by virtualworks | Oct 23, 2022 | Transcript
Productivity Hacks! – Podcast Transcript
Barbara: Hi, I’m Barbara Best and this is Humans Working Remotely, a podcast where I’ll show you how to meet the expanding needs of your organization by utilizing alternative solutions for operational staffing. Through expert insight and meaningful conversations with business professionals, we’ll talk about common challenges and proven strategies that will provide you with more time to focus on your organization’s mission, relationship building and other high value growth activities.
Did you know being highly productive is not an innate talent. It’s simply a matter of organizing your life so that you can efficiently get things done at the right time based on how you process information. Everyone’s different. So Kerri, remember those SMART goals that we learned before the turn of the century?
Kerri: Oh, goodness, yes. Doesn’t everybody?
Barbara: They’ve been around a long time, and they have ad nauseum.
Kerri: Oh, my god because they’re so old, they get used and kind of ignored, I think. So, it’s great that you’ve mentioned them with the smart, measurable, attainable, relevant time bound. However, there is way more that we can apply to make us more productive, right?
Barbara: Yeah, absolutely. And first and foremost in my mind, is breaking down those goals, those huge goals, into smaller pieces.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Right? Otherwise, you’re going to lose your mind because you’ll be so overwhelmed. There’s this great big goal in front of you, and it could comprise of a lot of different components and pieces. And it’s so overwhelming sometimes, that you won’t do it, you just won’t.
Kerri: No, exactly.
Barbara: Yeah. So, the best thing is to break those down into little pieces that have significance for you.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: Not me, not anybody else. For you.
Kerri: Exactly.
Barbara: Yep. And further to that, breaking those down into little pieces to sort of, I don’t know, coincide with your schedule, you can break it down into, say, half hour time slots on your schedule. Different pieces to do at different times in a logical sequence. And then by the end of the week, you got her done?
Kerri: Well, yes. And I think that one of the key pieces, like you mentioned, is making tiny baby steps. Because if you look at stuff, a lot of times, too, that’s one of the strategies that I’ve done. If I set a big goal, and I don’t achieve it, I have to look at it and go, “okay, why didn’t I?” A lot of times, it’s because I put the goal down as a big thing to do, and I didn’t allow the proper amount of time. But if I’m able to take the overarching, this is what I need to get accomplished, and then I can break it down into manageable pieces, then I can say, “Okay, I’m going to get this and this and this done this morning,” and then I can move. Even if I did that five days in a row, and I’ve got that five chunks, I’ve got a huge amount done by the end of the week. But if I set up to get that huge amount done without looking at it at five chunks, it’s like, well, how am I going to do that in a day, and get anything else done?
Barbara: That’s right.
Kerri: Right? So, having that to make it so that you can never make it to be digestible. Plus, if it’s littler, you’re not going to get as “Oh my God, I don’t want to do this”. Which everybody does, right? Everybody gets to that point? It’s like,” Oh, I just don’t want to do this”.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: That’s right. And creating systems for those little pieces, for each little piece that you’ve come up with that comprises that goal, for each little piece, create a little system, yes, to help you work through that task. And it helps for me anyway, it helps to work backwards. So, say you’ve got a task in front of you, and then you think, “Okay, I’m going to allow half an hour for that task”. And then I think, “just stop and think for a second, what do I need to get that task done?” Do I have the resources I need? Do I have the software? Do I have the capability, the interest? And that way, you’re prepared ahead of time. And you’re pre-rewarding yourself, or you’re setting yourself up for success ahead of time. Even if it’s only a half hour little task, thinking it through ahead of time, will set you up for success and actually get it done.
Kerri: Oh, that Yeah, that makes total sense. Actually, I’ve never tried that. But I would imagine doing it that way, because of the way you just described it. You’re automatically seeing the end result completed.
Barbara: Yep. Yeah. Oh, Stephen Covey, who has that famous phrase “begin with the end in mind”.
Kerri: Okay, yes. That was way back in the 90s probably. But it’s good advice. If you can see your end goal, work backwards. Yes, you can with the end in mind. It’s really helped me out a lot. And the other thing that helps me because I’m a linear thinker, who’s very logical, I have to have my space organized as well.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: For me here in the home office, I have everything. All my files, folders, collateral material, it’s all behind me. The only thing that’s in front of me is my monitor. Not everyone works that way. Some people thrive with having papers everywhere. And they know where everything is and all that. I’m not like that, I put everything behind where I’m sitting. And then I focus on one thing at a time, whatever’s in front of me on my monitor, and on my blotter if I happen to be working in paper, that’s the only thing I work on.
Kerri: And then you just put stuff in front of you that you’re working on. Then you put it back where it was.
Barbara: Yes, everything like that. To me, it’s just noise. I can’t cope with paper all over my desk. I can’t handle it. So you know, like, everybody’s different, though.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And you have to find what your comfort environment is. what helps you be productive?
Kerri: Sure. True enough.
Barbara: Yes, everybody’s different.
Kerri: Yes. Well, and when you mentioned the systems, which includes your organized space, I’m guessing for people who haven’t tried those methods, once you start doing it a little bit, every once in a while, it will become a habit that will make it easier.
Barbara: Yes, it will in the long term. So like, I thought that of course, you have to adjust, you know, some days, maybe you’re having a bad day, or you’re not in the right frame of mind to do something every day. Just adjust and don’t beat yourself up about it. If it’s not working for you, just do the best you can and then start again tomorrow.
Kerri: Yes, good idea. Good idea.
Barbara: Yes. The other thing I do too is, I schedule my workday way ahead. In fact, I can make a more global statement. I preview my week, my work week ahead of the week, I do that on Sunday afternoons, always have. So, I have my work diary for operations. And I have my Outlook calendar for client facing work. And Sunday afternoon, I take a couple of hours and I just review everything. I think through my week. Think through my deadlines. Think through my people in my team. And it may sound like a lot, but actually it’s not. Because once you are in your groove, you’ve got your systems in place and it really becomes automatic. And you’re just thinking it through and you’re making notes, and I print off my hardcopy calendar, stick it on the fridge, so when I’m not in the office, and I go down for a cup of tea. My calendar is there. I can see “Oh yeah, I’ve got a call with Kerry at 3:30 today”. You know, that kind of thing?
