1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: tip is that during times when you are likely to 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: be interrupted, choose work that is interruptible. We all have 5 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: some sorts of work that are easier to pause and 6 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: pick back up than others. So make smart choices for 7 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: times when you will experience interruptions, and you will avoid 8 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: frustration and probably get more done. So my weekday mornings 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: are fairly drawn out. I have five kids at four 10 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: different schools with different start times. I'm usually not managing 11 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: all of this on my own, but even with a 12 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: husband and child care help, I know that until everyone 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: is out of the house, I am not going to 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 1: have complete quiet. But that doesn't mean I can't get 15 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: anything done. Ar nanny comes to work at eight a m. 16 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: And leaves with the little boys for school around eight 17 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: forty a m. I am not officially on during those 18 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: forty minutes with the kids, but the odds of a 19 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: kid interrupting me for something are quite high, so I 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:30,479 Speaker 1: choose interruptible work. This means that I answer blog comments 21 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: or emails from readers. I'll fill out my time log 22 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: I'll tackle administrative matters, or maybe work on a content 23 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: calendar for my newsletters or various shows. Then once the 24 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: little boys are in the car and out of the 25 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: house at eight forty, it's time to switch over to 26 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,279 Speaker 1: deeper work. This is when I get going on harder 27 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: writing or editing or recording. I am far less likely 28 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: to be interrupted, so I choose work that I would 29 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: prefer not to have be interrupted. Maybe for you, the 30 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: interruptions aren't kids who can't find their trumpet or water bottle. 31 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: Maybe it's a junior colleague who always has questions at 32 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: the beginning of the day. Or maybe your interruptions come 33 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: from a contractor who asks a question every five minutes 34 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: for his first hour at your house. Maybe you have 35 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: to transfer from one train line to another before you 36 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: get a nice long stretch where you can sit and focus. 37 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: Whatever the nature of your interruptions, it pays to be 38 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: honest about them and to notice when you are most 39 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: likely to experience interruptions and when you may be able 40 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: to block some time for uninterrupted work. If you know 41 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: a period of time is likely to be full of interruptions, 42 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:55,399 Speaker 1: choose tasks that you can easily get into and out 43 00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: of For most of us, that is stuff like processing email, 44 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: like copy editing, paying bills, filling out forms. You'll be 45 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: able to check these things off your list and be 46 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: free to dive into your most important work at a 47 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 1: better time. Now, to be sure, we do need to 48 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: be careful about this. If you do have potential deep 49 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: work time, you don't want to spend the first forty 50 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: five minutes of it clearing the decks, So be clear 51 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: that this is interruptible time before you wade into the shallows. Also, 52 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: if you have a life where the interruptions never stop, 53 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: maybe you need to do something about that, like renting 54 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: an office if you are working from home, or establishing 55 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: some office hours for interacting with colleagues. But if your 56 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: day just features the normal mix of interruptible time and 57 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: focus time, then choose the right work for the right time. 58 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: If you are going to be interrupted, choose interruptible work. 59 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: We all have some and it probably does have to 60 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: get done eventually, so better not to choose time for 61 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: it that could have been better spent doing something else 62 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 63 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our talk. Thanks for 64 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 65 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 66 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 67 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 68 00:04:51,120 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.