Second Cup: Productivity doesn't always look productive

You don't have to always look busy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good Morning, This is Laura.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Today's tip is that productivity doesn't always look productive. If
you know that you are making progress or you're working
on something important, then it doesn't really matter if it
doesn't look like you are doing all that much. So

(00:38):
the day I wrote this would probably not look like
a banner day from the outside. I took multiple long breaks,
and during the time I was at my desk I
was not always incredibly focused. But after several false starts,
I did write something that I needed to write. I

(00:59):
had a long conversation with someone who is both thoughtful
and influential, which is always a good thing to do.
I made a difficult business decision that needed to be made,
so that is not bad as things go. Even if
much of the day looked like open space and random

(01:21):
email checks, I am sure that you have had similar days.
Maybe you even kept looking at the clock to see
if the day was over yet. But sometimes getting things
done involves making decisions, or coming up with ideas, or
deciding that something is wrong and needs to be done differently.

(01:46):
Often all of this thinking doesn't look like doing anything.
It's just a nagging sense that you need to stop
working on something and think about it, and you realize
it's not working and you need to go in a
different direction. Or maybe you are stumped on something and
need to let your brain process it for a while

(02:06):
before you remember that Kevin from two jobs ago knew
something about this topic. Maybe if you reach out, he
could give you some direction. Or you think you are
about to offer a job to a certain candidate, but
something is telling you to wait. It feels like you're
just putting things off and slowing things down, but actually

(02:29):
you are checking another reference and you find out that
something is definitely off. All of this is actually very productive.
Hiring a person who is a bad match can result
in tons of wasted time, not to mention tough emotions
for everyone involved. Or if you are working on a

(02:50):
project and it's not going right, it doesn't actually help
to go faster in the wrong direction, So best to
take it slow and be okay with sitting there looking
like you are just spinning your wheels for a while.
It will be okay when those spinning wheels do gain traction.

(03:14):
You will be ready to go. In the meantime, this
is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

(03:34):
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the
number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

(03:55):
That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much. Should I look forward to saying in touch.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts
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