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: So yes, I know it’s a piece of paper, but I always print on both sides of a piece of paper anyway. And I recycle it or shred it. All right. So it’s okay.
Kerri: Yes, and that makes a lot of sense.
Barbara: So, Kerri, so what do you do for that? Do you review your calendar ahead of time? Or how does that work for you?
Kerri: I do, I well, and I set reminders. So, most of the time, if I’m not at my computer, I’m out with clients, or working on clients specific stuff, which means everything shuts down. So, I have reminders that will come up on my phone, and on my calendar on my computer, and it will remind me of stuff that’s coming in. I’ll do like a few days in advance. But I do like to look at my whole week.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: The challenge that I have found, and this goes to organizing the goals as well, if I have a day where things get away from me like we were talking earlier about how it happens.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: Yes. And I have a tendency, I had a tendency, because I don’t now, I had a tendency to get mad at myself. It’s like, “Oh, I didn’t get it done”. And I remember somebody saying to me about looking forward. And sometimes the horizon that you’re aiming for is so far away, that it’s like you haven’t gone anywhere. And the trick to make sure that that doesn’t confuse you and push you down, is to turn around and look at where you’ve been. So, one of the things that I do on days that get away from me, and I might have that feeling of like, “Oh, I didn’t get things done”. It’s like “Oh, no, wait a minute. Okay. What did I do?”. So, then I end up with a I did list as opposed to a to-do list.
Barbara: Yes. So that’s a great idea.
Kerri: Well, it’s just a matter of going back, like even if it’s a matter of looking at your browser history, to remind you of all the things that you’ve done, right? I researched this. I did this, I did that. But a lot of times when days like that come, you’re just so overwhelmed by the end of the day, and you’re feeling like the things that were on your list didn’t get done. Right, when they’re not coming. If you’ve got client facing stuff, yes, they get taken care of. But then there’s the productivity and the operations and the new stuff. You know, the administrivia takes sometimes, way too much time. Yeah, if I can go back and look at what I did do and make a list of what I have got accomplished. Then I don’t get caught up in that “Oh, I didn’t get my to do list done right”. Because otherwise it’s just standing there. It’s just sitting there waiting and taunting me “Oh, you didn’t do this. We didn’t do this”. No, I didn’t but I did this and this and this and this. Right. So I find that for me, I find that really, really helpful because otherwise you just get caught up in that you know.
Barbara: Oh yes.
Kerri: Absolutely.
Barbara: And it happens quite often when your day slides out from under you. That’s a great idea to focus on what you did get done.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And, you know, you can adjust. One of my last dogs, Archie, he was a wonderful guy. I swear to god he wore a watch. Because he would come and get me at my desk, 7:30, 11:30, 4:30 every day. He would be sitting at my desk staring at me with that look like, “Okay, it’s time. Come on. Let’s go.” And I remember one particular day I was on a deadline, I was rushing to get something done, and he’s sitting beside me, you know, just to the bottom right of my keyboard. And he’s looking at me with those eyes.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And I had to get this deadline done. And I’m looking at him and I typing. And I’m looking at him and I’m typing. And I thought, “oh, that’s what you’re teaching me. Nothing’s that urgent that we can’t go outside for a walk for half an hour”.
Kerri: Oh, wow.
Barbara: And that’s exactly what we did. So, from that day forward, yes we have deadlines. You know, we try and plan as much as we can, but sometimes our days fly right out from under us.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Even still, you know, go outside for half an hour. It’s not that urgent. It’s going to be there when you get back.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: You’ll probably hit your deadline anyway. You know, like, give yourself a break. He was a wonderful dog. He taught me a lot. I’m sorry, you were going to say?
Kerri: No, no, I was just going to say that when there’s a deadline, I’m so bad at this. I get that in my head, “I have to get this done”, and I won’t get up. But I know having the dog there, somebody saying “Come on, move”. Yes. It’s not too stressed to get it. You know, you’re never too busy to just take time to go for a walk. But the other thing is, after that break to go out, I remember my mentor took me out one day, we went for lunch. And we just relaxed. I mean, it was like we were drinking, and socializing, and we weren’t, I was drinking water and talking. And it was like three hours, we just sat. And because he knew that I would come in, and other than getting up to go make coffee or to make my lunch, I would eat my lunch in front of my computer. And just because I was just so excited about everything I was doing. And his whole thing was to try and convey to me and he showed me that day that we had that lunch, how your perspective changes, just from getting up, just going away. Right? So, when you say about Archie wanting to go for a walk and taking that time to take him for a walk, immediately your perspective changes.
Barbara: Which means coming back with a brand new, refreshed “Ah, now I can go into this”. And then you say, you’re still going to meet your deadline. But you’re not going to have that “I’ve got to get this done.”
Kerri: Yes, that’s right.
Barbara: Right? So that’s right. Absolutely. Yes, well, Arch, he passed away five years ago in June now, right. And I remember those fourteen months between dogs. All I did was work. Like what you just said, all I did was work.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: I didn’t go out for a walk three times a day. And the only breaks I had was I’d get some lunch, or go down for a cup of tea, and then I’d go back to work.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: It was terrible. But now our new dog Wolfie, he doesn’t wear a watch, but he does get me out for walks three times a day. And it really does make a difference in your mindset.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And your productivity.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Even if it’s half an hour or fifteen minutes even? Go out and get some fresh air, do something, go somewhere, go to a park. And it’s amazing what it does for your productivity.
Kerri: Yes, I agree.
Barbara: Fabulous.
Kerri: Very much so. So, what other ideas do you have? So, let’s say we’ve got all these plans, and we follow all these ideas that we’ve just talked about? What else can we do to stay there, to maintain for ourselves and moving forward into “Okay, I’ve got this laid out”, like looking at your week and having all these plans. What else can we do?
