1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,479 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to use time when you're working but 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 1: others aren't for deeper work. Make the most of time 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: when you'll have few meetings or requests to make progress 6 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: on projects requiring more concentration, and you will be amazed 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: by what you can get done. Many of us have 8 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: had the experience of working on a day when a 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: lot of other people are not working. Maybe it's that 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: you've decided not to take time off between Christmas and 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: New Year's or another common vacation day like the day 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving. Sometimes people choose to work a half day 13 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: on a weekend or offset hours. Back when I used 14 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: to travel for work, I've noticed that every time I 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: flew to the West Coast, I'd wake up around four 16 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,639 Speaker 1: thirty in the morning, Since it felt like seven thirty 17 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: to me, I could work for three to four hours 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: before my first meeting and feel like I was getting 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: all kinds of stuff done. In any case, working at 20 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: times when others aren't creates prime conditions for focus. Most 21 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: people aren't going to schedule a meeting for Saturday morning 22 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: or four five am. Most people aren't even going to 23 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: be sending new messages at this time. And while I 24 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: can tell you to just ignore your inboxer phone, many 25 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: people have trouble doing that. If you work in an office, 26 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: using these off hours means you won't have folks stopping 27 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: by or distracting you with background noise. Now I am 28 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: not saying you should always work on weekends or early 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: mornings just to get some quiet, but on the days 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: when you do get some of this time, well use it. 31 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: Figure out which projects most deserve of these uninterrupted stretches 32 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: of time. Which projects will get more traction when you 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: can devote longer to them than the fifteen minutes of 34 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: quiet time you usually get. Maybe you want to focus 35 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: on something strategic, developing ideas or plans for a new project, 36 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: or figuring out how to refine an existing service or 37 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: reconfigure your team. Extended chunks of time are great for 38 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: long format writing as well a presentation, a book proposal, 39 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,399 Speaker 1: performance reviews for your direct reports that feel well thought through. 40 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: All of these are great ideas. I know it's tempting 41 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: to think, Hey, I have fewer messages coming in so 42 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: I can finally clean out my inbox. But the truth 43 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: is you can process email and edit a deck of 44 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,359 Speaker 1: slides or organize your desk anytime, so you are probably 45 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: better off handling those activities when your workplace sis a 46 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: buzz and your schedule is tightly packed. Reserve times that 47 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: you're working and others aren't for those things that usually 48 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: don't happen but should now. Of course, it's not always 49 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: possible to anticipate when you'll get this time. Maybe, for instance, 50 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: you've got child care on a snow day when many 51 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: other people don't, so you'll get this time, but you 52 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: might not know that more than a day ahead. But 53 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: if you and your spouse, for instance, decide to each 54 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: give each other three hours to work every other weekend, well, 55 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: you know you will be getting this time, so plan 56 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: for it. Figure out what qualifies as high priority deep 57 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: work for you, and then don't put anything in there 58 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: that would interrupt this time. Even a quick phone check 59 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: in with someone might distract your brain if you're watching 60 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: the clock for the appointed time, stopping deep work before 61 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: and then cycling in after. Best to keep the schedule 62 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: clear an open span of time when you know you'll 63 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: be able to concentrate is awesome. So if you are 64 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: working while others play, commit to making the most of it, 65 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: you might start looking for other opportunities to make this 66 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:19,919 Speaker 1: quiet time happen to in the meantime. This is Laura. 67 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 68 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 69 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 70 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 71 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then breakfast 72 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 73 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com that 74 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 75 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before 76 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For more 77 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 78 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.