WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Move beyond the urgent 

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and ours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to schedule

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<v Speaker 1>pro active time or pro time for short. This is

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<v Speaker 1>time dedicated to tasks that, as Stephen Covey would say,

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<v Speaker 1>are important but not urgent. Actually putting this time into

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<v Speaker 1>your daily schedule vastly increases the chances that you put

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<v Speaker 1>first things first. The term pro time comes from a

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<v Speaker 1>Harvard Business Review article by Charlotte Blank, Laura George Laurel Newman,

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<v Speaker 1>and Ashley Willins called getting your team to do more

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<v Speaker 1>than meet deadlines. As the title suggests, most of us

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<v Speaker 1>know how easy it is to spend all our time

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<v Speaker 1>on earth a gent tasks. When an assignment has a deadline,

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<v Speaker 1>it always cuts to the front of the line. We

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<v Speaker 1>do what's urgent because it demands our attention right now. Unfortunately, though,

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<v Speaker 1>this can mean we rarely get to the tasks that

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<v Speaker 1>are important but that don't have a specific deadline. Think

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<v Speaker 1>researching new clients or writing a white paper to build

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<v Speaker 1>your expertise, or thinking through an employee's career development. Important

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<v Speaker 1>tasks are even more likely to get deferred if they

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<v Speaker 1>are hard. Urgent tasks offer a quick, easy win. We

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<v Speaker 1>love crossing these things off and then feeling productive, even

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<v Speaker 1>if in the grand scheme of things we aren't. The

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<v Speaker 1>Harvard Business Review article describes the author's research about a

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<v Speaker 1>strategy to help workers do their most important work rather

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<v Speaker 1>than being consumed by what is urgent. One group of

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<v Speaker 1>workers identified tasks that were important and tasks that were urgent,

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<v Speaker 1>and then scheduled pro time daily for the important but

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<v Speaker 1>not urgent tasks. Compared with a control group, the workers

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<v Speaker 1>with dedicated time for important, non urgent tasks reported that

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<v Speaker 1>they were more effective with their time, accomplished more, and

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<v Speaker 1>felt less overwhelmed, while they remained just as responsive to

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<v Speaker 1>client requests as those in the control group. That last

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<v Speaker 1>finding is huge. One of the reasons people don't schedule

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<v Speaker 1>uninterrupted pro time is a worry that clients will urgently

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<v Speaker 1>need them. It turns out that clients also like people

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<v Speaker 1>to come up with good ideas, which is hard to

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<v Speaker 1>do when you're constantly answering email. Good to know, So

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<v Speaker 1>consider whether pro time could offer similar benefits for you.

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<v Speaker 1>And your team. Try setting aside a block of time

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<v Speaker 1>every day to work on tasks that are important the

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<v Speaker 1>partest sappens in the study used two hour blocks of time,

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<v Speaker 1>so you could start with that amount and then try

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<v Speaker 1>different durations until you find what's best for you. If

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<v Speaker 1>two hours every day doesn't seem doable, try two hours

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<v Speaker 1>three days a week, or an hour daily, and then

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<v Speaker 1>a just upward as you start to see benefits. As

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<v Speaker 1>part of your weekly planning routine, identify the tasks you

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<v Speaker 1>want to accomplish during pro time, Tasks that are important

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<v Speaker 1>with a potentially big payoff for you and your employer.

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<v Speaker 1>Then during your scheduled pro time, focus just on the

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<v Speaker 1>task you've identified. Block out distractions, put away other tasks

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<v Speaker 1>if there are other people in this space where you're working,

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<v Speaker 1>shut the door if you can, or put on headphones.

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<v Speaker 1>When your pro time comes to an end, note what

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<v Speaker 1>you've accomplished. If you're a manager, consider introducing your direct

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<v Speaker 1>reports to pro time too. You can work together to

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<v Speaker 1>determine the right amount of pro time based on the

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<v Speaker 1>nature of people's job responsibilities. With a whole team of

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<v Speaker 1>people setting aside time for important but not urgent things,

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<v Speaker 1>you may be amazed at what you accomplish, and if

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<v Speaker 1>you try this pro time, I'd love to hear how

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<v Speaker 1>it went. You can let me know at Laura at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to succeeding in the New

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the I Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.