WEBVTT - Second Cup: Productivity doesn't always look productive

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

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<v Speaker 2>Good Morning, This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's tip is that productivity doesn't always look productive. If

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<v Speaker 2>you know that you are making progress or you're working

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<v Speaker 2>on something important, then it doesn't really matter if it

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't look like you are doing all that much. So

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<v Speaker 2>the day I wrote this would probably not look like

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<v Speaker 2>a banner day from the outside. I took multiple long breaks,

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<v Speaker 2>and during the time I was at my desk I

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<v Speaker 2>was not always incredibly focused. But after several false starts,

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<v Speaker 2>I did write something that I needed to write. I

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<v Speaker 2>had a long conversation with someone who is both thoughtful

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<v Speaker 2>and influential, which is always a good thing to do.

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<v Speaker 2>I made a difficult business decision that needed to be made,

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<v Speaker 2>so that is not bad as things go. Even if

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<v Speaker 2>much of the day looked like open space and random

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<v Speaker 2>email checks, I am sure that you have had similar days.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe you even kept looking at the clock to see

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<v Speaker 2>if the day was over yet. But sometimes getting things

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<v Speaker 2>done involves making decisions, or coming up with ideas, or

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<v Speaker 2>deciding that something is wrong and needs to be done differently.

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<v Speaker 2>Often all of this thinking doesn't look like doing anything.

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<v Speaker 2>It's just a nagging sense that you need to stop

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<v Speaker 2>working on something and think about it, and you realize

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<v Speaker 2>it's not working and you need to go in a

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<v Speaker 2>different direction. Or maybe you are stumped on something and

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<v Speaker 2>need to let your brain process it for a while

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<v Speaker 2>before you remember that Kevin from two jobs ago knew

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<v Speaker 2>something about this topic. Maybe if you reach out, he

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<v Speaker 2>could give you some direction. Or you think you are

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<v Speaker 2>about to offer a job to a certain candidate, but

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<v Speaker 2>something is telling you to wait. It feels like you're

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<v Speaker 2>just putting things off and slowing things down, but actually

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<v Speaker 2>you are checking another reference and you find out that

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<v Speaker 2>something is definitely off. All of this is actually very productive.

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<v Speaker 2>Hiring a person who is a bad match can result

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<v Speaker 2>in tons of wasted time, not to mention tough emotions

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<v Speaker 2>for everyone involved. Or if you are working on a

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<v Speaker 2>project and it's not going right, it doesn't actually help

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<v Speaker 2>to go faster in the wrong direction, So best to

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<v Speaker 2>take it slow and be okay with sitting there looking

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<v Speaker 2>like you are just spinning your wheels for a while.

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<v Speaker 2>It will be okay when those spinning wheels do gain traction.

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<v Speaker 2>You will be ready to go. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 2>is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 2>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 2>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 2>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 2>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 2>number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 2>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks so much. Should I look forward to saying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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