Barbara: Well, one thing I do, I have a morning ritual.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: And I’ve developed this over many, many years, and I have figured out what works for me.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: And that morning ritual, for the most part, takes from about 6:00 a.m. to about 8:30 or so.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: Every day.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: And that involves in that timeframe, of course I take my dog for a walk, that’s a given, a pot of green tea, but I also do three other things. I do some learning of some sort. Whether that’s reading, or doing brain games, or crossword puzzles, Sudoku, whatever it is.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: I spend a significant time on physical fitness. So, I’ll go cycling, I’ll do elliptical, I’ll lift weights. Whatever it happens to be.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: And the third thing is mental work, or mindfulness work, where I journal, or I write something that’s meaningful for me. Even if I make a list of five things I’m grateful for this morning. It really makes a difference. And so, all of those things accumulate to set me up for the day. So that gets me off on the right foot. And then I, you know, personal care or whatever. I’m usually at my desk at nine o’clock or more or less, with a pot of green tea in front of me, and I’m ready to go.
Kerri: I love that idea.
Barbara: But there again Kerri, everybody’s different. You may despise exercise, you may not like Sudoko. You know, you have to find what works for you. Some people aren’t morning people.
Kerri: No, that’s true.
Barbara: It’s that everybody’s different. But I think maybe if you’re mindful about maybe discovering something new to do that might change your mental state before you go to work. It could be as simple as, in these days of remote working everywhere, maybe it’s a matter of getting into your head, that you’re going to get dressed, show up and get ready. What’s that phrase? Get up, dress up, show up for work.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: So, if you’re in a corporate job, maybe it’s a matter of changing your mindset that yes, even though I’m working from home, I’m going to do my personal care, I’m going to put on a suit and a tie, or my usual office clothes, a dress and a blazer, whatever it is.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: My face is on. I’ve got it all going on. And I’m going to sit there in my home office or workspace, and just go through a regular work day.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Because for me, if you get up, dress up and show up, that again changes your mindset. So, it is a productivity mindset as well.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Because that’s what you’re used to doing to go to the office, you’re dressing for office attire, do the same thing at home?
Kerri: Well, and that makes that makes a lot of sense. It’s maintaining for people who have worked in an office as opposed to the people who have always, or for many years like you, have worked remotely. Just having a consistent, like you say just a consistent ritual, whatever it is, if it is going to an office, have the same ritual at home. Even if it’s not the same as what yours is, of course, and it doesn’t have to be because it’s not anybody’s but yours. But just having that pattern, having that rhythm that you’re already creating, that’s setting the groove up so that you can just keep going and going and going. And again, it’s going to be like the things that we talked about, where you set a system in place, and then you do it often enough, and it becomes a habit. That will be the same thing with this. Right? And that, I think, are such good ideas to have them regimented. It sounds regimented, initially to me, it sounds regimented like “Oh, my goodness, that’s just so much, just to try and organize that”. And yet, it also sounds very logical, because it’s setting up your day to be productive from the start. Because you’re getting yourself right in that same headspace.
Barbara: The other thing I do Kerri, is I set boundaries for meetings.
Kerri: Oh.
Barbara: It may sound harsh, but I’m not available for meetings from Monday to Friday 9:30 to 4:00. I’m just not. I have blocks Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: That’s when you can have a meeting with me. You have to, you’ll end up getting pulled in so many directions, by so many people, who take up your time, probably more time than they actually think they need to spend with you.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: So I use Calendly. And I send a link with a predetermined time slot, like an hour or thirty minutes, or it’s by phone, or it’s by zoom. And I send that link in an email. I say “Here, you click on that. It’ll give you my availability for the type of meeting that we’re going to have. My availability Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons”. Just, you know, pick one. And it sends a message of “Yes, I have boundaries. You are important, but we have to meet only during these times”.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And it stops me from being pulled in 100 different directions.
Kerri: And having to say no.
Barbara: Yes, exactly. And the other thing, too is that it gives people a chance to prepare ahead of time.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: That if they pick next Thursday at five, that means they’ll have a week to prepare what they want to meet me about.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: So, it probably will reduce my meeting time anyway. And it’s just, a great productivity hack. I think it is anyway. There’s loads of online calendar systems out there that are all pretty much the same. I really like Calendly, though, and it just saves so much time, even emailing back and forth
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: You know, when you’ve got “Oh, I’ve made available these dates. And these times, what works for you” comes back, I have this date, but not this day, and on and on. So, it’s easier just to set it up in Calendly ahead of time. And in that program, you can set your parameters, and design how many event types and put in links, you can do all kinds of stuff, and then just send that link by email once. And it also sends reminders to the people ahead of time. It’s fabulous. So that saves me a lot of time and energy as well.
Kerri: That sounds really, really effective.
Barbara: Yes, it is.
Kerri: Well, and I think the fact that you have already developed this, I don’t know for me, I don’t know about other people, but I never thought about having it especially just for meetings, if somebody says are you available? And I will try and accommodate them, and put my other stuff, other than Mondays, normally I do not have any calls or anything on Mondays, because that’s my prep for the week. And I take that day and get everything ready. And just especially Monday mornings. I can sometimes manage Monday afternoons, but I don’t like to. But I never thought of just saying no. I really never did. I never thought it would have been that simple. And I love how you just framed it in that. Yeah, that’s marvelous. I love that idea.
Barbara: It’s that’s simple.
Kerri: It is, as you say, it saves all kinds of time. And it saves you having to, you know, defend your time and your boundaries, just suck them up. There they are. I think though, it would likely be a challenge for people who have never really thought about when their most productive times are. Right? Especially people who are new to remote work or have had in an an office setting, had somebody else dictate when their meetings were.
Barbara: Yes, that’s true.
Kerri: And they don’t necessarily know what is their best time. So, like you say, some people don’t like mornings, some people love to do first things first thing in the morning. So again, it’s going to depend on what they are. But people have to really pay attention to where their own strengths are and their own mental rhythms.
Barbara: Right.
Kerri: Because that’s going to depend on what’s going to work. But that’s a great idea. I love that.
