1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 2: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 2: tip is to try a split shift. If you need 4 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 2: to commute and need to be at your workplace five 5 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 2: days a week. It can be hard to find weekday 6 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: family time, particularly with young kids who go to bed early, 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: but it is not impossible. You just need to rework 8 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 2: your schedule a little bit. Today's tip, like some others 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: this week, comes from my book One hundred and sixty 10 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 2: eight Hours. That book was first published in late May 11 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,480 Speaker 2: of twenty ten, which means that it is fifteen. 12 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: Years old this month. A lot has changed in the 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: world since then, but we do, in fact still have 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: one hundred sixty eight hours and a week, and so 15 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: I am revisiting some of the tips in that book 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: that I think can still be helpful. One is to 17 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: try a split shift. So when one hundred and sixty 18 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: eight Hours came out, remote work was still relatively rare. 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: Sometimes people could work from home on Fridays if they 20 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: had been with a company for years and had proven themselves, 21 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: but most of the time working meant commuting and going 22 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: to an office. Some jobs also have a reputation for 23 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: requiring longer hours. This is a problem if you have 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: young kids who go to bed relatively early, because getting 25 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: home at let's say seven pm on a weekday means 26 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: you will have very little time with a child who 27 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: goes to bed at seven thirty pm. Indeed, this scenario 28 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: has been mentioned as a reason why women will never 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: ascend to the upper ranks of our organizations, or so 30 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: the story goes, because they will want to see their kids. Now, 31 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: if you have been listening to me for a while, 32 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: you'll know that I find some holes in that story. 33 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 1: For starters, not all kids go to bed early. There 34 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: were times in my children's babyhoods when I would have 35 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: paid good money for them to go to bed at 36 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: seven thirty pm, let alone the six thirty pm that 37 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: some people seem to experience. I could have worked until 38 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: eight pm every night and still have seen my kids 39 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: for a reasonable chunk of time. But let's say you 40 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,399 Speaker 1: don't have night owl children, or children like mine who 41 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,119 Speaker 1: don't actually seem to require sleep. Just because you need 42 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: to work fifty hours a week and have a commute 43 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that the extra hours all need to be 44 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: logged at your office into the evenings. Another approach is 45 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: to work a split shift. Here's what this means. A 46 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: few days each week, you leave work on the early side, 47 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: even if all the work isn't done. Let's say you 48 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: get out of there at five pm and have a 49 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: thirty minute commute. You are home at five thirty pm. 50 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 1: If your kid goes to bed at seven thirty pm, 51 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: you now have two hours together versus thirty minutes. If 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: you left at six thirty and got home at seven, 53 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: but then after your child goes to bed at seven thirty, 54 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: what do you do? Rather than watch TV, which is 55 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: what a lot of people do. You go back to 56 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: work remotely, log the ninety minutes you didn't do earlier. 57 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: Starting at seven thirty pm. You will be done at nine, 58 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: which gives you time to watch TV for an hour 59 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: or so. If you'd like, you trade off work time 60 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: for TV time rather than work time for kid time, 61 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: and that is a trade off a lot of people 62 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: are more willing to make. 63 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: Now. 64 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: Of course, in the intervening years since one hundred and 65 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: sixty eight hours came out, a lot more people started 66 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: working remotely with the pandemic, so I sort of shelved 67 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: this advice for a while, but now as more places 68 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,799 Speaker 1: have returned to office policies, I think it's becoming relevant again. 69 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: You can do the required nine to five in the 70 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: office and then do any extra work outside that time 71 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: in a window that works for you. If you have 72 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: young kids, it is almost always better to do this 73 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: second shift later at night, after they go to bed, 74 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,239 Speaker 1: versus during time you could be with them in the evening. 75 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 1: So I have seen this strategy on tons of professional 76 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: women's logs over the years, but there is zero reason 77 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: men can't do it too. I know many do. I 78 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: would also encourage more men to try it out, even 79 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: if your partner is largely responsible for childcare, because that 80 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: is your arrangement. I am guessing that you do, in 81 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: fact want to see your kids at least I hope 82 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: you do, and if you do, working a split shift 83 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: is a way to both put in the hours and 84 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: make that happen. So why not give it a whirl. 85 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: Maybe not every night a week, but a few could 86 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: make it possible to have the best of both worlds. 87 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: I am all about remembering that everything does fit into 88 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty eight hours. We just have to 89 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: be smart about our time, and then the trade offs 90 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: start to disappear. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks 91 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. 92 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 93 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 94 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 95 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 96 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,280 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.