1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 1: tip is to make sure you have enough time to work. 4 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: While there is nothing wrong with working part time, if 5 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: you are aiming to work a full time schedule and 6 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: you have a lot of flexibility, it can be easy 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: to get pulled away unintentionally. Protecting a few more hours 8 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: might make you feel a lot more productive. So I 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: will start this episode by acknowledging that for some proportion 10 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: of my listeners this topic might sound ridiculous. If you 11 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: work set hours at a workplace, you don't need to 12 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: protect time to work. Your work hours are your work hours. 13 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: But these days an especially post pandemic, a lot of 14 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: people work differently. They can work from home on occasion, 15 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: at least they can often set their own hours. These 16 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: developments are really and truly wonderful, and I am a 17 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:25,320 Speaker 1: big fan of them. Most people do work very productively 18 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: from home and flexibly for those of us who do 19 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: have complex personal lives, though occasionally the flexibility can result 20 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 1: in attempting to burn the candle at both ends. If 21 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: I go to my kids school during the day for 22 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: something and start driving kids around to activities around four 23 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: o'clock and try to run during those hours too. That 24 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: starts cutting down on the available work space. So as 25 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: I am creating the family's schedule for the week, I 26 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: start ving el v's work hours. When will I know 27 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: that I will have quiet, uninterrupted work time since I 28 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: often do exercise during the day when my family has childcare. 29 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: If the total tally of l v's available work hours 30 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: is under thirty five, then I know I will probably 31 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: need to add a night or weekend session. If I 32 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: am going to start feeling like I am on top 33 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: of things, I am very efficient, but tasks take time, 34 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: and if there is less time, then fewer tasks are 35 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 1: going to get done. I will do what I absolutely 36 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: need to do, but the forward looking, speculative stuff might 37 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: not happen. You might find the same thing. It is 38 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: wonderful that you can drop your kids off at school 39 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: and pick them up, but if the pickups in at 40 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: thirty minutes or more between the travel the car line 41 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: and driving home, that is a lot of time for 42 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: only about ten minutes with your kid. Could you carpool 43 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: some days and extend your work hours by at least 44 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: thirty minutes on those days. Could your child take the 45 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: bus some days, or maybe your child could stay for 46 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: an activity at school twice a week and you'd be 47 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: able to add another sixty to ninety minutes of worktime 48 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 1: on those days. I will also note that times when 49 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: you feel on call can also be hard to use 50 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: for focused work. So if you have a child who 51 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,119 Speaker 1: often calls for a ride home, perhaps you can work 52 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: out ahead of time what times you will be available 53 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: for this, so you know you can work right up 54 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: and till that time. If you do decide to take 55 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: on school pickups or activity driving or things during the day, 56 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: there is nothing wrong with that. It is one of 57 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: the upsides of a flexible schedule. But part of flexibility 58 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: means that if the work moves, but the work still 59 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: has to be done, it has to go somewhere, and 60 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: so there is nothing wrong with protecting work time for 61 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: let's say, three to four hours on a weekend morning 62 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: while your partner covers. If you have covered more during 63 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: the week, there is nothing wrong with deciding to work 64 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: for ninety minutes at night two to three times per 65 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 1: week after the kids go to bed. If you have 66 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: taken on personal stuff during the day. That is what 67 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 1: flexibility entails. Indeed, I would say this is a great 68 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: example of work life balance, even though I know a 69 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: lot of people do not view working at night or 70 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: on the weekends as balanced, But if you have done 71 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: personal stuff during the traditional work day, then it absolutely is. 72 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: I say this because I know a lot of very 73 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: hard working, productive people wind up feeling distracted and like 74 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: they aren't getting as much as they want done. It's 75 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 1: not because there's anything wrong with them. It is often 76 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: because they are attempting to do thirty five hours worth 77 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: of tasks and thirty available hours. And even if those 78 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 1: same tasks would take a less efficient colleague forty five 79 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: hours or more, there is a limit on how efficient 80 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: any of us can be. So if you have been 81 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 1: feeling a bit behind, take a look at how much 82 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: protected uninterrupted work time you actually have. Make sure you 83 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: have enough time to work. I am not saying that 84 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 1: you should give up on any activities that are important 85 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: to you, but you should make sure that somewhere on 86 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: your schedule there is enough time blocked to feel like 87 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: you don't have to rush. That can make work in 88 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 1: general feel better. In the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks 89 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: for listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 90 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 91 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 92 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. 93 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: That's b the number four then Breakfast pod. You can 94 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at 95 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out with 96 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look forward 97 00:06:52,440 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast production of iHeartRadio. For 98 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:07,480 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 99 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.