1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: In a world where time is our most precious resource, 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: how do we set boundaries and maximize productivity? Laura may 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: Martin is Google's executive productivity advisor, and she has thought 4 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: about this question a lot, both for herself and the 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: leaders at Google who she coaches. So what is Laura's 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: trick to not only setting boundaries but communicating them to 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: everyone you work with? Welcome to How I Work, a 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: show about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. 9 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imber. On today's quick Win episode, 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: we go back to an interview from the past and 11 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: I pick out a quick win that you can apply today. 12 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: In today's show, I speak with Laura may Martin about 13 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: setting boundaries. I was about setting boundaries, and in your 14 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: book Uptime, you also talk about downtime. How do you 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: set boundaries for yourself? Giving you as someone that loves 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: what you do, your passion comes across so clearly, but 17 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: also you've got a family their priority. How do you 18 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: think about boundaries? 19 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: I think the first piece of it is actually like 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 2: setting them. And so when I work with an exec 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 2: I say, like, what are some of your working boundaries? 22 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 2: And a lot of times I can tell how it's going. 23 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 2: If they have no answer to that, it means they 24 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 2: haven't really sat down and said I do this, I 25 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 2: don't do this, And I think that that's a piece 26 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 2: that you really have to define. Google has a lot 27 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 2: of cool things built into our culture where it's like 28 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 2: I can communicate those, whether it's in my signature or 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 2: in a user manual about me and working with me. 30 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 2: But I think that actually saying in my head like 31 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 2: I do not email on the weekends and I don't 32 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: check email on the weekends, Like saying that is actually 33 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: really powerful because it even keeps me accountable, you know, 34 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 2: for saying that that's something I do. I tell people that, 35 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: and then I know that they're not going to expect 36 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: an email from me because I've communicated that I do that. 37 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 2: I think it's finding these routines, so even like putting 38 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 2: my phone away before meals and things like that so 39 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: I'm not tempted to check or work while I'm with 40 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: my family. So you know, it's easy to say, oh, 41 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 2: I don't do this, but then send emails on the weekend, 42 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: and it's like, no, you have to really keep that. 43 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: Like eighty twenty if it's a boundary that you've set. 44 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 2: You want to really keep that up to see the 45 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: benefits of it, because if you're it's just words, you're 46 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 2: not going to see the value. 47 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,519 Speaker 1: I like the idea of putting your boundary in your 48 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: email signature. Can you tell me what that looks like 49 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: for you? How do you communicate boundaries? And what are 50 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: some of the examples that you've seen with fellow Googles 51 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: in terms of how they're communicating boundaries in the email signature. 52 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 2: Yes, a lot of our executives have like a user manual. 53 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: They call it like how to work with Me doc, 54 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 2: and so that's the bigger way of saying, here's how 55 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 2: to work with me. So I have one of those 56 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: that basically says, these are the things that I prefer 57 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 2: send me an email before adding time to my calendar, 58 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 2: because I prefer to communicate their first. During the workday, 59 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 2: I'm usually in meetings or focused intentional, so please don't 60 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 2: chat me unless it's something that has to do in 61 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 2: the next thirty minutes or so. I don't check email 62 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 2: on the weekends. I do check email from seven am 63 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: to six pm or whatever that is. Or I do 64 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 2: check email Monday through Friday. Just communicating, even like a 65 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: preference like boundaries, like an aggressive word, I think, but 66 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 2: even a preference like I prefer to be emailed versus chat. 67 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 2: I think I've seen that in people's signatures and it 68 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 2: just kind of gives you that, oh, okay, like I 69 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 2: didn't know that about them, you know, or some people, 70 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 2: some executives are like, just sign up for my office 71 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: hours and don't put another email in my inbox, Like 72 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: that's what those are for. So I've seen execs with 73 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 2: that and they link to the office hours and it's 74 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: like there, I was going to send them another email, 75 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: but now I know, oh that I'll just schedule this slot. 76 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 2: A lot of it's just communicating. It's just gently guiding 77 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 2: people to work with you the way that you want 78 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 2: to work, and it can be powerful, whether it's just 79 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: one line under your name. 80 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: Now, A lot of your time at Google is spent 81 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: coaching executives, and I feel like a lot of people 82 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: would imagine senior executive Google just being a master of 83 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: their time and productivity. But I imagine, you know, maybe 84 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: that's not the case. And I would love to know 85 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: what are the biggest challenges that you observe these late 86 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: as having in terms of how they're thinking about and 87 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: using their time. 88 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I get that question a lot, like what are 89 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 2: execs dealing with? They have total control of their time, 90 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 2: you know, thinking that they have maybe an administrative professional 91 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: working with them. Isn't it easier? And it's kind of 92 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 2: funny because you know, no matter what your level is, 93 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 2: if you're entering the workplace or you're a very senior 94 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 2: exec with a global team of a lot of the 95 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 2: issues are the same. But figuring out the time management piece, 96 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,840 Speaker 2: the energy management piece. One of the cool things about 97 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 2: my job is that a lot of these execs are 98 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: productive and it's like maybe they've totally mastered one piece 99 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 2: of it and I'm learning from them and then I'm 100 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: able to share those practices as I go to different 101 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 2: coaching sessions and so that's really cool, And especially I 102 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 2: talk in the book about one executive that that really 103 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 2: mastered urgent. You know, he had a lot of urgent 104 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 2: coming up. He figured out how to have a slot 105 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 2: every day for urgent. His whole team knew that slot. 106 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 2: When something urgent comes up, they all clear their calendars 107 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 2: knowing that's when he's going to meet with him like 108 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 2: things like that. 109 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed today's Quick Win episode. If you 110 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: would like to hear the full chat with Laura, you 111 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: can find a link to that in the show notes. 112 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: If you're looking for more tips to improve the way 113 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: you work, can Live. I write a short weekly newsletter 114 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: that contains tactics I've discovered that have helped me personally. 115 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: You can sign up for that at Amantha dot com. 116 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: That's Amantha dot com. If you like today's show, make 117 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: sure you hit follow on your podcast app to be 118 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: alerted when new episodes drop. How I Work was recorded 119 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part of 120 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: the Cooler Nation. A big thank you to my editor 121 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,479 Speaker 1: Rowena Murray and Martinimmer for doing the sound mix.