WEBVTT - The limits of efficiency 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to recognize that even if you are

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<v Speaker 1>very efficient, there are limits, So make sure you have

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<v Speaker 1>enough time allocated for whatever it is that you need

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<v Speaker 1>to do. As we gain experience in our careers, many

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<v Speaker 1>of us have the happy realization that we no longer

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<v Speaker 1>need to work quite as many hours as we once

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<v Speaker 1>needed to. Even as we're getting more done. We recognize

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<v Speaker 1>problems so they no longer stump us. We know the

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<v Speaker 1>right people to call to get answers Quickly clients come

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<v Speaker 1>to us, which is vastly more efficient for landing work

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<v Speaker 1>than pitching unsolicited stuff. Happily, these efficiency meanes often correspond

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<v Speaker 1>with the phases of our lives, when we need to

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<v Speaker 1>compress work into fewer hours. When I was twenty four,

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<v Speaker 1>well maybe I could throw hours at a problem. As

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<v Speaker 1>a forty two year old mother of five, well not

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<v Speaker 1>so much. However, even the most efficient among us are

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<v Speaker 1>only so efficient. The work still needs to get done.

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<v Speaker 1>It may not take fifty hours a week, but it

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<v Speaker 1>probably doesn't take ten hours either. You want to make

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<v Speaker 1>sure there is an adequate amount of protected, concentrated work

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<v Speaker 1>time to meet your expectations. This is true even if

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<v Speaker 1>you are still working from home because of COVID concerns. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>working from home can sometimes make protecting time a bit harder.

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<v Speaker 1>It is especially true that you need to protect enough

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<v Speaker 1>time to work if your kids are home to doing

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<v Speaker 1>virtual or hybrid learning. So if you have been feeling

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<v Speaker 1>like you just can't get ahead, maybe it's time to

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<v Speaker 1>take a hard look at your schedule, track your time.

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<v Speaker 1>What is your longest stretch of uninterrupted work time? How

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<v Speaker 1>many hours can you work before everyone starts needing things.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe your work is flexible, but just because you can

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<v Speaker 1>do something doesn't mean you have to do something. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>it is time to rediscover the school bus schedule or

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<v Speaker 1>after school activities that meet at school and hence don't

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<v Speaker 1>require your driving. Maybe it's time to start getting groceries

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<v Speaker 1>delivered so you are not shopping during a morning when

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<v Speaker 1>you could be working. Or maybe you get dinner delivered

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<v Speaker 1>two nights a week so you're not spending potential work

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<v Speaker 1>time cooking. Maybe you need more childcare instead of half

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with the kids and half working at three pm

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<v Speaker 1>every day. Now you work reliably until six pm, two

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<v Speaker 1>nights a week, you focus more fully on your little

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<v Speaker 1>ones after that. I have tracked my time since I

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<v Speaker 1>know that while I worked on average forty hours a

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<v Speaker 1>week at the beginning of that window, I have let

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<v Speaker 1>it drift down, probably to more like thirty five on

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<v Speaker 1>average these days. Happily, I still seem to be getting

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<v Speaker 1>stuff done, but I have realized lately that my work

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<v Speaker 1>hours have been about as optimized as I think they

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<v Speaker 1>can be, and so I have been reworking the schedule

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<v Speaker 1>to preserve more available space. There are limits to anyone's efficiency,

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<v Speaker 1>there are definitely limits to mine, and the work does

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<v Speaker 1>need to get done. So whatever you are trying to do,

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you're giving it enough. Hours too few, and

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<v Speaker 1>it won't happen, not because you lack ambition, but because

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<v Speaker 1>a four hour task can't fit in a two hour slot.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E. The number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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