WEBVTT - Second Cup: Look at the whole iceberg

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is for when you are considering taking on new work,

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<v Speaker 1>you want to look at the whole iceberg, not just

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<v Speaker 1>the obvious visible stuff, but whatever hours of preparation, administration,

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<v Speaker 1>or travel will be needed. That way you can make

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<v Speaker 1>wiser decisions. Today's tip, like another this week, comes from

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<v Speaker 1>Amantha Imber's new book time Wise. This book looks at

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<v Speaker 1>various smart strategies for getting more done and feeling better

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<v Speaker 1>about it. In the book, Amantha tells a story about

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<v Speaker 1>taking on a project to improve an MBA program. It

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<v Speaker 1>all sounded very exciting until she found herself in a

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<v Speaker 1>four hour meeting in a windowless room, looking forward too

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<v Speaker 1>many more such meetings. She had been focused on the

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<v Speaker 1>shiny outcome, but of course that is not the only

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<v Speaker 1>part of any task. Amantha cites an observation from John Zaratsky,

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<v Speaker 1>an author and former design partner at Google Ventures, that

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<v Speaker 1>we often give what he calls an iceberg. Yes, we

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<v Speaker 1>say yes, because we are only seeing part of the iceberg.

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<v Speaker 1>As they warn people on ships, icebergs aren't just the

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<v Speaker 1>visible part of the ice above the water. Below the surface,

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<v Speaker 1>there may be hundreds of feet of ice which can

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<v Speaker 1>famously wreak havoc on a ship if you are not

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<v Speaker 1>aware of it. So it goes with many projects. Going

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<v Speaker 1>to an event isn't just the event itself. There's the preparation,

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<v Speaker 1>the travel, the logistics that might be necessary for you

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<v Speaker 1>to travel. Serving on a committee isn't just putting the

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<v Speaker 1>committee on your resume. Most of the time, you will

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<v Speaker 1>be meeting with people again and again, maybe during times

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<v Speaker 1>when you would have preferred to do something else. Picture

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<v Speaker 1>yourself on a lovely summer night while some friends have

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<v Speaker 1>gone out to dinner, and you are sitting in a

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<v Speaker 1>stuffy meeting room arguing over a small change to an

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<v Speaker 1>award's rules. How do you feel about it now? When

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<v Speaker 1>I put it that way, it sounds like people might

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<v Speaker 1>never say yes to anything, But of course that's not true.

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<v Speaker 1>I choose to sing in various concerts, even though performing

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<v Speaker 1>requires hours of rehearsal time, because I enjoy the rehearsals

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<v Speaker 1>For the most part. Too. There might be work projects

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<v Speaker 1>that are exciting enough that you relish the meetings, or

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<v Speaker 1>if nothing else, you can make sure you are compensated appropriately.

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<v Speaker 1>Speaking rates, for instance, don't just reflect the hour somebody

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<v Speaker 1>is on stage. They reflect the time necessary to prepare

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<v Speaker 1>a speech, travel to the venue, travel home, and so forth.

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<v Speaker 1>When you consider the whole iceberg, you can make wiser

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<v Speaker 1>decisions about how to spend your time. You won't bite

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<v Speaker 1>off more than you can chew. You won't feel resentful

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<v Speaker 1>about unexpected work because it won't be unexpected now. To

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<v Speaker 1>be sure, you can't always tell what the iceberg will

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<v Speaker 1>look like, but you can do your due diligence. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are considering adding something new to your life, speak

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<v Speaker 1>to people who are already doing it. Ask about the

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<v Speaker 1>time commitment. Ask about what prep work and administrative work

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<v Speaker 1>is involved. If it's unclear, make an estimate. But know this,

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<v Speaker 1>it probably won't be nothing. It is almost never nothing.

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<v Speaker 1>You want to go into new commitments with your eyes open.

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<v Speaker 1>In time wise, Amantha Imber writes that she wound up

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<v Speaker 1>having to resign from the NBA committee after sinking time

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<v Speaker 1>into it without even getting to the shiny part. So

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<v Speaker 1>look at the whole iceberg. You will be far less

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<v Speaker 1>likely to wind up sinking your schedule in what was

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<v Speaker 1>an avoidable accident. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b the number four then Breakfast pod. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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