Barbara: I would say generally people are at their best and do perhaps detail work better in the morning, when they’re fresh, and they haven’t processed that much information.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And then as the day wears on, they’ve processed a lot of information. So, for me anyway, I do tend to do the higher level work, like the long term planning or thirty-thousand foot sort of scheduling tasks kind of thing, that don’t take a lot of brainpower. I tend to do those in the afternoon.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: Because I feel myself getting mentally tired towards the end of the day. But there again, like you say, everybody’s different. We might be talking about night owls who’s most productive time is at ten o’clock at night.
Kerri: Like people with international clients, right?
Barbara: Yes, exactly.
Kerry: Yes, exactly. Yes.
Barbara: The other thing that I do too, and we talked about this last week when we were doing our email segment, is to set up the rules in outlook, so that all my emails shunt to different folders.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Instead of having all emails come into one inbox, which I said last week would drive me nuts, I have set up rules. So, they go into different places. And I review those emails on my schedule, and not on anyone else’s schedule.
Kerri: Yes. Which overall, it does keep the productivity going. Because it’s what works best for us, not other people.
Barbara: Yes, you have to take control. Yeah, absolutely.
Kerri: No question.
Barbara: Yes. What do you do? Do you have any hacks like that, like, what do you do to keep your sanity? I’m day to day.
Kerri: I’m very specific when I’m talking to people. I found that most people are really, really good with breadth. Paying attention to time limits.
Barbara: Right.
Kerri: I know that this is something else that you and I have talked about as well. Just being aware of “I have this schedule. You can have this much time. I have to go.” And some people, I have found, continue to talk, which really bothers me. Because I find it very disrespectful. But I also have got to the point where I will tell them, and if I have to tell them three times, I will say, “Okay, well, I’m gonna have to go now. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye bye”. And I hang up. Right? And I’m not hanging up on them, because I’m telling them I’m hanging up. But my time is precious, and I am not prepared to waste it on people who are not prepared to respect my time.
Barbara: Yes, I agree completely.
Kerri: Yes, and even with you, when you said about setting up your calendar to send to people and say “here’s my windows”, that’s the same type of thing, right? Because you’re saying, “these are my windows”, right? But sometimes you still have to come in and remind them.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: Like little kids, right? “Okay, five more minutes, we’re gonna put away our blocks. Okay, two more minutes”. I have to tell you, if I don’t tell them, they get into this, you know, they get running and get themselves ramped up, and they’re in the middle of talking or something, and it’s like, “Listen, I gotta go, man, I have other things that I have to do”. I’ve just got to go. And I hate shutting people down. So, especially when they’re in the middle of something that they’re really passionate about, and they’re sharing, and they want to share it. And I’m happy that they want to share it with me. But I don’t want them to get shut down in the middle of it. Because really that’s such a disheartening feeling, I know even for me, right? So, if I know I’m dealing with somebody like that, I always like to make sure that I give them the warnings like the little people. You know, “We’re gonna get off the phone in 10 minutes, just so you know”. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay.
Barbara: Yeah, that’s fine.
Kerri: Like, okay, well, “I’m gonna have to go” and then keep talking.
Barbara: Oh, yes.
Kerri: But it’s important to, for me at least, to be able to say, here’s my time limit and I’m very strict with it. And I let people know, I’m strict with it. I think that’s really a powerful message to let people know.
Barbara. Yes, I agree. Yes.`The other thing I do, and this may sound counter-intuitive, because I work from home, is I outsource personal chores. Always have.
Kerri: Oh!
Barbara: Yes. I mean, I remember this. When I started in 2004. When I decided I was going to start a virtual assistant practice, one of the people I met networking, she was a business coach. I said to her, oh, I work from home now. I don’t have to have my housekeeper come in anymore. And she said, “Uh, you don’t want to do that”
Kerri: No, because that’s taken away from your day
Barbara: Why wouldn’t I? And she said, “Well, you’re going to be busy running a company, you won’t have time to do your housework”. And you know, she’s right.
Kerri: Yeah, because if you were out of the office, you wouldn’t be doing it.
Barbara: Exactly. Exactly. And my housekeeper is with me to this day. That was seventeen years ago. And it’s so true. I have other things to do. Doing housework is not on my priority list. Not to mention, I hate doing housework anyway. But it’s not on my priority list anyway. I outsource my dry cleaning, I have people coming to do my yard work, you know, all these different things. And for me, it comes down to a return on investment. What is worth my time to do? Is it worth my time to take three hours out every day to do my housework, not everyday, you know, weekly, to do my housework. Is it worth my time to do the yard work daily, twice a week, whatever it is.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: Or is it worth it for me to do online networking, or make some sales calls or do my marketing material.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: For me, because I run a company, and it just happens to be in my house, I’m like everyone else who has a full time job. It’s just in a different place. So, for me, working on the marketing materials, doing the online networking, social media stuff, it’s more worth my time to do it.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: So, that’s why I outsource the other stuff.
Kerri: That’s a really good idea. I never thought about that.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: And it does make sense. But again, like you said, when you’re at home, people, as well as ourselves don’t always think of that when you’re working. Well, you’re home, you can do it. No, no, no, no, exactly. Okay, so that’s a really good thing to remember. Because it’s so easy to get caught up in the things that need to get done around the house. Especially when you’re here all the time working and seeing it.
Barbara: Yes, and and sometimes you do get lured in, like you think, oh, I’ve just done a load of laundry, and I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I don’t think I’ve ever done laundry during the week.
Kerri: Wow.
Barbara: Well, I do it on the weekend like everybody else to save money because Hydro is cheaper on the weekend.
Kerri: Yes, exactly.
Barbara: So yes. I’ve put my mind in that frame where, when I’m in my office, I’m working.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: I’m not at home. And it took me, anyway, about six months to make that transition in my brain. That it’s two different things. It’s two different mindsets.
Kerri: Right, though.
Barbara: Yes. Anyway, it helps me anyway. It keeps me sane for one thing. And, you know, I’m focused on work when I’m in my office, and when I close the door at the end of the day, walk downstairs and start dinner, that’s when I’m in my personal space.
