WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Use a “done” list

0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:09.639
<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:12.840
<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:16.320
<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:20.040
<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to use

0:00:20.079 --> 0:00:23.919
<v Speaker 1>a done list to keep track of your accomplishments. Long

0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:27.080
<v Speaker 1>time listeners of my other podcasts know that I like short,

0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.640
<v Speaker 1>focused to do lists. The done list is a great

0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:33.880
<v Speaker 1>compliment to the to do list. In addition to saying

0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.600
<v Speaker 1>what you intend to do, you say what you actually did.

0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:40.360
<v Speaker 1>Even if you don't start the day with a to

0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:44.400
<v Speaker 1>do list, keeping a done list can still boost your

0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:49.280
<v Speaker 1>productivity and satisfaction. When you're working in an office, it

0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:51.640
<v Speaker 1>seems like you've done your job by showing up in

0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.440
<v Speaker 1>the morning and being at work all day. There may

0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.320
<v Speaker 1>be problems with this mindset, but that's a topic for

0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:00.880
<v Speaker 1>another podcast. For people who are new to remote work,

0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.200
<v Speaker 1>one of the most disorienting questions is how to know

0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:08.040
<v Speaker 1>whether you've put in an honest day's labor. If your

0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:10.720
<v Speaker 1>last call ins at four thirty, is it okay to

0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:14.160
<v Speaker 1>stop working? What time should you start if no one's

0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:17.639
<v Speaker 1>looking to see if you're at your desk, people working

0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:20.320
<v Speaker 1>remotely do their jobs, not by showing up at an

0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:23.640
<v Speaker 1>office at a certain time, but by getting tasks done.

0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:26.920
<v Speaker 1>This is true whether you work remotely all the time

0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:31.000
<v Speaker 1>or just temporarily because of the coronavirus. If you want

0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:33.959
<v Speaker 1>to be successful working remotely, you need to be sure

0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.679
<v Speaker 1>that every day you make real progress towards important goals.

0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:42.400
<v Speaker 1>Keeping a done list can help you do that. So

0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:46.240
<v Speaker 1>what goes on a done list your calendar will give

0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:49.400
<v Speaker 1>some shape to the day. You will also hopefully be

0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.520
<v Speaker 1>guided by it to do list or daily priorities, or

0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:56.400
<v Speaker 1>whatever form your goals take. In addition, there will be

0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:59.440
<v Speaker 1>unexpected things that come up during the day and require

0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:02.560
<v Speaker 1>your attention in as you work your way through the day,

0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:07.440
<v Speaker 1>with its planned and unplanned tasks and commitments, record your accomplishments.

0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:11.919
<v Speaker 1>I addressed Bill's concerns about Friday's meeting. I drafted the

0:02:11.960 --> 0:02:16.120
<v Speaker 1>introduction to our quarterly report. I reviewed April's budget and

0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:20.160
<v Speaker 1>compared that with what we're actually spending. A done list

0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.280
<v Speaker 1>like this creates accountability. When you know you're going to

0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.440
<v Speaker 1>make a done list, well, you want to be sure

0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:28.800
<v Speaker 1>that it's not empty. You want to write important accomplishments

0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:31.600
<v Speaker 1>on your done list each day, and so you naturally

0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:36.120
<v Speaker 1>prioritize high value tasks. And of course, as we all

0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:38.720
<v Speaker 1>figure out how to do remote work well, there's an

0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:42.000
<v Speaker 1>added benefit to keeping a done list. If your boss

0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:45.040
<v Speaker 1>asks you how things are going, you have something to

0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:49.519
<v Speaker 1>show her that addresses any concerns. You're done list could

0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.239
<v Speaker 1>take a variety of forms. If you write a to

0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:55.200
<v Speaker 1>do list somewhere, the done list could go right next

0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.799
<v Speaker 1>to it, hopefully matching up nicely. Or you could keep

0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:02.040
<v Speaker 1>a running list of accomplish months in a spreadsheet. These

0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:04.480
<v Speaker 1>can be helpful to look over if you're feeling a

0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:08.840
<v Speaker 1>little less than productive someday. If you're a manager, you

0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:12.240
<v Speaker 1>can encourage your team to keep done lists too. When

0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:14.960
<v Speaker 1>you check in with your team members, the done lists

0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:18.560
<v Speaker 1>can provide a convenient record of what's going on. You

0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:20.320
<v Speaker 1>can talk about what you'd like to see on the

0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.400
<v Speaker 1>done lists at your next check in. You might even

0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.239
<v Speaker 1>have your team members email you there done lists each

0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:30.040
<v Speaker 1>day or each week so you can congratulate them on

0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:35.120
<v Speaker 1>a job well done. If you use a done list,

0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:37.400
<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear about it and how it's affected

0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.360
<v Speaker 1>you and your team. You can reach me at Laura

0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:44.600
<v Speaker 1>at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:48.119
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding in the New

0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:55.080
<v Speaker 1>Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of

0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:58.280
<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit the I Heart

0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.280
<v Speaker 1>Radio app, Apple Podcast Bests, or wherever you get your

0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:02.880
<v Speaker 1>favorite shows. H