1 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to think 5 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: big in small amounts of time. Use little pockets of 6 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: time to think about big ideas your career and your future. 7 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 1: It is possible, and it's far more rewarding than checking email. 8 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: All professionals need to think about what's going on in 9 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: their fields. Attending conferences, meeting colleagues, or going on retreats 10 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: are all smart ideas sometimes, though our schedules and budgets 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: make these things more challenging. Fortunately, though these limits don't 12 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: make thinking big impossible. The key is to set aside 13 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: material that will spark your thinking and then make it 14 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: easily accessible for those moments when you have a little 15 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: bit of time on your hands. By making sure that 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: these big ideas are getting some real estate in your brain, 17 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: you increase the chances that your brain starts putting the 18 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: pieces together and coming up with some interesting stuff. The 19 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: world is a wash in information, but we seldom collect 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: it in an organized way. If you want to really 21 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: spend some time learning. Get in the habit of keeping 22 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: a file somewhere that you can easily look at. If 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: we're talking online articles or videos, collect the links in 24 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: a document or bookmark the pages, and keep the file 25 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: of bookmarks somewhere you'll see frequently. Ebooks can be easily 26 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: accessed through a reading app. You can tear articles out 27 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: of magazines and don't think you'll come back to the 28 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: full magazine itself. You probably won't, so tear out the 29 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: pages you haven't read yet, but would like to keep 30 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: this printed matter in a folder or basket somewhere near 31 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: your desk. Then get in the habit of visiting these 32 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: idea files. I think it's best to use two approaches. First, 33 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 1: you can carve out a specific ten minutes a day 34 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: that you always use, like right before lunch or in 35 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: the twenty minutes before a daily meeting. You need to 36 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: know that you'll look at your collected ideas and material, 37 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: so that you will put things in the file, trusting 38 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: that it's not you know, the circular file that you'll 39 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: never look at again. Then second, start visiting these files 40 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: and piles when you find yourself with small bits of time. 41 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: We all have these A meeting ends early, or a 42 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: phone call starts late. It's four pm and you could 43 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: stop working, but you have childcare for another hour, and 44 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: so you decide to make the most of it. It 45 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: doesn't have to be much time, because here's what happens. 46 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: As you start making space for new inputs in your brain, 47 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: your brain will spend some of its idle time piecing 48 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: these all together. You read about a new trend, you 49 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: watch a video from an expert, and while you're walking 50 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: your dog, you come up with a new idea that 51 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: your team could pitch. It really is that simple. I'll 52 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: add that there's no need to limit yourself to things 53 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: that look strictly relevant to your job. Good ideas and 54 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: big thoughts can come from anywhere, and since you're using 55 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: time that might have been wasted deleting emails or surfing 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: the web, you might as well use it to keep 57 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: your brain sharp with whatever you feel helps do that. 58 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: So today, if you don't already, start creating a collection 59 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: of material that you think will help you think big. 60 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: While it is great to go on retreats and go 61 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: to conferences, we can get new ideas from anywhere, and 62 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: using little bits of time is a start in the meantime, 63 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to succeeding 64 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is 65 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app, 66 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.