Mondays are rough. After a relaxing and enjoyable weekend, no matter how much you love your job, it can be hard to settle in and re-focus on your work. Luckily, despite the client meetings, conference calls, and general catch-up tasks, winter Mondays mean… The Bachelor is back!

For those of you who have never tuned in to this cultural phenomenon and worry that this blog post may not make sense to you, I say… fear not! The Bachelor is pretty much the simplest show on cable so you won’t be at a disadvantage while reading this post — I promise!

In fact, I set up a Bachelor Bracket with girlfriends and learned that those who watched the show the LEAST actually performed the best when it came to predicting which women the bachelor would choose each episode. Now that we are in the final weeks, I’m embarrassed to admit proud to say that I’m in first place, but it’s always a total guessing game!

I would recommend watching the show at least once in your life (if not the full two hours, then at least a few minutes), just so you can stay hip to what the kids are talking about these days. It’s kind of like the Snapchat app – not particularly useful, but definitely good for some absent-minded fun. Last Monday, I got together with some friends to watch the latest episode of the show and realized there were actually some decent takeaways that could be applied to the workplace. Here’s what I’ve learned from watching The Bachelor that can ultimately help improve your professional life in the marketing realm.

Prioritization of tasks

An entire season of The Bachelor is filmed over the course of eight weeks. In that short stretch of time, our main man has to schedule dates and quality time with dozens of ladies before deciding whether or not to propose marriage. Yes, the show is absurd, but it also teaches us about the importance of efficiency and prioritization.

In order to maximize time with those who mean most to him, our beloved bachelor needs to plan and organize dates in a strategic manner. This approach to scheduling carries over into the workplace. You can’t go weeks without at least touching on some aspect of a project. Those of us who work in an agency environment need to allocate our time evenly among projects so that every task gets the care and attention it deserves.

Desperation is not attractive

Just like the bachelor can smell desperation on the clingiest women in the room, consumers can tell when a brand is trying too hard.

Obviously, in this age of content content content, it’s hard for a brand to break through the noise and grab the attention of a customer. As a result, some companies resort to overly aggressive sales tactics, misguided social media posts (does a financial institution really need a Vine account??), and off-putting pleas for testimonials, referrals, and press. While these companies mean well, they may be putting the business at a disadvantage. Begging for positive customer reviews is not the way to build a strong digital image. Honestly, companies are better off taking a moment to pause, think through their larger goals, and create a strategic plan to achieve said goals rather than just leaping forward to embrace the latest marketing trend du jour.

Just like the bachelors of seasons’ past tend to favor those girls who are true to themselves (as much as they can be while competing in a reality show!), companies that stick to their mission and consistently strive to put out the best product or service have the greatest chance of achieving (and maintaining) positive brand sentiment.

Our interpersonal relationships are key to success

There are girls in the Bachelor mansion who will backstab and whine about those they don’t like, but over the course of filming, there are also strong friendships formed. These relationships are ultimately far more important than the dubious romantic connection between 28 ladies and one guy.

When a few of the women on the show become friendly, it’s like they’ve formed an alliance against those who are there with bad intentions. Just as a good friend on the show can be a contestant’s greatest ally, in real life, your friends and colleagues are the people who have your back. Take time to cultivate those work relationships and build up a network of acquaintances beyond your immediate industry.

I utilize my network every single day. Whether it’s bouncing creative campaign ideas off of an artsy friend from college, asking my sister to read through copy I’ve written for a customer’s website, or pitching a reporter acquaintance to quote a client in her next article, these relationships all pay off in a big way.

Of course, it’s important to go out of your way to help others when you can too. Don’t just take take take — offer up your help and expertise often!

Don’t forget to sell yourself

Part of what makes us humans excel at our professions is confidence. When we believe in the ideas we’re pitching and the work that we do, we convince clients our guidance is invaluable.

Just like the bachelorettes need to convince the leading man of their worth before each elimination round, those of us in the digital marketing industry only have a short window to impress clients and prove our worth. Ramp things up quickly and jump on every available opportunity to shine. The sooner you experience a win, the easier it is to convince yourself and others that you are worthy.

Most of these lessons extend beyond marketing specifically and can help guide an employee in any industry. Just remember to act decently whenever possible and you can rest assured that you’re doing better at your job than the average reality TV show contestant.