Keep track of what you’re waiting for

Keep your eye on the ball (when it’s not in your court)

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to keep track of what you're waiting on.
Even when the metaphorical ball is in someone else's court,

(00:24):
you might want to keep your eye on that ball.
This can keep you from dropping the ball when it
winds up heading back toward you. Often in collaborations, we
can't complete a task we're responsible for until someone else
does their part. We pass our part on to the
next person and count on them to pass it back

(00:45):
to us on time. But things don't always go as planned,
and it's easy to forget things once they are no
longer actively in your workflow. Let's say you need to
submit a report to a funder and you're waiting on
the exact get of director to approve your draft. He
promises to get it back to you by Monday. There's

(01:05):
nothing more you can do until you get the edits,
so you move on to another project. Then the next Friday,
when the report is due, you realize with some panic
that you never got anything back. And this can happen
in our personal lives too. Refunds don't get processed ordered
items don't show up on time, but if they're not

(01:26):
top of mind, you don't realize they're late. To avoid this,
it's helpful to realize that anticipate X can be a
task just like any other task. Set a reminder for
what you need to be on the lookout for whenever
you need to look for it. So, if you are
waiting on feedback from Lisa, make an entry on your

(01:49):
calendar or planner for the appropriate date, saying anticipate feedback
from Lisa. If this date is more than a week
in the future, you might want to add some context
so future you isn't confused. Anticipate slides from Kathleen see
April five meeting notes, or anticipate John's decisions see March
fifteenth email exchange. Your notes will refresh your memory about

(02:13):
the project's status. For projects where your next steps after
receiving the item will take some work, go ahead and
block off time in your calendar so you are ready
to do your part. If you are anticipating edits on Monday,
for instance, you can block off Tuesday morning for revising
your draft. Now, this may or may not happen according
to plan, but the upside of having your time blocked

(02:36):
off is that it can provide a nudge to the
other person, or at least a reason to remind them
if you are concerned. Hi, Lisa, you might write, I've
blocked off time on Tuesday to edit with your revisions.
Let me know if that's going to work or if
I should choose a different time. Now, presumably Lisa doesn't
want to be a bottleneck, so she will do something

(02:58):
with this information. If she doesn't, well, of course you
won't sit there twiddling your thumb. Should she not get
her work back by then we always need to have
an option B. But this can help you make a
strategic plan. And when things don't arrive on time, well
you now know that this has happened and you know
to reach out. Hey, we talked about that contract going

(03:20):
out today. I don't see it in my inbox yet.
Could you please let me know when that will happen.
Of course, this all assumes you know when to anticipate
an item. If you don't, just ask your colleague when
do you plan to send me this document? I'd like
to know so I can schedule time from my part
once I receive it. Hopefully they will let you know

(03:41):
if they can't, or if you don't have an opportunity
to have this conversation, just make your best guess. Then
when that date rolls around, you can adjust, either by
following up or by making a new anticipating calendar item
for the future. The key is that there is always
a note about what you are anticipating, so that you

(04:03):
are periodically reminded of the projects status and don't lose
track of the project. Well it's on someone else's desk, now.
I do recognize that all this is kind of annoying,
especially for the reliable, punctual people who listen to productivity
podcasts like this one. Imagine that the world doesn't always

(04:24):
do exactly what it says it will when it will.
But the good news is that this process requires very
little effort. Literally, you just write or type anticipating and
then the thing on your calendar or planner. But it
is a total game changer for ensuring that projects don't
go hopelessly off course. Sometimes there is nothing you can do.

(04:48):
I'm waiting on some documents right now that will the
anticipated time has come and gone, but at least I
know it's outstanding. I haven't forgotten a And though I'm
not actively dealing with it. In some cases, that is
the best we can hope for. In the meantime, this

(05:09):
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

(05:30):
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media
dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.

(05:58):
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