Why are you working late?

Set intentions for after-hours work

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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 set an intention anytime you are
working late. That way, you know what you need to accomplish,

(00:26):
and you know when you are done. You are not
working late just to do so. If you've got a
demanding job, then it can be easy to get into
the habit of working into the evenings or on the weekends.
If you work remotely, you might not even notice this.
You say hello to the kids, serve dinner, and then

(00:49):
find yourself on your computer for hours into the evening.
And sometimes it's necessary. Maybe you've got a big project
that's due in the next few days, maybe you need
to stick while you're away. And at some workplaces, the
whole concept of late is somewhat meaningless, as people are

(01:10):
having meetings with folks in different time zones, or they
need to entertain clients at night, or what have you.
But if you would like to have some more personal
space in your life and you find yourself routinely working late,
it might help to adopt a rule for yourself. When
you work late, you need a specific reason for it,

(01:33):
not a vague reason like it's a busy season or
I'm swamped. Instead, have a specific reason. I am working
late tonight to rehearse tomorrow's presentation, or I'm working late
tonight to polish a proposal for a potential client that
I want to send in by tomorrow afternoon. Or I'm

(01:57):
working late to work the bugs out of a new
app that my man Jer wants to see this week.
Then during the off hours that you are working, remember
your intention and work only on that task. Yes, I
know your inbox as a disaster, but email will expand

(02:18):
fill all available space. You could work twenty four hours
a day and still find yourself behind on email. Eventually,
you have to decide how much space to give things.
Having a specific intention for any extra hours work means
that you maintain control over your focus and attention even

(02:42):
when working long hours. Now, to be sure, it's a
good idea to give all time and intention, I mean
this is a very useful mindset in general. I'm not
just working because it's nine am on Tuesday. This is
what I plan to do on Tuesday morning. This is
what I plan to accomplish Tuesday afternoon. This is what

(03:07):
I see as the best outcome of this work week.
Identifying specific tasks and intentions for all blocks of time
can help you avoid spinning your wheels and being busy
without accomplishing much. But having a specific task in mind
after hours is even more important. Knowing why you're working

(03:31):
late helps you accomplish what you need to and to
stop working in time to attend to other aspects of
your life that deserve your attention to whether that's family, friends, exercise, hobbies,
or life maintenance. Work is an important part of life,
but it's not your whole life, and knowing why you

(03:53):
are working late when you do ensure as you get
your most important work done while also leaving time for
other things in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,

(04:19):
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 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

(04:42):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
should I look forward to staying in touch? Before Breakfast
is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts
from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,
Apple pod casts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

(05:07):
Yeah Yeah,