Kerri: Yes. Now, do you have, for you personally, do you use a to-do list? Or do you simply create space on your calendar to work on, you know, admin or marketing? Or like, how do you do it when it comes to a to-do list, or I did list. Like, do you break it down into little pieces or do you put it in chunks and just give yourself like a certain amount of time?
Barbara: It’s a combination of both. I block off time.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: In the summertime, mostly, I usually have Wednesdays as my admin day, because Wednesday mornings I play golf in the summer, every Wednesday, except for this year because the program was postponed. But anyway, most of the time I play golf Wednesday morning, and then Wednesday afternoon, I do all my admin stuff.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: I block off that time. It’s only really a couple of hours. And then for the rest of the time, I have a combination of to-do lists. I make a blotter every week, I call it a blotter.
Kerri: Okay.
Barbara: And one of the things I do on a Sunday afternoon, is I go through my schedule, and I review upcoming tasks and deadlines. I write my blotter every Sunday. So, it just gives me a handle on what’s coming up.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: And it helps me sort of pace out my week, and what can I expect, and you know, that kind of thing. So, again, everybody’s different. You just really have to find what works for you.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: And some people, I think, would get overwhelmed with all these lists everywhere. I personally am a list person. I’m happy with lists and calendars. I’m good there. And that’s just what works for me. How about you? What do you do?
Kerri: Well, a lot of those times, what I’ll do is, I have a list, but if I’m using my calendar, I’ll block off hours that will say, Okay, this is my admin. And at a glance, I can see my admin is a certain color, right? It’s like when I’m working on clients. My client times are always green, because that’s money, I’m making money.
Barbara: Oh, good one, right.
Kerri: And then I have time that’s business development. So that’s usually blue. And then I have administration and operation. So, go between orange and red, depending. But what I do is, I’ll put my list on the inside. I’ll create an event type thing with a block of time and a color. And then on the notes part of the event, is where I’ll put my list of bullets. Because otherwise, like you said, otherwise, I’m seeing way too many things all at once that can look really overwhelming. And I have a tendency to get myself caught up before I get going. So, I wait until I get into it. When I open the event, it’s like, okay, there’s all the stuff I need to get done. I can move it. If it doesn’t get done that day, I can move it to the next day that I have that I’m working on that. But having the color coding also helps me look at it that if I don’t have enough green, that I don’t have enough sales, enough working appointments or generating money.
Barbara: Right?
Kerri: If I don’t have enough blue, then I’m not doing enough business development. I can tell at a glance just by looking even at a month. And it’s like, Oh, I have got to plan some more stuff for this week here. Because I don’t have just the colors.? So, I find between the colors and the blocking off, for me, I just use all three.
Barbara: That’s a really good idea.
Kerri: Yes, I just find that it’s really effective. And even when I’m doing my coaching calls, I’ll make a list of things that I’m talking with my clients about. And if there’s stuff that we talked about, but it hasn’t gotten done, then I just move it to the next week.
Barbara: Yes.
Kerri: And it’s like, Okay, what about this, but then as we go, I just keep adding to it, but I don’t like to see giant lists, because they just overwhelm me.
Barbara: Yes, they can be overwhelming.
Kerri: Yes, so I just do whatever. I just I really like the colors. I find that that makes it easy at a glance.
Barbara: Well, it’s an easy visual.
Kerri: Yes, exactly.
Barbara: And you can see at a glance how much you need of what thing? And I think that’s a great idea. I really do.
Kerri: I keeps you from having to remember it, because if I have to depend on my memory…
Barbara: Yes, I know. I know.
Kerri: Yes, yes.
Barbara: You’re probably are like me, where one day in the future you’re thinking, Oh, I got a day off this, you know, I want one or two things to do. And then your day goes on and your day goes on. And then before you know it, the day’s almost over and you haven’t done them yet. And then to do that in the last half hour, I’ve done that so many times, it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed to even say it, but me with, you know, so high in productivity, and lists and calendars and so on, it does actually happen. It has happened where I’ve had all day to do something, and I do those two tasks in the last half hour.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: So, I found, and through hard lessons, I found the best way to get around that, or to manage that even, is to shorten the container. And by that, I mean, shorten the window in which you give yourself to do the task, meaning one hour as opposed to eight hours. And then, when you get those tasks done in the appropriate hour, you’re going to give yourself that pre-promised reward. The reward that you said, Oh, if I get those two things done in the next hour, I’m going to go treat myself to a massage.
Kerri: Oh, I like that idea.
Barbara: Yes. So, then you keep that reward in the back of your mind. And that, to me anyway, it enhances my productivity, that I want to get that done. I promise the reward to myself. So, if I get it done now, between nine and ten, get those two things done, I’ll go have a massage, and then I can have the rest of the day off.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Right? Yes, it’s way better than having those tasks hanging over you for eight hours. And you’re saying, oh, I’ll do it, I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Before you know it, the days over and you haven’t done it.
Kerri: I Know. Exactly. And it’s so easy to say I’m gonna do it first thing. And then you put it off, or especially if it’s something that you need to do and you know that it has to be done on a day off, but you really don’t want to do it. No, I don’t want to do that later. And then, like you say, it just doesn’t get done until the last minute, and by the time you get around to that last minute, it’s been nagging at you in the back of your head.
Barbara: All day.
Kerri: Don’t forget you got to do that.
Barbara: Yes, we’re so human aren’t we, we are so human.
Kerri: True enough. Yes.
Barbara: Well, it’s been great Kerri, talking about all these productivity ideas. Thanks for joining me today’s.
Kerri: Thank you for having me. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve got a lot of information from you, and I’m really excited to start putting some of them in place.
Barbara: Great, wonderful.
Kerri: Yes. Thanks. Okay. Take care. Yes. Bye bye.
Barbara: In closing, I’d like to thank you so much for listening today. I hope this information is helpful and I look forward to providing you more. I’m Barbara Best, CEO of Virtual Works Inc.
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©Copyright 2022 Virtual Works Inc.
All rights reserved
DISCLAIMER
This material is provided for educational and informational purposes only.
No responsibility can be taken for any results or outcomes resulting from the use of this material.
