WEBVTT - Have a back-up task

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to know what you could get done if

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<v Speaker 1>you have unexpected free time. Just like you have a

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<v Speaker 1>backup slot to make sure you have time available for

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<v Speaker 1>important activities, it is wise to have a backup task

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<v Speaker 1>so you can put your time to good use even

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<v Speaker 1>if what you are planning to do doesn't happen. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip comes from a participant in my September reset project.

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<v Speaker 1>She realized that she wanted to have a backup task

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<v Speaker 1>in mind in case an appointment canceled. I really love

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<v Speaker 1>that idea. Without a backup task planned, when something cancels

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<v Speaker 1>and we don't know what to do, it's easy to

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<v Speaker 1>end up processing email, tidying the house, or doing something

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<v Speaker 1>else that feels productive but probably doesn't need to consume

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<v Speaker 1>more time than it already is. With a little forethought, though,

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<v Speaker 1>you can be ready to pivot to a backup task

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<v Speaker 1>when an appointment cancels or unexpected free time comes up.

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<v Speaker 1>At work, you could have a list of professional development

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<v Speaker 1>tasks that would help you build your skills. Then, when

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<v Speaker 1>you have unexpected free time, you could spend it learning.

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<v Speaker 1>You could create a spreadsheet listing learning opportunities, videos you

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<v Speaker 1>want to watch, articles you want to read. Then when

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<v Speaker 1>you pursue one of the opportunities, you could note the date,

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<v Speaker 1>a few words about what you learned, plus any ideas

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<v Speaker 1>for how you can apply your insights to your work.

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<v Speaker 1>Another natural place to look for a backup task is

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<v Speaker 1>your task list for to tomorrow or the tasks you

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<v Speaker 1>have slated for later in the day. This lets you

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<v Speaker 1>get a little ahead. I love to plow through these

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<v Speaker 1>small tasks I have on my list for the next day.

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<v Speaker 1>Then when I start work the next morning, all that

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<v Speaker 1>is waiting for me are the big projects that I

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<v Speaker 1>know I really should spend my time doing. If you

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<v Speaker 1>are in a role where a lot of your meetings

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<v Speaker 1>get canceled, you might want to regularly tea up projects

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<v Speaker 1>to have on hand. This might mean looking ahead in

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<v Speaker 1>your calendar and identifying big projects you can start early.

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<v Speaker 1>You could also develop ideas for speculative projects work your

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<v Speaker 1>boss has an assigned to you, but that you think

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<v Speaker 1>could be beneficial to you or your company. Speculative work

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<v Speaker 1>is great to work on when time presents itself because

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<v Speaker 1>it's likely to be something you're excited about, but there

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<v Speaker 1>is no deadline to add pressure. After all, nobody is

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<v Speaker 1>expecting it. I think it's a good idea to have

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<v Speaker 1>back up tasks for non work time too. What will

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<v Speaker 1>you do if your friend with the tricky work schedule

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<v Speaker 1>cancels your plans for a midweek lunch when you are

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<v Speaker 1>already getting ready to go to the restaurant. What about

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<v Speaker 1>if you end up waiting a long time for a

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<v Speaker 1>doctor's appointment. What if you are planning to pick up

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<v Speaker 1>your daughter from a friend's house after your yoga class,

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<v Speaker 1>but the host asks if you can delay by an

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<v Speaker 1>hour so the kids can finish a puzzle. Most of

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<v Speaker 1>us just pick up our phones and start reading headlines

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<v Speaker 1>or looking at social media posts. But my guess is

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<v Speaker 1>that if you thought about it, you could come up

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<v Speaker 1>with something else to do with this time that might

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<v Speaker 1>be more productive and fulfilling. So if you are trying

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<v Speaker 1>to squeeze more productivity out of your days, or if

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<v Speaker 1>you often find yourself annoyed when plans change, consider planning

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<v Speaker 1>backup tasks. You can avoid spinning your wheels or feeling

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<v Speaker 1>grumpy when your schedule changes. Unexpectedly. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.