Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is that if you'll be working particularly late
Speaker 1: some night, take a longer break in the middle of
Speaker 1: the day. That way, you will be sharp and at
Speaker 1: your best for your late commitment, and you won't necessarily
Speaker 1: have to give up your personal priorities either. We have
Speaker 1: all likely put in some long days this year, and
Speaker 1: we've all likely noticed that being at a computer from
Speaker 1: eight am to eight p m is seldom a recipe
Speaker 1: for doing your best work. Even something different like a
Speaker 1: work dinner can feel tedious if you have been on
Speaker 1: since the morning. So here's an idea. Okay, if you
Speaker 1: have a late meeting, or you are gathering with a
Speaker 1: team for an evening push to a deadline, or you
Speaker 1: have an event, take a chunk of time off mid day,
Speaker 1: do something totally different from work. Use whatever flexibility you
Speaker 1: have to rethink the day. Just because it is two
Speaker 1: pm doesn't mean you have to be doing something work related,
Speaker 1: particularly if you will be doing something work related at
Speaker 1: eight p m. So what else can you do? I
Speaker 1: am a big fan of moving time around like tiles
Speaker 1: in a mosaic. The best idea might be to do
Speaker 1: exactly what you would have done in the evening during
Speaker 1: the midday instead. Now, yes, this is easier said than done.
Speaker 1: You might have spent the evening with your family, and
Speaker 1: your family might not be available at one pm. But
Speaker 1: maybe you could get creative. Perhaps your spouse is available
Speaker 1: for a date lunch. If you have a short commute
Speaker 1: or you mostly work at home, perhaps you could pick
Speaker 1: up a kid at school at three p m. And
Speaker 1: go get hot chocolate together. That way, when you're gone
Speaker 1: for the evening, you'll know you still got some quality time.
Speaker 1: But family isn't the only option. For instance, if you
Speaker 1: normally run errands after work on Tuesdays, but now you
Speaker 1: have a late Tuesday meeting, go run your errands during
Speaker 1: your longer mid day break. You might be amazed at
Speaker 1: how empty the grocery store feels. If you usually meet
Speaker 1: up with a friend after work on Wednesdays, but this
Speaker 1: Wednesday you have a work dinner, see if your friend
Speaker 1: might be available for coffee or lunch instead. If you
Speaker 1: usually go to the gym after work, go mid day,
Speaker 1: even if this means taking an extra shower. If that
Speaker 1: is not possible. Take a good long walk that will
Speaker 1: get you some exercise but won't leave you sweaty. You
Speaker 1: will still get some physical activity even on a day
Speaker 1: when you are working late. Contrary to what we tell ourselves,
Speaker 1: we don't have unlimited capacity. Breaks are good. They help
Speaker 1: us manage our energy. Well designed breaks are an investment
Speaker 1: in our performance. I can also speak from personal experience
Speaker 1: here that things often get a little inefficient in the
Speaker 1: middle of a super long work day. If I know
Speaker 1: I am heading to a work dinner in the evening,
Speaker 1: I am sometimes more focused on that than on getting
Speaker 1: through my tasks. If little would be getting done, best
Speaker 1: to use that time for other things. Indeed, a visit
Speaker 1: to the art museum in the middle of the day
Speaker 1: might give you more interesting things to talk about over
Speaker 1: cocktails with your clients. I have suggested thinking of time
Speaker 1: flexibly like this for a long time, but I have
Speaker 1: found it is a surprisingly hard sell. Few professionals are
Speaker 1: paid by the hour. No one is chained to their desks,
Speaker 1: especially now as many people work from home at least
Speaker 1: part of the time. There is no rule that you
Speaker 1: have to work straight through the day, especially if work
Speaker 1: is claiming extra hours beyond the usual work day. People
Speaker 1: who get paid by the hour can often arrange for
Speaker 1: comp time in these circumstances. So why do people who
Speaker 1: don't get paid by the hour feel funny or even
Speaker 1: guilty about using their flexibility. There is no difference between
Speaker 1: working from nine to five and going to the gym
Speaker 1: from five thirty to six thirty, and working from nine
Speaker 1: to three, going to the gym from three thirty to
Speaker 1: four thirty, and then dialing into an evening meeting from
Speaker 1: six to eight. If option A is acceptable, then so
Speaker 1: is option B. So the next time you have an
Speaker 1: extended work day, aim to schedule a mid day break,
Speaker 1: perhaps to find time for what you usually would have
Speaker 1: done in your off hours, and to get a change
Speaker 1: of pace from your work day activities. The midday change
Speaker 1: of focus will enable you to perform at your best
Speaker 1: for all the time that you are working, which is
Speaker 1: a win all around. In the meantime, this is Laura,
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. At
Speaker 1: before breakfast pod that's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p O D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot
Speaker 1: com that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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