1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to add up the full time cost. 4 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: We can forget all the small bits of time attached 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: to any project or activity, but seeing the true cost 6 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: can help us make better choices. Today's tip, like yesterday's, 7 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: comes from Ashley Willen's new book Time Smart. In this book, 8 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: she argues that people tend to undervalue their time compared 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: with money, but that we're often happier making time centric decisions. 10 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: One way that people undervalue their time is by not 11 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: considering all the time associated with any project or decision. 12 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: When people first look into speaking professionally, for instance, many 13 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: get quite excited by the pay rates associated with the job, 14 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: but of course, earning thousands of dollars for a one 15 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: hour speech doesn't actually translate into a rate of earning 16 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: thousands of dollars per hour. You often have to travel 17 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: to the speech. There's time getting to the airport and 18 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: time spent on the plane. Sometimes you have to stay overnight. 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: There's time spent packing and unpacking afterwards. There's the fact 20 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: that traveling takes a lot of energy. All of This 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: can be streamlined, of course, but it does lower the 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: per hour take. Likewise, Willen's notes that if someone wants 23 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: to have a meal with you to network, you're saying yes. 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: Is not just the sixty minutes of the meal, there's 25 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: also the time you'll spend getting too and from the 26 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: restaurant and finding parking. If you budget two hours total, 27 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: she says, you should ask yourself what am I not 28 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: doing with that time that I could be doing? And 29 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: what is the effect on the time around that meal? 30 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: Did you have to rush to complete tasks? Did it 31 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: increase you see your stress trying to make the appointment? 32 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: And did it affect your work afterward? These are all 33 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: good questions. Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't 34 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: go to networking lunches or dinners. You should. You just 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: want to be sure that you understand the full time cost. Now. 36 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: I do think that a certain category of us have 37 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: an easier time making these calculations. In my case, I 38 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: am a working mom of five young kids. My husband 39 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: also works full time, and pre COVID, he traveled a 40 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: lot for work. So for many of my activities, I've 41 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: had to figure out the full time cost because I've 42 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 1: had to calculate the child care requirement. I know that 43 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: a sixty minute dinner isn't just a sixty minute dinner 44 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: because I'm booking the babysitter to show up forty minutes 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: beforehand and to stay forty minutes after. I've probably gone 46 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: to fewer things than I should have, precisely because I 47 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: am seeing the full time cost. But if you don't 48 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: have the babysitter meter, taking these things can be a 49 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: little harder to see, and that can affect decisions. So 50 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: when you're considering saying yes to something, be sure to 51 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: understand what it entails. That project isn't just two hours. 52 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: You'll spend at least another two hours negotiating the details 53 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: and setting up pre calls with the people involved. That 54 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: virtual coffee isn't just the twenty minutes. If you'll stop 55 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 1: deep work ten minutes before and cycle through headlines for 56 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: ten minutes afterwards, add up the full time cost, and 57 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: then ask what else you could do with that time. 58 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: Maybe nothing much, but maybe something important and that is 59 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: worth knowing. In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks for listening, 60 00:03:53,880 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. M 61 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: Hey everybody. I'd love to hear from you. You can 62 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just 63 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before 64 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four, then Breakfast 65 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 66 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast. At i heeart media dot com 67 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 68 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,559 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 69 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 70 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,599 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 71 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 72 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.