WEBVTT - Second Cup: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

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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 a reminder to people who do have flexible

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<v Speaker 1>schedules that you can still set boundaries. You can start

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<v Speaker 1>repeating this phrase to yourself. Just because I can doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>mean I should. The past few decades have brought huge

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<v Speaker 1>changes to the way people work. Laptops and cell phones

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<v Speaker 1>mean much work can be done anytime and any place,

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<v Speaker 1>and while during the transition years, this often meant people

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<v Speaker 1>worked at the office during set hours and then still

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<v Speaker 1>needed to be reachable afterwards. Younger workers in particular, expect

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<v Speaker 1>a huge deal of control over their schedules. They don't

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<v Speaker 1>see this flexibility as a reward for years of proving themselves.

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<v Speaker 1>They see it as the most efficient approach to work,

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<v Speaker 1>and in general it is. However, after studying thousands of

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<v Speaker 1>schedules over the years, I'd say that some people are

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<v Speaker 1>better about setting boundaries with their time than others. If

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<v Speaker 1>you can set your own hours and work from home occasionally,

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<v Speaker 1>you have a great deal of control over your time.

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<v Speaker 1>But that control doesn't mean that your time is anyone

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<v Speaker 1>else's for the taking. There are the classic requests. A

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<v Speaker 1>neighbor wants you to drive him or her to the airport.

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<v Speaker 1>This person is totally capable of taking an uber, but

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<v Speaker 1>since you're home, it's no biggie, right. Or the neighbor

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<v Speaker 1>wants you to let out his dog at noon since

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<v Speaker 1>you're there. On some level, it might not be a biggie,

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<v Speaker 1>but planning your day around a commitment means your time

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<v Speaker 1>isn't fully focused on your work pursuits during time you

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<v Speaker 1>plan to work, and that is a problem.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, if your.

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<v Speaker 1>Neighbor has done a huge favor for you recently, that

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<v Speaker 1>is a different matter. But if not, hopefully you can

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<v Speaker 1>develop the fortitude to say no to these requests. Oh

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<v Speaker 1>I've got phone calls stacked up all day, or I

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<v Speaker 1>may need to come into the office, so I'm sorry

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<v Speaker 1>I can't commit. But sometimes it's harder to set boundaries.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe your partner has an unspoken assumption that because you

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<v Speaker 1>can work from home, it's your job to cover all

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<v Speaker 1>kid sick days or snow days. It's your job to

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<v Speaker 1>wait around for all repair people. And perhaps a couple

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<v Speaker 1>might decide that this split of labor makes sense, But

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<v Speaker 1>if so, it should be a conscious decision, not an assumption,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'd strongly caution against a couple assuming that the

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<v Speaker 1>party who can set his or her own hours and

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<v Speaker 1>work from home must therefore be responsible for all housework. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>you could throw in a load of laundry during a

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<v Speaker 1>break between calls, but guess what your partner could throw

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<v Speaker 1>in a load before he or she leaves for work too.

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<v Speaker 1>These tasks must be negotiatedly. I think boundaries with kids

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<v Speaker 1>are the hardest. One of the upsides of having a

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<v Speaker 1>flexible schedule is the ability to accommodate family responsibilities, and

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<v Speaker 1>this can be a real blessing for people who have, say,

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<v Speaker 1>special needs kids who require a lot of medical appointments

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<v Speaker 1>and the like. But what I've often seen happen is

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<v Speaker 1>that people with flexible schedules think that because they can

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<v Speaker 1>do something, they should and they don't necessarily push back.

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<v Speaker 1>A physician's office offers you a ten am appointment, and

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<v Speaker 1>so you take it rather than asking for something at

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<v Speaker 1>a more convenient time. And yes, it can work, but

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<v Speaker 1>then your day is chopped up. Or as I saw

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<v Speaker 1>on a timelog recently, a professor picked up her children

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<v Speaker 1>at school at two pm on the days when she

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have afternoon classes. She could do this, but the

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<v Speaker 1>problem was that she wasn't making as much progress as

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<v Speaker 1>she wanted on the research and journal article submissions that

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to help her land tenure. Yes, she could

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<v Speaker 1>do the early afternoon pickup, but there's a limit to

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<v Speaker 1>how efficient we can be, and since she wasn't mustering

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<v Speaker 1>the energy to do the work at night after the

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<v Speaker 1>kids went to bed, something.

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<v Speaker 2>Had to give.

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't totally sure how she'd take this advice, but

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<v Speaker 1>she did agree with me that at least one to

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<v Speaker 1>two days per week she needed some extra childcare hours

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<v Speaker 1>in the afternoon and to work an actual full work

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<v Speaker 1>day during the workday.

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<v Speaker 2>She did this, and pretty soon she was submitting her

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<v Speaker 2>articles at the pace she wanted. Sometimes choices are hard,

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<v Speaker 2>but again, just because we can doesn't mean we should.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you have a flexible schedule, take some time

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<v Speaker 2>today to think about what boundaries you have around your

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<v Speaker 2>work hours. Are you satisfied with these or not? If not,

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<v Speaker 2>you absolutely can ask for more help or renegotiate any

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<v Speaker 2>assumptions that have been made before work is work, and

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<v Speaker 2>whether you work it home and have control of your

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<v Speaker 2>hours or not. It needs to be taken seriously if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to advance in the meantime.

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>hear 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 Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com

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<v Speaker 1>that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 2>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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