WEBVTT - What did you get done?

0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.680
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:15.360
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:20.000
<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to focus on what you got done

0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:26.920
<v Speaker 1>during the day, not the hours or effort you put in. Now.

0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:30.120
<v Speaker 1>To be fair, you can't accomplish most big things without

0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:33.840
<v Speaker 1>putting in time and effort. But it is the outcome,

0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:41.400
<v Speaker 1>not the time itself, that tends to matter most. Today's

0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:45.280
<v Speaker 1>tip comes from a recent episode of hbr's Idea Cast,

0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.600
<v Speaker 1>were a guest reminded leaders that it's not about the inputs,

0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:52.479
<v Speaker 1>it's not about the number of hours you put in.

0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:57.040
<v Speaker 1>It's about the results you achieve. And as a manager,

0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:01.640
<v Speaker 1>you shouldn't push people to work longer hours. You should

0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:05.920
<v Speaker 1>push people to achieve more results and enable them to

0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:11.319
<v Speaker 1>do so. Focusing on results is wise advice when we

0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:16.240
<v Speaker 1>are managing ourselves or managing others. It's easy to get

0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.679
<v Speaker 1>caught up in the story that being a good worker

0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:23.120
<v Speaker 1>means putting in the longest hours, but really being a

0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:28.800
<v Speaker 1>good worker is about delivering good stuff. To keep your

0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.920
<v Speaker 1>focus on results, build a routine of asking yourself, maybe

0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.160
<v Speaker 1>at lunch and at the end of the work day,

0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:39.560
<v Speaker 1>what you produced, not the hours you put in or

0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:43.280
<v Speaker 1>what you worked on, but the specific tasks are parts

0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.960
<v Speaker 1>of tasks that you completed with your team. You can

0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:50.840
<v Speaker 1>use language like accomplished or produced and complete to help

0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:54.600
<v Speaker 1>them focus on what got done. You can even go

0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:58.000
<v Speaker 1>beyond recalling and talking about what you produced to actually

0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:01.720
<v Speaker 1>write it down. Can that are maintaining a work log

0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:06.680
<v Speaker 1>that lists what you accomplished each day. This isn't an

0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:10.360
<v Speaker 1>exhaustive list of every task you performed in every meeting

0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:13.920
<v Speaker 1>you attended. Think of it as being more like a

0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:18.760
<v Speaker 1>one line a day journal that captures the day's highlights,

0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:23.320
<v Speaker 1>rather than a lengthy, dear diary chronicle that describes every moment.

0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.359
<v Speaker 1>For instance, a person's work log entry for a day

0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:31.160
<v Speaker 1>might say developed department budget for next year and gave

0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:34.480
<v Speaker 1>feedback to Jenny about running tighter meetings and looked through

0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:38.880
<v Speaker 1>resumes for the new position. Another person's log might say

0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:42.960
<v Speaker 1>fulfilled orders for sleave last week, an updated e commerce

0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:47.639
<v Speaker 1>site with new merchandise available, or for another person came

0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:51.440
<v Speaker 1>up with two ideas for sermon series, edited this Sunday sermon,

0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.880
<v Speaker 1>approved changes to the church calendar, and called for parishioners.

0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:01.079
<v Speaker 1>Whatever the specifics of your job. You're work log includes

0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.880
<v Speaker 1>your main accomplishments of the day. Keeping a log makes

0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.920
<v Speaker 1>visible the progress that you are making, so you can

0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:13.760
<v Speaker 1>notice it and celebrate it. A log also reveals when

0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:18.359
<v Speaker 1>you are not making progress. If all you could say

0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.000
<v Speaker 1>is that you attended a lot of meetings and answered

0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:23.800
<v Speaker 1>a lot of emails and you can't think of anything

0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:26.200
<v Speaker 1>that changed in the world as a result of all

0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:30.000
<v Speaker 1>those meetings and emails, well that is a prompt to

0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:33.799
<v Speaker 1>rethink what you're doing. Not that you need to put

0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:37.360
<v Speaker 1>in more hours, but that you need to get more done.

0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:40.880
<v Speaker 1>You may not need to keep a work log all

0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.720
<v Speaker 1>the time, but it could be helpful to do so

0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.480
<v Speaker 1>for a week or so if you want to understand

0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:49.600
<v Speaker 1>why you are making slow progress or why you are

0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:54.120
<v Speaker 1>feeling pulled in a lot of directions. There may be

0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:59.880
<v Speaker 1>some interesting answers that are worth exploring. When we focus

0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:04.080
<v Speaker 1>and results, we get more done, and when we are

0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:07.760
<v Speaker 1>less worried about the hours we are putting in, we

0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:11.480
<v Speaker 1>may also have more time for pursuits outside of work.

0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:17.920
<v Speaker 1>That is a win for everyone. If you try keeping

0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:20.640
<v Speaker 1>a work log, let me know how it goes. You

0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:26.800
<v Speaker 1>can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.

0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:32.360
<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and

0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:42.680
<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:44.960
<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:48.640
<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

0:04:48.680 --> 0:04:53.039
<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:58.080
<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.800
<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me in email at Before Breakfast

0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:05.760
<v Speaker 1>Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:08.440
<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:16.800
<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:20.279
<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:24.279
<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:25.640
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.