1 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to How I Work, a show about the tactics 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: used by leading innovators to get so much out of 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: their day. I'm your host, Doctor, I'm at the INBA. 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: I'm an organizational psychologist, the CEO of Inventium, and I'm 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: obsessed with finding ways to optimize my work date. Today's 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: show is another episode in the series of what I'm 7 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: calling My Favorite Tip. So the title is pretty self 8 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: explanatory if you've never listened to one of these episodes before. 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: It's essentially about what was my favorite tip from each 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: interview I conduct. So the reason I do this format 11 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: is because I sometimes feel like myself as a podcast listener, 12 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: particularly with interview podcasts, I just want to get in, 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 1: extract the most value as possible, and then get out. 14 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: So in this format, I'm trying to do just that. 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 1: So I'm basically going through past episodes of How I 16 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: Work and dicking up my favorite tip from each episode. Now, 17 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: Today's guest is Adam Grant. Adam is an organizational psychology 18 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: just best selling author and Wharton's highest rated professor. His 19 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,279 Speaker 1: books Give and Take Originals and Option B have sold 20 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: over one million copies and have been translated into thirty 21 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: five languages. Adam's been recognized as one of the world's 22 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: ten most influential management thinkers, and also happens to be 23 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Work Life, 24 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: which is a TED original podcast. I feel like Adam 25 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: is a walking encyclopedia of psychology findings, and it's fascinating 26 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: to hear about how he applies these findings in his 27 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: own life to be more productive. So the favorite tip 28 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 1: I got from this interview, and I must say it 29 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: was pretty hard to select this, as I thought there 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: was so much gold in my chat with Adam came 31 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: when I asked him about his favorite research study into productivity. 32 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 2: Oh, that is cruel and unusual punishment. I don't know 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 2: that I can choose a favorite, but I'll tell you 34 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 2: actually the most interesting one that I read this week. 35 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 2: When I was procrastinating on some rating, I read this 36 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 2: study out of Ohio State University, which really bothered me 37 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,399 Speaker 2: because the arrival of my Michigan Wolverines, but I'll try 38 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: to get over that. And it was actually a series 39 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: of I think eight studies which showed that when you 40 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 2: have a meeting coming up in an hour or two, 41 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 2: you use the time in between much less productively. And 42 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 2: so in one of their studies, when people knew they 43 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 2: had a meeting on their calendar, they use the time 44 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 2: between now and then to get twenty two percent less 45 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: work done than they would have if they had taken 46 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 2: that off their calendar. Wow, and you know that it's 47 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 2: obviously a mistake, right, we waste a lot of time. 48 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 2: You're just saying, well, there's no point in starting that 49 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 2: because I have a meeting in six hours. How could 50 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 2: I ever make any progress between now and then? And 51 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: I think you know, one takeaway from me on that 52 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 2: is it's reinforcement for something I've done for a long time, 53 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 2: which is stacking meetings more or less back to back 54 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 2: on a meeting day. So you know, on a teaching day, 55 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 2: what I'll do is I'll hold all my office hours 56 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 2: back to back. And I learned that I needed a 57 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 2: little buffer so that, you know, maybe five minutes between 58 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 2: each meeting just to catch up on email or in 59 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 2: case a meeting round long helped. But then I'd have 60 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 2: another day with no meetings at all, where I could 61 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 2: really focus and be productive. And this research just kind 62 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: of reinforced that for me. 63 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: Hello, there, it's Amantha here again. Now, how crazy is 64 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: that research? Twenty two percent less work done when we 65 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: have a meeting in the diary ahead of us. I 66 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: think that this is such a compelling argument to really 67 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: think seriously about batching meetings. And I know for me, 68 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: I've kind of got about a three hour window every 69 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: day that is dedicated for any meetings that I need 70 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: to do, and sometimes I'll use those three hours and 71 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: sometimes I won't have any meetings in a given day, 72 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: but I find that for me, it makes me so 73 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: much more productive as opposed to scattering meetings all over 74 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: the place. So that is it for today's episode. If 75 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: you found it useful, if you are looking to find 76 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: a way to have less meetings or more efficient meetings 77 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: in your life, I hope that you can apply what 78 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: you've learned today. And if you know of someone who's 79 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: constantly complaining about meetings and maybe could benefit from this 80 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: really interesting tip, please share the episode with them. And 81 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: as always, if you've got to spare five or ten seconds, 82 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: I would love it if you could leave a review 83 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: for the podcast wherever you listen to this podcast. I 84 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,559 Speaker 1: love reading reviews from listeners and getting feedback. Just brings 85 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: a huge smile to my face, so thank you if 86 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: you feel inclined to do that. So that's it for 87 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: today and I will see you next time.