WEBVTT - Second Cup: Designate fix-it times

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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 designate fix it times to improve operations

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<v Speaker 1>and reduce wasted time and frustration at work and at home.

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<v Speaker 1>This tip comes from Kim Scott's book Radical Candor. This

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<v Speaker 1>book teaches readers how to be a great boss who,

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<v Speaker 1>as she puts it, cares personally about our team and

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<v Speaker 1>also challenges them directly. There are lots of helpful management tips,

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<v Speaker 1>but even if you're not leading a group, you can

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<v Speaker 1>use some of her ideas to make things better both

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<v Speaker 1>at work and at home. Designating a fix it time

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<v Speaker 1>is one of these ideas. Scott explains that engineering organizations

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<v Speaker 1>often have fix it weeks, which she calls the equivalent

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<v Speaker 1>of spring cleaning. As she explas, everyone will stop working

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<v Speaker 1>on new features for a week and fix bugs in

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<v Speaker 1>the current product. She contrasts fix it weeks with hack weeks,

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<v Speaker 1>when the focus is on developing new ideas. Fix it

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<v Speaker 1>weeks provide a chance to fix old and annoying problems

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<v Speaker 1>that have been bothering people for months. If you're like me,

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<v Speaker 1>you can probably think of all kinds of bugs at

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<v Speaker 1>work and at home that you'd love to eliminate. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you want to set up your printer to scan directly

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<v Speaker 1>to email so that you don't need to plug a

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<v Speaker 1>flash drive into your printer every time you want to

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<v Speaker 1>turn a paper document into a PDF. Maybe you want

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<v Speaker 1>to create a launch pad by your back door at

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<v Speaker 1>home so you can stop feeling frazzled every morning as

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<v Speaker 1>you're looking for your keys or umbrella. Maybe that towel

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<v Speaker 1>rack in your bathroom is threatening to come loose from

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<v Speaker 1>the wall and don't get me started on random burned

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<v Speaker 1>out lights, or that you find yourself typing the same

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<v Speaker 1>answers over and over again to people who request a

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<v Speaker 1>certain document. Keep a list of these bugs, things that

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<v Speaker 1>consume time, drain your energy, or cause frustration. This could

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<v Speaker 1>be a document on your computer, a page in a

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<v Speaker 1>bullet journal, or just a list stuck to your fridge

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<v Speaker 1>anywhere that's convenient to see. If you lead a team,

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<v Speaker 1>ask your colleagues to keep a running list of bugs.

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<v Speaker 1>Ask your home team, that is, the people who live

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<v Speaker 1>with you or come to your house regularly, to keep

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<v Speaker 1>a list of bugs as well. Then designate periodic fix

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<v Speaker 1>at times. Ideally times when you don't have too many

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<v Speaker 1>other constraints. Maybe you're off for a holiday but your

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<v Speaker 1>kids aren't. That could be a great time to eliminate

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<v Speaker 1>some bugs at home. Or you could choose a friday

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<v Speaker 1>at work that you've intentionally kept clear to deal with

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<v Speaker 1>these problems. Yes, you could keep putting these things off.

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<v Speaker 1>There's no real harm caused by having to use the

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<v Speaker 1>memory stick on your printer, but it will also feel

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<v Speaker 1>really good to cross them off and not be bothered

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<v Speaker 1>by them ever. Again. Although Scott talks about annual fix

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<v Speaker 1>it weeks, you can experiment with the duration and frequency

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<v Speaker 1>of fix it times that work for you, your team, and

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<v Speaker 1>your family. One day per quarter might be a good

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<v Speaker 1>starting point. In any case, it's easy to underestimate how

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<v Speaker 1>much time we lose to the bugs in our life

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<v Speaker 1>and how much frustration we needlessly experience. Fix It times

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<v Speaker 1>can help us reclaim wasted time and energy, which we

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<v Speaker 1>can then use to progress toward our goals. Are there

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<v Speaker 1>bugs at work or at home that are annoying you?

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<v Speaker 1>If you try a fix it time, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear how it goes. You can reach me at Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com in the meantime. This

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

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at BUA for Breakfast pod, that's b E

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<v Speaker 1>the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 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. Should I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to 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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