WEBVTT - Give yourself a window

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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 give yourself a time window for

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<v Speaker 1>when things will get done. Choosing a range rather than

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<v Speaker 1>an exact time can cut down on all kinds of

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<v Speaker 1>time anxiety. We've all been on the receiving end of

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<v Speaker 1>time windows. The groceries will be delivered between ten am

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<v Speaker 1>and noon. The cable guy will come sometime between the

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<v Speaker 1>window of nine am and five pm, we hope. Wider

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<v Speaker 1>ranges are often frustrating as you cool your heels waiting

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<v Speaker 1>for the plumber to show up, but tighter ranges can

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<v Speaker 1>be smart. If you, like me, get quite worked up

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<v Speaker 1>about being on time to things, arrange turns down the

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<v Speaker 1>temperature a bit for deadlines that don't need to be

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<v Speaker 1>that strict. So to be clear, the tip is mostly

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<v Speaker 1>for the punctual folks listening to this, though if you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to productivity podcasts, my guess is that you're more

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<v Speaker 1>likely to fall into this category than the average person.

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<v Speaker 1>As I'm writing this, many of us haven't gone anywhere

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<v Speaker 1>for a while. But as life goes back to normal,

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<v Speaker 1>people will make plans and plans often involve times. If

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<v Speaker 1>someone tells me to be somewhere at ten am, I

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<v Speaker 1>tend to figure out how long it will take me

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<v Speaker 1>to get there, and figure out how long it will

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<v Speaker 1>take me to get ready, and then I build in

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<v Speaker 1>a buffer so I will be arriving by nine am,

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<v Speaker 1>even if there is traffic or a complicated parking situation.

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<v Speaker 1>And that's fine for a really important meeting. It's less

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<v Speaker 1>necessary if ten families are all meeting up at a playground,

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<v Speaker 1>or if I just need to touch base with someone

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<v Speaker 1>briefly by phone. My personality is such that if someone

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<v Speaker 1>tells me to get them something by two pm on Thursday,

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<v Speaker 1>I will then move heaven and earth to do so

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<v Speaker 1>without asking if there's a reason for that timing. This

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<v Speaker 1>can be frustrating for everyone if it turns out there

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<v Speaker 1>isn't really a reason. So recently, as I was in

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<v Speaker 1>a seemingly endless email chain about setting a time for

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<v Speaker 1>a call, trying to figure out an exact time that

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<v Speaker 1>would work around baby feedings and such, I realized that

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<v Speaker 1>I was better off saying, Hey, could I just call

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<v Speaker 1>you some time between ten and eleven? The person agreed,

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<v Speaker 1>especially since I made it very clear that she didn't

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<v Speaker 1>need to sit around waiting for my call. If it

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<v Speaker 1>didn't work to pick up what I called, well, we'd

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<v Speaker 1>try back in a little bit. I was so much

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<v Speaker 1>more relaxed about this then if I tried to set

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<v Speaker 1>an exact time, and I'm sure that came through when

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<v Speaker 1>we did connect. If you find yourself doing similar acrobatics

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<v Speaker 1>to meet an exact time that doesn't have to be exact,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you could try giving yourself a window too. We'll

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<v Speaker 1>be at the playground around two or two thirty and

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<v Speaker 1>would love to see you there. Or I can give

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<v Speaker 1>this report back to you sometime next week, unless there's

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<v Speaker 1>a more specific time you need it by now. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are not the punctual sort, this tip is not

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<v Speaker 1>for you, because, as I've found that chronically late people

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<v Speaker 1>have already taken the liberty of giving themselves a range

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<v Speaker 1>to them Saying you'll be somewhere at ten really means

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<v Speaker 1>you'll be there by ten thirty or possibly even eleven.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem is that no one else is aware of

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<v Speaker 1>this assumed range, and this can lead to bad feelings.

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<v Speaker 1>For a range to work, it needs to be transparent

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<v Speaker 1>and mutually agreed upon but if it is, then this

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<v Speaker 1>builds in flexibility for things that don't need to be exact,

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<v Speaker 1>and sometimes schedules work better when there's a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of give to them. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>p o D. You can also shoot me an email

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<v Speaker 1>at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast 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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