The author does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or use/misuse of this information.
by virtualworks | Sep 12, 2022 | Transcript
Boundaries Really Are Important – Podcast Transcript
Barbara: Hi, I’m Barbara Best and this is Humans Working Remotely. A podcast where I’ll show you how to meet the expanding needs of your organization by utilizing alternative solutions for operational staffing. Through expert insight and meaningful conversations with business professionals, we’ll talk about common challenges and proven strategies that will provide you with more time to focus on your organization’s mission, relationship building and other high value growth activities.
Barbara: We can all admit that working on nights or weekends has happened on occasion. But remember that all work and no play will make you cranky from day to day. If you’re feeling you’re like your work is creeping into your personal time, here’s a few steps to help establish reasonable healthy boundaries for you and those around you. Keep in mind that these tips work whether you’re working in person or remotely. Number one, avoid work devices after hours. I don’t want to get into the concept of addiction. But some of us really have an addiction to our phones. Kerri, you can probably relate to this I personally, I’m not addicted to my phone. I use it as a productivity tool, I use the timer, I use my calendar, but when it’s 4:30. and time to go, that sucker gets turned off.
Kerri: Yes. Yes, I’m the same. Although it’s it takes me it takes me time to transition to not having it. When I’m working I turn off unless I have like, I’d rather use timers instead of on my phone. I’d rather have them sitting on my computer so that my phone isn’t something I have to handle because I know I have the weakness. Oh, oh, well, I just checked these notifications, and I’ll check these and it’s like that get lost. So that’s Yeah, that’s one of the it’s a big challenge for me at times. But then the other times I just set it aside and I don’t even use it. So make a difference.
Barbara: Yeah, good for you. So these avoiding work devices after hours, that’s also setting a boundary around your work day as well.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: You need to define your office hours, like nine to five or whatever it happens to be Monday, Wednesday, Friday, whatever it is, and let your clients and colleagues know that you’re available during these times.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: Really. I mean, you can cheat. And I know we’ve talked about this before. You can cheat and write emails after hours. You can also schedule them ahead of time to send, leave them in draft or Gmail I know and so out and so does Outlook. You can delay send. So you can write your emails at night, schedule them to send at nine o’clock the next day. And you look like you’re in your office right at nine o’clock. Yeah. makes you look really good.
Kerri: Yep. Well, on the other, the other option is even if you don’t want to try and find those things to do the schedule send, because it’s just one more thing that’s going to take up your time. Leave it like you said, leave it in the draft mode, and then whenever you because I mean, I know that successful people successfully time manage people have specific times of day that they’ll check their email. So if you if you do respond as I mean, because a lot of times I work late at night sometimes because I’m just getting the mood, right, but I don’t want my emails to go there. So I’ll just tuck it away. And then when I know, I’m going into the into my time to check my emails, it’s like, oh, yeah, I got these I have to send, and then I send them. Because otherwise we have if we don’t do that we’re teaching people, if they get an email from us at nine o’clock at night, then they’ll think that they can write back to us, and then respond. Well, you did it before.
Barbara: Yeah, you’re setting a precedent for sure.
Kerri: Yeah. And I remember one of my business coach used to say to me always start the way you want to finish. Right? And and you have to teach people from the beginning how to treat you. If you don’t respect your hours, and you don’t teach them to respect them, they won’t. The other example is when somebody says, Oh, well, you know, you’re just working at home. Can I come over after soccer practice tonight?
Barbara: Yeah.
Kerri: I work till five o’clock. Oh, you’re just I’ve had I’ve heard this on different different reasons. Yes. Oh, and it’s always a just. Just you’re just working from home. As if somehow that that negates the value of the work you’re doing because you’re not in an office environment you’re in a home. And again, though you have but if you don’t, if you don’t say, no, you can’t come by after soccer practice, or no, I’m not going to work this weekend or no, you can’t come by on Saturday afternoon after you go shopping at Costco. No. Sorry, but if you don’t tell them and they get away with it once then they might tell you, especially depending on the city that you’re in, you know, or the community that you’re working in. One client will talk to another client. Oh, yeah, I went to by and saw her on Saturday. Well, then you get somebody comes back and says well, how come you won’t see me on Saturday at all? Yeah, you know, and it’s I had a worms that you just don’t even want to. So yeah, you have to really be clear about what your scheduled hours are and make people respect them.
Barbara: Yeah. And sometimes you try to be nice and polite. And sometimes people don’t pick up on those cues.
Kerri: No.
Barbara: I’m sure they don’t mean to be, you know, offhanded or disrespectful. But some people they just they just don’t get it. They have to be told point blank. Look. I’m here from this time to this time. Don’t interrupt me in between.
Kerri: Yep. And don’t ask me what it is. Yes, exactly. And and if we can keep in mind, I think because for me anyway, if when I have I’ve had people who who do not recognize social cues like that. And they don’t do subtle, and I understand not doing subtle because I didn’t I didn’t understand subtle when I was younger, and I partied I was said to somebody at a house party. Tell me when to go home because I’m having so much fun I’m not going to see you looking at your watch. Right. But you have to remember I had to well, I had to remember for me anyway, that when somebody is missing out on the social cues, I don’t think it’s intentional. I don’t think I choose to believe that generally speaking people are good. And if they’re not catching on catching the you know the the messages you’re trying to send subtly. Just come right out and say listen, it’s like a party. I gotta go to bed. You gotta go home. I love you go away. Yeah, right. I got I have work to do. I you know, it’s nice that you stopped by cuz some people will stop by. That’s the other thing too. They’ll stop by for a visit, because they know that you’re home working, especially now that everybody’s more people are working at home. Yeah, right. Somebody will pop by and think that they can chew your ear off for half an hour. And it’s like, I have to go. Yeah, I don’t know. I have to go. And sometimes you have to physically shut the door on. Yeah. And it’s hard to not be frustrated and angry with them. Yeah, right. Like, I find that it’s really hard to not be rude. I want to be rude. It’s like, Why are you being so desperate? They’re not being disrespectful. They’re just not thinking because that’s not where they’re headed. So you just got it? They don’t remind them.
