1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,159 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to try a double header. If you 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: are meeting with the same person or people twice in 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: short succession, consolidate both agendas into one meeting, make it 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: a double header, and free up some uninterrupted time for 7 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: something else. In many organizations, it can be quite common 8 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: to meet with the same people twice in a week 9 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: or so. Maybe you are collaborating with the same people 10 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: on multiple projects, or maybe you are working on a 11 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: client project together, but you are also jointly running a 12 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: brown bag lunch series for the department. You know how 13 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: this goes. What tends to happen is that we view 14 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: all our projects as completely separate, and when we need 15 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: to meet with people for each project, the meetings get 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: scheduled separately. This certainly happens when we are scheduling our 17 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 1: own meetings, but it happens with assistance too, because they 18 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: are probably thinking of projects separately as well. Have I 19 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: set up meetings for project A and Project B this week? Great? 20 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: I am doing what I am supposed to do, So 21 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: what winds up happening is that you and Bob and 22 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: Kia may be working together on project A and Project B, 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: and you may have a meeting about each project in 24 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: a given week. Maybe you and Kara are also working 25 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: together on projects C, so you have a third meeting 26 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: with her. You are spending a lot of time with Kara. 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: That is not a bad thing. But as I point 28 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: out in my forthcoming book, Tranquility by Tuesday, if you 29 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: plan your life in weeks, you will see this more clearly. 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: As you survey your landscape for the upcoming you will 31 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: see that you have multiple meetings with the same people. 32 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: Recognizing that you have more than one meeting with the 33 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: same people creates an opportunity to consolidate is get to gathers. 34 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: You can do a double header most of the time. 35 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: If you consolidate meetings, you won't need the full amount 36 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: of time you scheduled for the two individual meetings. Say 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: you have two hour long meetings with Bob and Kara, 38 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: one about project DAY and one about Project B. You 39 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: will probably be able to conduct the business of both 40 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: those meetings in an hour and a half. At most, 41 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: it will be an hour and forty five minutes. It's 42 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: pretty easy to see why every single meeting exacts transaction costs. 43 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: There is often times spent waiting for latecomers. There is 44 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: the time spent getting organized and chit chatting in a 45 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: consolidated meeting. All if this happens once, not twice or more, 46 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: you may need less time for wrap up at the 47 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: end of the meeting too, since you aren't actually parting 48 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: at the end of the first junk of material, you 49 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: are plowing right into the second matter. What's more, meetings 50 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: tend to expand or contract to fill the available time, 51 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: so if you have an hour and a half budgeted 52 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: for this double header, you will probably make it work. 53 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: So by consolidating the two meetings, you end up saving 54 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: fifteen to thirty minutes. Even better, you save yourself the 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: individual transaction costs of stopping other work and then restarting 56 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: it afterwards. Your schedule will be less chopped up, so 57 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: you will have more time available for what productivity expert 58 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: cal Newport calls deep work. Now, as you study your schedule, 59 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: you may find that some of the meetings you can 60 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: consolidate are recurring meetings. That means that the few minutes 61 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: it takes. Adjust your schedules and find a consolidated meeting time. 62 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: Once we'll pay off in less total time and meetings 63 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: every single week. That is a definite win. So if 64 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: we envision our scenario with Bob and Kara, you could 65 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: picture that the three of you do a double header 66 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: on project Day and Project b Then you say goodbye 67 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: to Bob and you and Kara stick around to chat 68 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: about projects c even more efficiencies are achieved. One easy 69 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: entry point to this scheduling concept is to do a 70 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: double header after any all staff for all department meetings 71 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: that you may be required to attend. If you need 72 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: to do a weekly meeting with Mary, and you and 73 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: Mary are both at the department meeting, you can stack 74 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: the meeting with Mary right after it ends. That way, 75 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: if the meeting ends early, you and Mary can start 76 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: early rather than kicking around for ten minutes looking for 77 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: something else small to do. Or if the meeting runs late, 78 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: neither of you will be inconvenienced waiting for the other. Now, 79 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: to be clear, double headers are about rescheduling existing meetings. 80 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,799 Speaker 1: I am not suggesting setting up new meetings. In general, 81 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 1: most people need to be in far fewer meetings than 82 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: they are currently in. I suggest taking a good look 83 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: at whether all your recurring meetings actually need to happen, 84 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: But if they do, a double header can save some time. 85 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: It may require a little work to figure out the logistics, 86 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: but you know this isn't rocket science. If a different 87 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: person is leading project A than is leading Project B, 88 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 1: just switch who is leading the meeting in the middle. 89 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: Agree to the agenda in advance so everything is adequately covered. 90 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: But hopefully you are doing that already with your meetings. 91 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: If necessary, you could switch which project comes first week 92 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: to week in case there is any concern about people 93 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: feeling fresh or trying to rush through things. But given 94 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: the benefits, I think it is worth a little trial 95 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: and error to make it work. If you try a 96 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: double header meeting, I would love to hear how it goes. 97 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: You can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. 98 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and 99 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 100 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 101 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 102 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at before Breakfast pod. 103 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,280 Speaker 1: That's be the number four then Breakfast p O d. 104 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast 105 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast 106 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 107 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 108 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from 109 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 110 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.