1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: tip is to make your minutes matter. Use time you 4 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: would otherwise be wasting to do something you actually need 5 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: to do at some point, so your best time is 6 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: available for your most important pursuits. Everybody has moments of 7 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: running behind when everything takes longer than you reasonably expected, 8 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: But from time to time we also all have moments 9 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: when we are ahead of schedule. Maybe you need to 10 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: leave home at eight thirty for an appointment, but you 11 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: are ready to go at eight ten. At times like that, 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: it's easy to wander around the house tidying, But what 13 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: if instead use that twenty minutes to batch the little things? Hopefully, 14 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: As someone who listens to this podcast, you have a 15 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: running list of tasks you know you need to get 16 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:15,199 Speaker 1: to at some point. Generally, you set aside a chunk 17 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: of time to do all of these, But when a 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: low opportunity cost chunk of time presents itself and you 19 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: know you won't be able to use this time for 20 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: other things, this is a great occasion to plow through them. 21 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 1: In twenty minutes you could fill out that permission slip, 22 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: order that birthday present, respond to those two meeting invites 23 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: for next week, and book a doctor visit through the 24 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: online portal, and hopefully still be out the door at 25 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: eight twenty five. To give yourself a little buffer. Now, 26 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: when you get back to your desk after your appointment, 27 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: the decks are clear and you can dive into your 28 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: highest priority project for the day. And now, to be clear, 29 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: I am not saying you need to clear the decks 30 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: in general before getting to your high priority stuff. One 31 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: of the reasons I tell people to batch the little 32 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: things and then designate a time for doing all the 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: little things is that I don't want people to feel 34 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: like they have to get through all the little stuff 35 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: before they get to the big things. If you tell 36 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: yourself you'll get through all the little things in the 37 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: morning before you start the day's important work, you will 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: likely run out of steam and then get to your 39 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: first meeting, and you won't have the focused time you 40 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: are hoping for. But I also know that small bits 41 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: of time are incredibly hard to use well. People check 42 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: email or read headlines, They check the comments on social 43 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: media posts. If you are just looking for the quick 44 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: dopamine hit that these things create. Then when you have 45 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: bits of time that are hard to use well, you 46 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: may as well do the things that you know you're 47 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: going to need to do at some point, so not us. 48 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: When you have one of these awkward gaps, keep a 49 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: list near you. Then you can make your minutes matter. 50 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: Don't try to cram in too much. I don't want 51 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: people to be late. If you have a tendency to 52 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: be late places, then don't do this at all, because 53 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: you are probably misjudging how much time you have. That said, 54 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: one of the reasons people wind up working later than 55 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: they want to is that they don't make the minutes matter. 56 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: During the day, small bits of time get wasted on 57 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,119 Speaker 1: things that didn't really have to happen. As for things 58 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: that do have to happen at some point, the temptation 59 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: to clear the decks first during uninterrupted stretches of time 60 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: can be strong, So then there are no actual uninterrupted 61 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: stretches of time. For important work that requires focus, you 62 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: have to wait until all your meetings are done, and 63 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: then things take longer than you want because if very 64 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: few people are at their best at say five pm. 65 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: Better to treat your minutes like they matter. Use low 66 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: opportunity cost time for the things that must get done. 67 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: Then you can keep other stretches open for things that 68 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: move you forward. In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks 69 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. 70 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 71 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 72 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 73 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 74 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or where however you listen to your favorite shows.