1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and ours are more 4 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to schedule 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: pro active time or pro time for short. This is 6 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: time dedicated to tasks that, as Stephen Covey would say, 7 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:35,560 Speaker 1: are important but not urgent. Actually putting this time into 8 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: your daily schedule vastly increases the chances that you put 9 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: first things first. The term pro time comes from a 10 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: Harvard Business Review article by Charlotte Blank, Laura George Laurel Newman, 11 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: and Ashley Willins called getting your team to do more 12 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: than meet deadlines. As the title suggests, most of us 13 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: know how easy it is to spend all our time 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: on earth a gent tasks. When an assignment has a deadline, 15 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: it always cuts to the front of the line. We 16 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: do what's urgent because it demands our attention right now. Unfortunately, though, 17 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: this can mean we rarely get to the tasks that 18 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: are important but that don't have a specific deadline. Think 19 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,199 Speaker 1: researching new clients or writing a white paper to build 20 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: your expertise, or thinking through an employee's career development. Important 21 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: tasks are even more likely to get deferred if they 22 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: are hard. Urgent tasks offer a quick, easy win. We 23 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: love crossing these things off and then feeling productive, even 24 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: if in the grand scheme of things we aren't. The 25 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: Harvard Business Review article describes the author's research about a 26 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: strategy to help workers do their most important work rather 27 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: than being consumed by what is urgent. One group of 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: workers identified tasks that were important and tasks that were urgent, 29 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: and then scheduled pro time daily for the important but 30 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: not urgent tasks. Compared with a control group, the workers 31 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: with dedicated time for important, non urgent tasks reported that 32 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: they were more effective with their time, accomplished more, and 33 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: felt less overwhelmed, while they remained just as responsive to 34 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: client requests as those in the control group. That last 35 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: finding is huge. One of the reasons people don't schedule 36 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: uninterrupted pro time is a worry that clients will urgently 37 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: need them. It turns out that clients also like people 38 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: to come up with good ideas, which is hard to 39 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: do when you're constantly answering email. Good to know, So 40 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: consider whether pro time could offer similar benefits for you. 41 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: And your team. Try setting aside a block of time 42 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: every day to work on tasks that are important the 43 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: partest sappens in the study used two hour blocks of time, 44 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: so you could start with that amount and then try 45 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: different durations until you find what's best for you. If 46 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: two hours every day doesn't seem doable, try two hours 47 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: three days a week, or an hour daily, and then 48 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: a just upward as you start to see benefits. As 49 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: part of your weekly planning routine, identify the tasks you 50 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: want to accomplish during pro time, Tasks that are important 51 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: with a potentially big payoff for you and your employer. 52 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: Then during your scheduled pro time, focus just on the 53 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: task you've identified. Block out distractions, put away other tasks 54 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: if there are other people in this space where you're working, 55 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: shut the door if you can, or put on headphones. 56 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: When your pro time comes to an end, note what 57 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: you've accomplished. If you're a manager, consider introducing your direct 58 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: reports to pro time too. You can work together to 59 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: determine the right amount of pro time based on the 60 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: nature of people's job responsibilities. With a whole team of 61 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: people setting aside time for important but not urgent things, 62 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: you may be amazed at what you accomplish, and if 63 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: you try this pro time, I'd love to hear how 64 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: it went. You can let me know at Laura at 65 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. 66 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to succeeding in the New 67 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of 68 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the I Heart 69 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.