1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to try some work puttering time. If 4 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: you have open space in your work schedule and nothing 5 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: immediately pressing, try not setting a goal and not relying 6 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: on your usual time killers. You just might come up 7 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: with some interesting things to pursue. I know that on 8 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: many work days it feels like every minute and more 9 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: is spoken for. But maybe you have a week where 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: you've just knocked it out of the park up until Wednesday. 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: You've finished all your top priority work and even gotten 12 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,279 Speaker 1: a bit ahead of things. You have a few hours 13 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: around your normal Thursday and Friday commitments. Now what Oftentimes 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: people wind up feeling almost unproductive in this open space. 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:10,960 Speaker 1: You are not going to solve the world's problems in 16 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: a few hours, or even rework your business model, or 17 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,559 Speaker 1: hire new employees or anything big like that. Often people 18 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: just delve into their inboxes and try to make a 19 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: dent there. But since email expands to fill the available space, 20 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: this can feel even more like a waste of time. See, 21 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: you might want to consider another option, which is what 22 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: I call work puttering. If you think about puttering. It 23 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: is usually in a home context. People putter around the yard, 24 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: doing a little weeding here, a little pruning there, moving 25 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: something in the garden and then moving it back. People 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: putter around the house too, picking up a room and 27 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: then seeing if maybe that end table would look better 28 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: in another spot. It's not particularly intentional. It's more experimental, 29 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: just seeing what works and what doesn't. We can do 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: this at work too, if you've got some open space, 31 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 1: see what you're thinking about, See what catches your attention, 32 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: See what you think you'd like to spend more time on, 33 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: See who you think about. I interviewed someone recently who 34 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: did some of this work puttering on a Friday, and 35 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: in that open space, she came up with an idea 36 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: for someone who would be good to interview for her 37 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: organization's podcast. It was a slightly out of the box idea, 38 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: but it was a good one. Or maybe you actually 39 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: read that article you've been saving in your inbox. You 40 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: could read it all the way to the end. You 41 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: could follow a thread looking up a new bit of 42 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:51,399 Speaker 1: information once you read that article and mull over all 43 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: of it like a gardener pondering if she needs some 44 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: more impatience or petunias. The idea is to have some 45 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: time where there is no intended outcome. Now, don't get 46 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: me wrong, it is good to be intentional about time, 47 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: but that means having some time where we pursue things 48 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: a bit randomly. Not only do we occasionally get good 49 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: ideas or have people bubble up to the top of 50 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: our minds. This can make us feel like time is 51 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: more abundant. We have space. It feels a little more open. 52 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 1: So why not try some work puttering time. Much of 53 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: time should be directed so we get done what we 54 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: need to get done in a reasonable number of hours. 55 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: But a little puttering time can make it all feel 56 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: more sustainable, so it's worth seeking out in the meantime. 57 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 58 00:03:51,200 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 59 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 60 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 61 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pop that's B the number four, 62 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: then breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 63 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media 64 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 65 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look forward to 66 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I 67 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit 68 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 69 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.