1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to clear out your calendar 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: when your day or week becomes unexpectedly busy. We all 5 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: have weeks like this. There's something big you need to 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: deal with, but unfortunately your past self packed the week 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: completely full with other things. So how do you deal 8 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: with it? I want to share the strategy my friend 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: that Lauren Burger uses. Lauren runs the Career Company's career 10 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: Queen dot com and intern queen dot com. She is 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: also the author of the book Get It to Gather. 12 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: Here's what she said in an email to me. As 13 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: I write this, I'm looking at my day for tomorrow. 14 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: It's completely booked with a bunch of non urgent and 15 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: non revenue generating calls from eight thirty am to two 16 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: thirty pm. If I'm on the phone all day long, 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: how will I accomplish anything on my to do list? 18 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: As a smart business owner, she didn't want to waste 19 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: all this potential time, so her suggestion go through and 20 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: push things. Don't be afraid, don't feel bad, just push 21 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: things out. You have to put yourself first, you have 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: to advocate for you. If you don't do it, who will? 23 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: So what exactly does she push out? Here are some 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: of the examples she listed. A meeting that I'd classify 25 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: as they want to have but not a need to have, 26 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: for example, an internal meeting with team members about sales strategies. 27 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: Weekly or bi weekly recurring calls where there's no new 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: info to share. Oftentimes a quick email can be sent. 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: Anything you're setting is a favor to someone else, an 30 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: informational interview, an advice call, something you want to do 31 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: but can't commit to this week. Calls or task items 32 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: that you can have other people will handle for you 33 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: and just get a quick update on. For example, Lauren says, 34 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: I don't need to be on the team brainstorm tomorrow 35 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: where they talk about gift bag ideas for our parties. 36 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: I can just get a quick email update afterwards. Incoming 37 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: sales pitches or demos that aren't urgent, non revenue generating calls, 38 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: or meetings, things that you know won't result in dollars 39 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: until months and months out if ever. So, Lauren was 40 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: studying her schedule for the next day and seeing which 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: of these things could be rescheduled now. Many of these 42 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: aren't things that can be put off forever. I'd also 43 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: point out that if you're constantly the person rescheduling stuff, 44 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: eventually people won't want to schedule stuff with you at all, 45 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: so you need to be aware of this. One way 46 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: to solve this issue is to triage your calendar far 47 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: ahead of time. Canceling stuff right before it happens can 48 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: sometimes inconvenience other people if you cancel things a few 49 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: days ahead of time, though people can usually make other 50 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: plans long time before. Breakfast listeners know that I like 51 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: planning weeks on Friday afternoons. When you're doing that, look 52 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: at what's already on your calendar for the next week. 53 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: If there's a lot of stuff that isn't revenue generating 54 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: and really doesn't need to happen for a while, and 55 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: you know there's some other big stuff happening, then take 56 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 1: the time on Friday to move it, cancel it, or 57 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: delegate it. And in the future, be very careful with 58 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: the word yes. We've talked about only saying yes to 59 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: future things. If you'd say yes tomorrow instead of just 60 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: agreeing when the salesperson asks for a quick call to 61 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: talk to you about that product he's pitching. Actually, picture 62 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: yourself in the future taking time away from something really 63 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: important to your business in order to listen to this pitch. 64 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: Will you be mad at yourself as you're doing it? 65 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: If so, then don't say yes in the first place. 66 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: What will you clear from your calendar today? In the meantime, 67 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 68 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: the most of our time. M Hey everybody, I'd love 69 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 70 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 71 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the 72 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 73 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i 74 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out 75 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 77 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 78 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 79 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.