Barbara: They don’t see your context.
Kerri: No. Exactly.
Barbara: They don’t understand. Yeah. That’s right.
Kerri: And that I find that the most challenging is is being kind, when they’re not getting the common sense aspect that I’m portraying. It’s like, Can you not just, they can’t, and you just got to be kind and help them and again, but it comes down to what’s going to be good for us. Right? We make sure we understand that they’re going to be better for us.
Barbara: Yeah, that’s right. Speaking of being good to ourselves, don’t kill yourself with overtime either. Right? This brings me back to corporate. I was tough slogging 12 hours a day lunch at my desk didn’t break. And I was extremely ill, totally stressed out, fried really. And no one, no one noticed. First of all, nobody gave me any kudos for all my hard work or, you know, working so late and getting things done. And I learned quite abruptly after I got laid off from that company, that the works going to be there tomorrow. Llike I shouldn’t have been killing myself with trying to get all these things done impressing people that didn’t even notice. You know, so the thing is there to give yourself permission to take some time off. Yeah, and your brain needs to rest your body needs to rest. And you know, absorb all that information and all that energy that you’ve expended, to have to rest and take it easy. I read a book a while ago called the title of the book is called Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, and the subtitle of the book is why you get more done when you work less.
Kerri: Oh, wow.
Barbara: It’s an interesting concept it’s sort of counterintuitive, but it’s absolutely totally true. That the human body first of all, can only do one thing at a time with 100%. focus. But also when you change your focus, or when you rest your brain, it gives your body a chance and your brain a chance to step back and think things through, therefore making yourself more productive.
Kerri: Oh, no question.
Barbara: Yeah. Some famous people in history, there’s a quote here in the flyleaf, Winston Churchill, used to take daily naps during World War II.
Kerri: Wow.
Barbara: Can you imagine, that’s pretty extreme.
Kerri: Yeah.
Barbara: Charles Darwin would go for hours long strolls, just to clear his mind and think things through, Bill Gates spends a week alone in a cabin, all by himself, just thinking about stuff.
Kerri: Yeah, I can totally relate
Barbara: And these are to them, they’re the true fulfillment of success. Giving yourself permission to do it, first of all.
Kerri: Yeah, exactly
Barbara: And then actually doing it as well. Would you agree Kerri?
Kerri: Oh most definitely. I work, I used to work in a collaborative workspace where self employed people would all come together like an office team. But we all worked on our own stuff. And I was doing exactly what you described working through lunches, working through breaks. And not that anybody ever scheduled me a lunch or a break. But I didn’t get up from my desk, because I was so excited about what I was working on. And I just wanted to get more done so I can do, because it was all for me. And that was the difference between doing it for somebody else. You know, I had I’ve done it, I’ve done it. We’re working in the government, when I’ve had jobs there that I do the whole thing, I get that I get trouble for that from the people who are there that tell me that I’ll make them look bad, because I just like to keep busy, because my time goes by faster. You know, but in this case, I my mentor, was in the same in the same office space with me. And he invited me for lunch one day, and we will let you in. He fought me to go for lunch. And it’s like, No, no, I went, he’s like, you haven’t taken a break, just let’s go for lunch. And we stayed for three hours. And I felt like I was drinking wine. But I was not. Like I drank water the whole time. But it felt like the whole whole chat. And the whole atmosphere around our lunch that lasted three hours, was so relaxed and relaxed and social. And his whole point was, and we talked about all kinds of stuff. And it wasn’t until closer to the end of the three hours. And I didn’t know it was gonna be a three hour lunch. At the end of it, he was explaining to me how important it is to just back off. And that, you know, you have to get up and you have to take breaks. And I. And he was right, of course, because I got back and found out that, you know, all of a sudden, I have more energy to do what I was doing and a different perspective and way more enthusiasm because I’m not dragging my butt. You know, and I remembered at that same place, I worked with a guy who used to do 20 minutes, he had a timer come on his computer every 20 minutes. And it would come on and he would stop working. And he would go for a walk around the office or he’d make a coffee or he just do something completely different. And then he would do that for 20 minutes. And then he would come back and do two more 20 minutes. And he was so damn productive. It made me sick. And I only because I couldn’t it didn’t work for me. I tried it and it didn’t work for me. So I know that there’s different ways you know whether it’s a longer lunch every once in a while or setting a timer, whatever. There’s lots of different ways that you can work as long as you include that time to step away, because then all of a sudden you come back with a new vision.
Barbara: That’s right. Did you know that of the Pomodoro Technique?
Kerri: Yes, I’ve heard of it.
Barbara: The Pomodoro Technique and pomodoro in case you didn’t know is Italian for tomato.
Kerri: Oh, I did not know that.
Barbara: Yes. And tomato pomodoro is the person who invented it in the 1980s Francesco Cirillo actually use a tomato shaped kitchen timer, to test his theory and start this working 25 minutes on, and then five minutes off. 25 minutes on five minutes off, And it the whole thing stuck in is called actually called the Pomodoro Technique. And named after the kitchen timer. It’s really cool.
Kerri: Not named after the guy that created it, just the timer.
Barbara: Just the timer! It’s shaped like a tomato. Yeah.
Kerri: Wow.
Barbara: So it’s it there. Again, it’s the same thing where you take a some amount of time working at your task, right and then taking a break and then alternating back and forth. Personally for me, I like 45 and 15. Because 45 minutes gives me you know enough time to get into what I’m doing.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: I don’t think 20 minutes on 20 minutes off would work for me because it’s not enough time to get into it.
Kerri: That’s how I felt. Yeah cuz I want to delve deep enough that I’m at least immersed in it so that when I do step away, I’m not feeling like I have to start all over again.
Barbara: Exactly. Yeah, exactly. But for your colleague, of course, if it works stick to it now.
Kerri: Yeah, he was super productive Made me sick.
Barbara: It’s, the secret is finding what works for you. Me, I set the timer on my phone, I don’t have a tomato shaped kitchen timer. I set the timer on my phone. 45 minutes on 15 minutes off. And I keep doing that. And I get a lot of stuff done. And I’m very focused in those 45 minutes because I know I have a timer on.
