1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,319 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: tip is that specific numbers and in particular specific times 4 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: can be more memorable and seem more legitimate than round ones. 5 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: If you know that, you can use it to your advantage. 6 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: So whenever I see a round number for something, I 7 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: get a little suspicious. Lately it was a slew of 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: CEOs declaring that AI was doing twenty percent or thirty 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: percent of the work in their companies. Really, do we 10 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: have a good way of measuring everyone's exact output? And 11 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: how fascinating that the number was round as it is. 12 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: I suspect these are just guesses, just as if someone 13 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: claims an eighty hour workweek, it's probably not exactly right. 14 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: But here's the thing. If someone told me that time 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: to product delivery had dropped twenty seven percent in one 16 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: unit because of AI, that would seem plausible. Specific numbers 17 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: feel like they must be based on something, so they 18 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: seem more believable. They are also more memorable. What does 19 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: this have to do with time? Well, when I wrote 20 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 1: about the problem with round numbers on Vanderhak's My Substack, newsletter, 21 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: a reader mentioned that she would often tell her family 22 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: they needed to leave at a very specific time, like 23 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: one twenty three, not one fifteen, not one thirty, no 24 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: one twenty three. I love this, and I think it 25 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: is a great tip. A round number like one fifteen 26 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: or one thirty is thought to be round, as in 27 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: it's not exact, and so people get it ready around 28 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: that time. Those who are generally ready early will be 29 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: ready early. People who are always late will be late. 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: But when you tell people one twenty three, first they 31 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: will remember it, and second they will assume that there 32 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: is an actual reason for that time, and so they 33 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: might not aim for around one point fifteen. They will 34 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: know people are aiming for exactly one twenty three. It 35 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: just might make everyone more punctual. I think the same 36 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: thing could work with a meeting agenda. It is so 37 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: odd that almost every meeting is either thirty or sixty minutes. 38 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: Isn't it strange that every manner of business decision can 39 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: be reached in exactly thirty or sixty minutes. Of course, 40 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: that's not actually true. It's just that those are convenience 41 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: scheduling blocks. But if you send people an agenda with 42 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: exactly forty seven minutes accounted for. We are dealing with 43 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: something entirely different. People are going to assume this is 44 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: really well thought through. They're going to know that you 45 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: truly are aiming for forty seven minutes and you are 46 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: not planning on wasting their time, which is a good thing. 47 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: So if you can come up with a specific number, 48 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: do it. You might have people treating their minutes with 49 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: a little more care. In the meantime, this is Laura. 50 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 51 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 52 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 53 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 54 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 55 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: the iHeart Udio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 56 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.