Happy Friday, everyone! Our round-up for this week is brief, but the articles we’re sharing are jam-packed with useful tips that you can start applying today.

Are you struggling with end-of-the-first-quarter blues? Or lacking the daily motivation to get your work done? From critical pieces of your marketing plan to 12 potentially career-altering lessons, check out our favorite headlines from this week.

Eight Key Elements Your Annual Marketing Plan Must Have to Succeed in 2017

The Takeaway: Is it too dramatic to say that this article is a beacon of light in an internet often riddled with terrible and impractical marketing advice? Maybe so, but we are really feeling the love for MarketingProfs and author Lauren Davenport right about now.

As Davenport understands, creating an annual marketing plan months in advance is getting harder and harder to do, with technology constantly changing the way marketers interact with their audiences. Marketers can combat this by creating a plan that is fluid, but a plan that is too flexible runs the risk of going off strategy. So how do we find balance? It starts with making sure that you have all the necessary elements in place so that each time you’re faced with a new decision, you can weigh your options against the things you hope to accomplish. If you already have a marketing plan for 2017, use this article as a sort of checklist to make sure nothing is missing. If you don’t have a plan yet, these eight elements can be translated into the eight steps you should take to create one.

12 Important Career Lessons Most People Learn Too Late in Life

The Takeaway: We’re firm believers that we do our best work for our businesses/organizations when we focus on being our best selves. But what does that look like for you? Does it mean letting go of the things you worry about unnecessarily? Putting more effort into learning from the people around you? Or does it mean working fewer hours to give yourself time to take care of your mind and body?

Whether you’re new to the workforce or a seasoned veteran, each of these 12 lessons can have a serious positive impact on the rest of your career. Take the time (starting today) to understand what each of these 12 lessons means to you – and, most importantly, to figure out how you can put them into action.

Why email is taking center stage in marketing innovation

The Takeaway: If you know one thing about us, it’s probably that we’re not quick to write any one marketing channel off as “dead” or “disappearing” (see: Traditional marketers don’t need to retire). Instead, we agree with author Jason Warnock that emerging technologies won’t kill off email marketing or other more traditional channels, but will instead provide opportunities for improvement and innovation. While some marketers are dropping email from their strategy, there are many ways that technology can boost email performance, from more dynamic content to emails based on a person’s location at any given moment, the opportunities are there for both retail and B2B marketers to make a move for the inbox.

What articles did you find particularly interesting or relevant? Let us know below or on Facebook or Twitter!

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