1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,519 Speaker 1: Are you tired of spending too much time composing emails 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: or writing reports from scratch? Do you wish you had 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: more time to focus on the core of your work 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: rather than the administrative minutia. In today's quick Win episode, 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: Wharton professor Katie Milkman shares her favorite time saving hack, 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:30,479 Speaker 1: the template. My name is doctor amanthe Imbach. I'm an 7 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: organizational psychologist and the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, 8 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: and this is how I work a show about how 9 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: to help you do your best work. On today's quick 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: Win episode, we go back to an interview from the 11 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: past and I pick out a quick win that you 12 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: can apply today. In today's show, I speak with Katie 13 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: Milkman about her favorite time saving hack. 14 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: My favorite time saving hack is that for anything possible, 15 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 2: I start from a template, whether it's an email to 16 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: a student interested in getting involved with my research, or 17 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 2: a referee report for a journal, which is an important 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 2: part of the academic publishing process. I spend a lot 19 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 2: of time reviewing other people's manuscripts or manuscript i'm writing myself. 20 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 2: I really try to have a model and make as 21 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 2: much of the world a mad lib as possible. And 22 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 2: it saves tons of time. 23 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: So give me some examples of maybe some of the 24 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: more unusual things that you've got templates for that would 25 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: surprise people. 26 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 2: Oh gosh, well, I do have literally templates for every 27 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 2: kind of email you could imagine, responding to everything from 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 2: an invitation to deliver a talk at a conference, to 29 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: a student who wants to work with me, to someone 30 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 2: who's interested in consulting, or a podcast appearance. I have 31 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: template emails to say both yes and no that, so 32 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 2: that I can go straight to those. There are a 33 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 2: lot of things I don't have templates for, but that 34 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: before I would ever start writing, I would find a 35 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 2: template for. So, for example, if I'm going to write 36 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: an op ed in a newspaper, I don't necessarily have 37 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 2: one on hand, but I would never begin writing without 38 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 2: going and finding three examples and basically backwards diagramming what's 39 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: their structure? You know, what are the first two paragraphs? 40 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 2: Is it a story that it opens with a quote? 41 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 2: Does it get right to the point of the research 42 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 2: that's trying to present. I find examples and then I 43 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 2: turn them into templates so that I understand the exact 44 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 2: structure I'm writing with it so I do this for 45 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: everything written, and then I actually think you can use 46 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 2: templates not only with writing, but with goal pursued, and 47 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: so that might be a more unusual example. In fact, 48 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 2: I have a paper with Angela Duckworth and Katie Mahyer 49 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 2: on this topic where we looked at whether or not 50 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 2: people recognize that when they have a goal and they 51 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 2: have friends or acquaintances who have the same goal, it 52 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 2: can really save time and improve outcomes if your first 53 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: step is to try to emulate something that's working for 54 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 2: someone else and try to actually go in investigate. Ask 55 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:02,679 Speaker 2: your friend, you know, I noticed that you got in 56 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 2: shape last month, which is something I've been wanting to do. 57 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 2: Could you explain what you did that made that work 58 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 2: for you? Or you know, I noticed that you figured 59 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: out how to find the job of your dreams and publishing, 60 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 2: and I've always wanted to do that. What were the 61 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 2: steps you took? Could you break them down for me? 62 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 2: So essentially everything in life there is a template because 63 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 2: others have succeeded at doing it before you. And rather 64 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 2: than trying to reinvent the wheel, I think we should 65 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: spend a lot more time trying to figure out what's 66 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 2: the mad lib we can fit ourselves into so that 67 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 2: the you know, which isn't say you don't want to 68 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 2: be creative and lots of parts of life, but you 69 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: don't want to create a necessary work for yourself. And 70 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: whenever there is something that you can use as a model, 71 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 2: that's always the right place to start. 72 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: What's the trick of you in thinking, ah, I need 73 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: a new template here? 74 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 2: Well, that's an interesting question. I think, you know again, 75 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: anything that's written, it's really straightforward. And if I've seen, 76 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: for instance, an ask coming through or a question that 77 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 2: I'm getting multiple times, I'll give you an example. Today, 78 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 2: I got an email from one of my research assistants, 79 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 2: and I run a big research group, and she is 80 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 2: about to talk to a professor who is at a 81 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: PhD program where she's planning to apply. And he said, 82 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 2: you know, let's set up a time to talk. And 83 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 2: she wrote me and she said, could you help me 84 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 2: think about how to prepare for this meeting. It's sort 85 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 2: of like an interview, but it's informal. And I realized, oh, 86 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 2: I got an email just like this year ago from 87 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 2: another research assistant who was going into a conversation an 88 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 2: informal conversation with a faculty member at a university where 89 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 2: he hoped he would end up as a PhD student. 90 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 2: I should have a template for this. I should have 91 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 2: a set of advice that I always offer when someone 92 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: is in the situation. So it's really about pattern recognition. 93 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 2: That's one thing, Like something that comes up repeatedly. I 94 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 2: don't want to have to think through and give the 95 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 2: same advice to multiple people, which is ps part of 96 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 2: why I wrote a book because I realized, Oh, lots 97 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 2: of people are asking me, lots of companies and individuals. 98 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 2: You know, you have all this wisdom about how to 99 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,799 Speaker 2: change from your research. Could you come give us advice 100 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: or consult us on this? And I thought, enough people 101 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 2: are scared, just write it all down and then I 102 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 2: handle my book instead of having to have, you know, 103 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 2: two hundred conversations with all these people. So I think 104 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 2: anytime something comes up repeatedly, or something is going to 105 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 2: be big and new, you want to think about whether 106 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,919 Speaker 2: there's a template you can use to break down the big, 107 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 2: scary new thing, or whether there's a template you can 108 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 2: use so that the question that's coming up repeatedly you 109 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 2: only spend time on it once and then you save 110 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 2: time in the future. 111 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: If you're looking for more tips to improve the way 112 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 1: that you work, I write a short fortnightly newsletter that 113 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: contains three cool things that I've discovered that helped me 114 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: work better, ranging from software and gadgets that I'm loving 115 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: three to interesting research findings. You can sign up for 116 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 1: that at how I Work dot code That's how I 117 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 1: Work dot c. Thank you for sharing part of your 118 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: day with me by listening to How I Work. If 119 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: you're keen for more tips on how to work better, 120 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: connect with me via LinkedIn or Instagram. I'm very easy 121 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: to find. Just search for Amantha Imba. How I Work 122 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: was recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, 123 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: part of the kool And Nation. I am so grateful 124 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: for being able to work and live on this beautiful land, 125 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: and I want to pay my respects to elders, past, 126 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: present and emerging. How I Work is produced by Inventium 127 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: with production support from Dead Set Studios. And thank you 128 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: to Martin Nimba who did the audio mix and makes 129 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: everything sound better than it would have otherwise.