WEBVTT - Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

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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 a reminder to people who do have

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<v Speaker 1>flexible schedules that you can still set boundaries. You can

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<v Speaker 1>start repeating this phrase to yourself. Just because I can

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean I should. The past few decades have brought

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<v Speaker 1>huge changes to the way people work. Laptops and cell

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<v Speaker 1>phones mean much work can be done anytime and any place,

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<v Speaker 1>and while during the transition years, this often meant people

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<v Speaker 1>worked at the office during set hours and then still

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<v Speaker 1>needed to be reachable afterwards. Younger workers in particular, expect

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<v Speaker 1>a huge deal of control over their schedules. They don't

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<v Speaker 1>see this flexibility as a reward for years of proving themselves.

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<v Speaker 1>They see it as the most efficient approach to work,

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<v Speaker 1>and in general it is. However, after studying thousands of

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<v Speaker 1>schedules over the years, I'd say that some people are

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<v Speaker 1>better about setting boundaries with their time than others. If

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<v Speaker 1>you can set your own hours and work from home occasionally,

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<v Speaker 1>you have a great deal of control over your time.

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<v Speaker 1>But that control doesn't mean that your time is anyone

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<v Speaker 1>else's for the taking. There are the classic requests. A

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<v Speaker 1>neighbor wants you to drive him or her to the airport.

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<v Speaker 1>This person is totally capable of taking an uber, but

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<v Speaker 1>since you're home, it's no biggie, right. Or the neighbor

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<v Speaker 1>wants you to let out his dog at noon since

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<v Speaker 1>you're there. On some level, it might not be a biggie,

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<v Speaker 1>but planning your day around a commitment means your time

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<v Speaker 1>isn't fully focused on your work pursuits during time you

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<v Speaker 1>plan to work, and that is a problem. Now, if

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<v Speaker 1>your neighbor has done a huge favor for you recently,

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<v Speaker 1>that is a different matter. But if not, hopefully you

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<v Speaker 1>can develop the fortitude to say no to these requests.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh I've got phone calls stacked up all day, or

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<v Speaker 1>I may need to come into the office, so I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sorry I can't commit. But sometimes it's harder to set boundaries.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe your partner has an unspoken assumption that because you

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<v Speaker 1>can work from home, it's your job to cover all

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<v Speaker 1>kids sick days or snow days. It's your job to

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<v Speaker 1>wait around for all repair people. And perhaps a couple

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<v Speaker 1>might decide that this split of labor makes sense, But

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<v Speaker 1>if so, it should be a conscious decision, not an assumption,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'd strongly caution against a couple assuming that the

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<v Speaker 1>party who can set his or her own hours and

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<v Speaker 1>work from home must therefore be responsible for all housework. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>you could throw in a load of laundry during a

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<v Speaker 1>break between calls, but guess what your partner could throw

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<v Speaker 1>in a load before he or she leaves for work too.

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<v Speaker 1>These tasks must be negotiated set Really, I think boundaries

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<v Speaker 1>with kids are the hardest. One of the upsides of

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<v Speaker 1>having a flexible schedule is the ability to accommodate family responsibilities,

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<v Speaker 1>and this can be a real blessing for people who have, say,

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<v Speaker 1>special needs kids who require a lot of medical appointments

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<v Speaker 1>and the like. But what I've often seen happen is

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<v Speaker 1>that people with flexible schedules think that because they can

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<v Speaker 1>do something, they should and they don't necessarily push back.

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<v Speaker 1>A physician's office offers you at ten am appointment, and

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<v Speaker 1>so you take it rather than asking for something at

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<v Speaker 1>a more convenient time. And yes, it can work, but

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<v Speaker 1>then your day is chopped up. Or as I saw

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<v Speaker 1>on a time log recently, a professor picked up her

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<v Speaker 1>children at school at two pm on the days when

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<v Speaker 1>she didn't have afternoon classes. She could do this, but

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<v Speaker 1>the problem was that she wasn't making as much progress

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<v Speaker 1>as she wanted on the research and journal article submissions

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<v Speaker 1>that we're going to help her land tenure. Yes, she

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<v Speaker 1>could do the early afternoon pickup, but there's a limit

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<v Speaker 1>to how efficient we can be, and since she wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>mustering the energy to do the work at night after

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<v Speaker 1>the kids went to bed, something had to give. I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't totally sure how she'd take this advice, but she

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<v Speaker 1>did agree with me that at least one to two

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<v Speaker 1>days per week she needed some extra childcare hours in

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon and to work an actual full work day

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<v Speaker 1>during the work day. She did this, and pretty soon

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<v Speaker 1>she was submitting her articles at the pace she wanted.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes choices are hard, but again, just because we can

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean we should. So if you have a flexible schedule,

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<v Speaker 1>take some time to day to think about what boundaries

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<v Speaker 1>you have around your work hours. Are you satisfied with

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<v Speaker 1>these or not? If not, you absolutely can ask for

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<v Speaker 1>more help a renegotiate any assumptions that have been made

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<v Speaker 1>before work is work, and whether you work at home

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<v Speaker 1>and have control of your hours or not. It needs

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<v Speaker 1>to be taken seriously if you want to advance in

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's

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

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i

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<v Speaker 1>heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows. H m hm