1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: tip is to try a double header. If you are 4 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: meeting with the same person or people twice in short succession, 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: consolidate both agendas into one meeting, make it a double header, 6 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: and free up some uninterrupted time for something else. In 7 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: many organizations, it can be quite common to meet with 8 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: the same people twice in a week or so. Maybe 9 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: you are collaborating with the same people on multiple projects, 10 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: or maybe you are working on a client project together, 11 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: but you are also jointly running a brown bag lunch 12 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: series for the department. You know how this goes. What 13 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: tends to happen is that we view all our projects 14 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: as completely separate, and when we need to meet with 15 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: people for each project, the meetings get scheduled separately. This 16 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: certainly happens when we are scheduling our own meetings, but 17 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: it happens with assistance too, because they are probably thinking 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: of projects separately as well. Have I set up meetings 19 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,919 Speaker 1: for a project A and project B this week? Great, 20 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: I am doing what I am supposed to do, So 21 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: what winds up happening? Is that you and Bob and 22 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: Kara may be working together on Project A and Project B, 23 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: and you may have a meeting about each project in 24 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: a given week. Maybe you and Kara are also working 25 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: together on Project C, so you have a third meeting 26 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: with her. You are spending a lot of time with Kara. 27 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: That is not a bad thing. But as I point 28 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: out in my forthcoming book, Tranquility by Tuesday, if you 29 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: plan your life in weeks, you will see this more clearly. 30 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: As you survey your landscape for the upcoming you will 31 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: see that you have multiple meetings with the same people. 32 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: Recognizing that you have more than one meeting with the 33 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: same people creates an opportunity to consolidate these get togethers. 34 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: You can do a double header most of the time. 35 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: If you consolidate meetings, you won't need the full amount 36 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: of time you scheduled for the two individual meetings. Say 37 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: you have two hour long meetings with Bob and Kara, 38 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: one about Project DAY and one about Project B. You 39 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: will probably be able to conduct the business of both 40 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: those meetings in an hour and a half. At most, 41 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: it will be an hour and forty five minutes. It's 42 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: pretty easy to see why every single meeting exacts transaction costs. 43 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: There is often time spent waiting for late comers. There 44 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: is the time spent getting organized and chit chatting. In 45 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: a consolidated meeting, all of this happens once, not twice 46 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: or more. You may need less time for wrap up 47 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: at the end of the meeting too, since you aren't 48 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: actually parting at the end of the first chunk of material, 49 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: you are plowing right into the second matter. What's more, 50 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: meetings tend to expand or contract to fill the available time, 51 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: so if you have an hour and a half budgeted 52 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: for this double header, you will probably make it work. 53 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: So by consolidating the two meetings, you end up saving 54 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: fifteen to thirty minutes. Even better, you save yourself the 55 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: individual transaction costs of stopping other work and then restarting 56 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: it afterwards. Your schedule will be less chopped up, so 57 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: you will have more time available for what productivity expert 58 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: cal Newport calls deep work. Now, as you study your schedule, 59 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: you may find that some of the meetings you can 60 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: consolidate are recurring meetings. That means that the few minutes 61 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: it takes to adjust your schedules and find a consolidated 62 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: meeting time. Once we'll pay off in less total time 63 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: and meetings every single week. That is a definite win. 64 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: So if we envision our scenario with Bob and Kara, 65 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: you could picture that the three of you do a 66 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 1: double header on project day and Project B. Then you 67 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,559 Speaker 1: say goodbye to Bob and you and Kara stick around 68 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: to chat about Project C. Even more efficiencies are achieved. 69 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: One easy entry point to this scheduling concept is to 70 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: do a double header after any all staff or all 71 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: department meetings that you may be required to attend. If 72 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: you need to do a weekly meeting with Mary, and 73 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: you and Mary are both at the department meeting, you 74 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: can stack the meeting with Mary right after it ends. 75 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: That way, if the meeting ends early, you and Mary 76 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: can start early rather than kicking around for ten minutes 77 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: looking for something else small to do. Or if the 78 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: meeting runs late, neither of you will be inconvenienced waiting 79 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: for the other. Now, to be clear, double headers are 80 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: about rescheduling existing meetings. I am not suggesting setting up 81 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: new meetings. In general, most people need to be in 82 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: far fewer meetings than they are currently in. I suggest 83 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,239 Speaker 1: taking a good look at whether all your recurring meetings 84 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: actually need to happen. But if they do, a double 85 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: header can save some time. It may require a little 86 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: work to figure out the logistics, but you know this 87 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 1: isn't rocket science. If a different person is leading project A, 88 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: then is leading Project B. Just switch who is leading 89 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 1: the meeting in the middle. Agree to the agenda in 90 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: advance so everything is adequately covered. But hopefully you are 91 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: doing that already with your meetings. If necessary, you could 92 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: switch which project comes first week to week in case 93 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 1: there is any concern about people feeling fresh or trying 94 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: to rush through things. But given the benefits, I think 95 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: it is worth a little trial and error to make 96 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: it work. If you try a double header meeting, I 97 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: would love to hear how it goes. You can reach 98 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, 99 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making 100 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to 101 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 102 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 103 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 1: and Instagram at before Breakfast Pod that's b E the 104 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: number four. Then Breakfast Pod You can also shoot me 105 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: an email at before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com 106 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters, 107 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch. 108 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 109 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 110 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.