Kerri: Yep, that makes sense.
Barbara: So it kind of shifts your thinking a little bit.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: So and yeah, and then you’re rewarded with a 15 minute break, go get a cup of tea, go for a walk, whatever it is.
Kerri: Yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. I like that. Actually. I’m gonna try that one because that sounds like it would work for me.
Barbara: Yeah. And of course the other strategy I use is taking a day off regularly. As a business owner, I can do that. I can take time off whenever I want.
Kerri: Yes.
Barbara: May not be as easy for employees, but the point is, you just take a day off, don’t do any work, don’t check your email, don’t do calendars, don’t do your diary, don’t do anything, just go and do something for a day. Take a complete brain break and you’ll come back the next day relaxed and refreshed, new perspective got fresh air in those gray cells. And it really helps cope with the day to day, don’t you agree?
Kerri: I do agree. I do. I’m like you said though, with companies, they give you time off, they give you scheduled holidays. Well, usually. And but for me, what I found was a struggle, as a self, as somebody who is self employed, yes, I have that control. But then there’s all this little things that need to get done that I have learned to call administrivia. And as little tiny, you know, regular day to day, tasks that have to be done. And I found that I was using my days that were going to be productive, doing all kinds of that crap instead. So what I have learned is that those little tasks that can be done by anybody, they’re not specifically geared that they have to be done by me, delegate them. And then when you do have a good one that’s taken care of, you do have time to take a day or an afternoon off. And you’re not thinking about all the little things that are piling up. And you get to have that that break. Because until you’re I mean, like for you, you’ve worked really hard to get where you are, with 16 years in this in this role that you’ve had after your corporate life, so that you found your rhythm. And but I know for a lot of people who are, you know, not as self employed for as not as long as you it’s hard to take that time away when you’re, you know, because everything’s just it’s your baby, it’s your business, you’ve got to do stuff.
Barbara: I know, right.
Kerri: But like I say, it’s wonderful that you’ve got that I’m just I’m still learning. But that was one of the things that I learned was to just take the little tiny little things off your plate that just there a time suck, and an energy suck. And it doesn’t you don’t feel better when they’re done, because it seems like they never stop.
Barbara: That’s right.
Kerri: Right. So being able to just hand them off to somebody and I’m going for I’m leaving, I’m going for a walk, I’m taking the day, whatever. And you don’t even have to tell anybody when you’re self employed except.
Barbara: No I know. It’s great.
Kerri: So yeah, that makes a huge difference. Again, all of every one of these things so far, all of them come out to personal boundaries, regardless of business.
Barbara: Yep.
Kerri: Right.
Barbara: And also, and the other side of that, too, I think Kerri, is giving yourself permission to do those things to take the day off to take time, your work sessions, you know, it, you have to allow yourself that time you have to tell yourself, it’s okay to take a day off. It’s gonna be there tomorrow.
Kerri: Well, and if we don’t tell ourselves, sometimes it doesn’t get said.
Barbara: That’s right. It’s true.
Kerri: And then we’re then we’re constantly beating, beating ourselves up for not getting things done. And yet, if we take the time away, that’s the other thing too, I found when you take a break, and you’re able to step back, as I remember, somebody said, don’t ever judge what you’ve done by what you see as on as what isn’t done. Look, you know, sometimes people are too far looking too far forward, that they get to see how much they’ve already accomplished by looking.
Barbara: That’s right.
Kerri: And if you take that take a step away. And you come back, I have found that I have more of a an appreciation for what I’ve done, to get me to where I’m at, as opposed to that run in the rat race and, and having everything pile up and spinning and not having a break. And just like it’s never going to stop when am I going to get to stop? Right. So, uh, yeah, I think and again, all of it’s just coming down to making sure that we take care of us in ourselves. In every aspect.
Barbara: It’s very, very important to take care of us. Yes. And I can even be brief by saying women especially.
Kerri: Yes, very much.
Barbara: We’re bad at taking care of ourselves, because we take care of everybody else first.
Kerri: Yeah. Because that’s what we’ve done. That’s Yeah. And that’s society has done that. And, and it’s not a bad thing, because it started when it started when it we needed it.
Barbara: Yeah yeah yeah, but still.
Kerri: It was our role. But there’s so much more now. No question. There’s so much more that if we don’t and, and the other part of the other side of that, too, is sometimes we have to remind people, as women that we have just as much right. As somebody else. It’s like, oh, I’m going golfing on Wednesday.
Barbara: Well, yeah, you do that all the time.
Kerri: Yeah. Well, that’s great. But what if you don’t golf? Right, then it’s like, well, yeah, why would you take well, why wouldn’t I take golfing and so on. So it’s good. You know what I mean? So, again, that’s the to me, I find that that’s another thing with the women aspect. It’s like sometimes we just have to remind people, then yeah, I need that break. Just like you need that break. Okay.
Barbara: Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. Yeah, we do have to put ourselves first so we can be on top form for everybody else.
Kerri: Yeah, exactly.
Barbara: No. Yeah
Kerri: I agree.
Barbara: Yeah. So thanks, Kerri, for joining me again for this wonderful podcast. Fantastic conversation as always.
Kerri: Oh you’re welcome. Thank you for having me.
Barbara: Interesting perspectives, and I look forward to our next podcast.
Kerri: Me too! Thank you.
Barbara: Okay. Take care.
Kerri: Okay. Bye, bye.
Barbara: In closing, I’d like to thank you so much for listening today. I hope this information was helpful, and I look forward to providing more. I’m Barbara Best CEO of Virtual Works, Inc.
There’s a couple of action steps you can do:
©Copyright 2022 Virtual Works Inc.
All rights reserved
DISCLAIMER
This material is provided for educational and informational purposes only.
No responsibility can be taken for any results or outcomes resulting from the use of this material.
The author does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or use/misuse of this information.
I think it would be an understatement to say there is a lot of information from the news out there, at our fingertips through the newspaper, magazines and the internet, in our ears from the radio and as we sit to relax in front of the television
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