Let go of unavailable time

Make your peace with a limited work schedule

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
new world of work, where location and ours are more
flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to let
go of unavailable time. During the pandemic, many people have

(00:28):
been shouldering more caregiving responsibilities than usual, with less support
than in the past. This means that some standard work
hours may just not be available for work. If that's
the case, there is no use obsessing about it. Better
to let it go and focus on whatever time there

(00:50):
still is. So, while I am writing this episode, my
kids are doing school virtually Again, the older ones are
fairly self sufficient. My kindergartener is not. In the mornings,
I tend to be the adult in charge of him,
and I can sometimes get fifteen to twenty minute patches
while nothing is going wrong, and then I hear him

(01:12):
yelling and see that he's hiding under a chair because
he got confused about something. So I'm back out and
holding him and helping him redirect. Now, this is obviously
frustrating for both of us. However, in the afternoon, I
am not the adult on call, and so for what
I hope is this short duration of virtual learning. I

(01:32):
am letting go of the idea that I will get
much done in the morning. Maybe I will, but if
I do, that is just a total unexpected bonus. Better
to assume nothing and get something done, then assume perfect
productivity and feel bad when life intervenes. Maybe you are

(01:55):
dealing with a similar split schedule with who is in
charge of your kids, or maybe you are trying to
manage your kids virtual learning solo. Maybe you're caring for
elderly relatives. For your own sanity, you are best off
figuring out when you are unlikely to get any work
done and then just treating this time as completely unavailable.

(02:18):
Don't book meetings, don't book calls during this time. Don't
set work goals for this time. Don't create expectations that
will just lead to disappointment or frustration from your coworkers
or yourself. Let it go. Try to relax and enjoy
yourself as much as possible. Seeing what the kindergarteners are learning,

(02:40):
or playing outside with a kid during a zoom break.
Do this, and then get very clear on what you
will do during the time that is available. Figure out
your must win for the day and maybe your top
three priorities. If you get through this stuff awesome, the
day is a win, and with any luck, you will

(03:02):
have had some fun moments during the not working time.
In my case, we've gotten to stomp around in some
muddy puddles in the back yard, and as Pepper Pig
would say, everyone loves stomping in muddy puddles. In the meantime.
This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding

(03:23):
in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit
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get your favorite shows.