A Break in a High Volume Production World

In a high-volume production environment, stealing a moment to oneself during a busy workday is imperative. A little diversion is good medicine to fight exhaustion and burnout.
Here at Propulsion, borrowing time here and there offers an employee time to think, time to breathe, re-charge his/her mind, and who knows, he/she may stumble upon the inspiration for a creative idea that will translate into the next great TV or radio spot.

How can you spend that break time?

1. Talk about anything thing other than work. Talk about local sports teams, what you had for breakfast, the latest celebrity idiocies, or anything you want.
2. Go get some fresh air. Maybe not enough to get tan lines, but some fresh air can do you good.
3. Find something funny. Go on YouTube and find a funny video, then share it with EVERYONE in the office.
4. Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths.
5. Stretch it out. Even if you have no elasticity left in your body, it helps to just sit back and get some kinks out.
6. Grab a healthy snack. Everyone needs a small boost of energy, but opt for a granola bar or fruit. It’s healthier and you won’t have a sugar crash later.
7. Play your Nintendo Gameboy, PSP or an online game. Enjoy the brief pleasure from this and let yourself smile again.
8. Play time. Keep a super bouncy ball, bubbles or a pack of cards in a special drawer. When things get rough revert to childhood and play a little. You’d be surprised at how good this will make you feel.
9. Jam out to some great music. Music is a great mood changer and just a few minutes with a favorite song can lift your mood and put a smile on your face.
10. Get your Facebook/Twitter fix. Tweet, status, post, comment, like, or poke as needed.

Or you could “Go Costanza” like in this clip.

Hotdogs: Creative Super Food?

What’s the first food you think about when you’re at the ballpark? Chances are it’s a hotdog. Even though it may not be one of your dietitian’s first choices for a snack, it sure does taste good. Now, with all of the concerns of your food and its integrity, you may wonder what’s in the hotdog that you love and care for.

The average hotdog contains any of these ingredients in any variation:

· Pork

· Beef

· Chicken

· Bread/Other type of cereal filler

Let’s not forget about these additives water, salt, corn syrup, dextrose, sodium lactate, sodium phosphate, ascorbic acid, etc.

While these may sound delicious, a regular dog contains about 150 calories, 125 of which come from fat. This amount of fat can go on to lead to significant health issues including obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease. Again, your dietician may not agree with you on your choice, but your stomach sure will.

As professionals in the advertising and production industry, finding a steady meal can be a daunting task. With constant deadlines and thousands of dollars on the table at any moment, you need to be able to get in and eat, and get out quickly. There is no better solution for this than the beloved hotdog.

To keep our crew on the move and productive at Propulsion, the first choice at lunchtime is, you guessed it, the hotdog. Since our clients demand the highest quality production, we strive to keep our employees well-fed. Hotdogs fuel creativity and allow them to be fast and efficient. One of our employees has even gone on to say, “Ya know, when I eat the Oscar Meyer dogs, my After Effects work is a little sharper than when I eat the Hatfield brand – which just gives me gas.”

Dan Morlock

Intern, Propulsion Media Labs

Telecommunications, Penn State University

Theodore P Rysz III

Intern, Propulsion Media Labs

Television, Radio, and Film, Syracuse University