WEBVTT - Don't give yourself homework

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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 to try not to give yourself homework. There

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<v Speaker 1>are ways to lighten the burden on future you while

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<v Speaker 1>still being a team player if you are strategic about it. So,

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<v Speaker 1>I am sure many of us have had this experience.

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<v Speaker 1>In a meeting, someone asks you to send them a document.

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<v Speaker 1>You write down a note to yourself to do this.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, your day is jam packed, so you don't

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<v Speaker 1>wind up getting around to executing on all these little

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<v Speaker 1>meeting follow ups until six pm or later, when you'd

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<v Speaker 1>like to be on your way home. Or maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>agree to an informational meeting with someone agree to help out,

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<v Speaker 1>and then spend time afterwards sending lots of introductory emails

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<v Speaker 1>and information, only to find out that the person hasn't

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<v Speaker 1>used all of this. We want to be team players,

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<v Speaker 1>but there are ways to make being a team player

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<v Speaker 1>easier on ourselves. First, if you are asked to fulfill

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<v Speaker 1>a quick request and you are comfortable doing so, do

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<v Speaker 1>it right then. So, for instance, if you are asked

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<v Speaker 1>during a meeting to send the colleagues the agenda from

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<v Speaker 1>last year's annual meeting. Just find it and do it.

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<v Speaker 1>If someone wants to know the status of the department budget,

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<v Speaker 1>don't say you'll send a note later. Send a message

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<v Speaker 1>to the finance office during the meeting. They may reply

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<v Speaker 1>during the meeting so that you can report the answer,

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<v Speaker 1>but even if they don't, at least you will have

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<v Speaker 1>made the request, so the ball is in someone else's

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<v Speaker 1>court at least for a while. Now. If you are

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<v Speaker 1>sitting with eight people in a conference room, this only

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<v Speaker 1>works for quick requests, you are probably not going to

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<v Speaker 1>pause everything for several minutes so you can do something.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you are meeting individually with a direct report,

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<v Speaker 1>or perhaps someone who is a little less tightly scheduled

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<v Speaker 1>than you are, you could even fulfill more extensive requests

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<v Speaker 1>right then. For example, if you are meeting with a

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<v Speaker 1>person who is interested in your industry and they ask

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<v Speaker 1>for recommendations of professional associations and publications, go ahead and

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<v Speaker 1>find that information, even if it requires a little googling

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<v Speaker 1>to get the names right. Don't find yourself writing a

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<v Speaker 1>lengthy email about the shape of the field at night

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<v Speaker 1>after your kids go to bed. If your direct report

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<v Speaker 1>has a document they want you to review review it

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<v Speaker 1>during your check in time. That way, they get the

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<v Speaker 1>feedback as soon as possible. You can talk through any

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<v Speaker 1>areas of confusion rather than emailing back and forth. This

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<v Speaker 1>is really a win for both of you and there

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<v Speaker 1>is no homework for you after the meeting. Another way

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid giving yourself homework is to make sure the

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<v Speaker 1>other person can take the next step independently. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>if you are talking with your neighbor and she asks

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<v Speaker 1>for the name of that karate studio you joined, tell

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<v Speaker 1>her the name and have her email it to herself.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't need to promise to send the link later

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<v Speaker 1>and take the risk of forgetting. You might also consider

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<v Speaker 1>leaving the ball in the other person's court to decide

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<v Speaker 1>on their own time whether they would like you to

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<v Speaker 1>follow up on anything. That way, you won't be spending

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<v Speaker 1>time following up on something that the other person may

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<v Speaker 1>not actually be all that interested in. For instance, you

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<v Speaker 1>might say, if after you look into this, you decide

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<v Speaker 1>that you'd like me to send you more information on

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<v Speaker 1>one or two of the groups I mentioned, let me

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<v Speaker 1>know and I'll be glad to do it. You may

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<v Speaker 1>have homework later, but only if the other person would

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<v Speaker 1>actually appreciate it if they forget about it or decide

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<v Speaker 1>it wouldn't be helpful after initial research themselves, there is

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<v Speaker 1>nothing more for you to do. Of course, sometimes you

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<v Speaker 1>might not be sure you want to fulfill a request.

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<v Speaker 1>You might want to buy yourself time to think about it,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's fine. Giving yourself homework is better than doing

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<v Speaker 1>something hasty that you will regret. But when you probably

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<v Speaker 1>are going to do something like send your cap that

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<v Speaker 1>old report, then don't let that task make it onto

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<v Speaker 1>your to do list. Do it right away and feel

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<v Speaker 1>as free as a kid who got her homework done

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<v Speaker 1>during study hall. No need to break open the books.

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<v Speaker 1>It can be video games all night in the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our times. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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