June 16, 2025 • 18 mins
Feeling overwhelmed at work, or maybe your to-do list actually sabotaging your productivity? It’s time to hit the mid-year reset button, so we’ve packaged up the most powerful workplace hacks that actually work in real life – no fluff, just actionable strategies.
Discover the surprisingly simple question that instantly reveals your most important task (hint: it's probably the thing making you uncomfortable), plus the exact wording for asking for more money that focuses on evidence, not emotions.
You'll learn:
- The one question that instantly identifies your most important task (even when everything feels urgent)
- The psychological trick that makes speaking up in meetings infinitely easier
- What to do when you're stuck in a boring job but don't want to waste the experience
- How to build a bulletproof case for a pay raise
- Why time blocking fails for most people and how to make it work with your natural energy cycles
Enjoy these sanity-saving strategies for navigating modern work life without exhausting yourself. Perfect for anyone looking to reset their professional approach and make the second half of 2025 substantially better than the first.
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You might be interested in our full episodes on:
How To Talk So People Listen To You
How To Be More Productive (Without Trying Too Hard)
Time Blocking Doesn't Work (Until You Do It Right)
How To Ask For More Money (Without Dying From Awkwardness)
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Got a work life dilemma? Send us all the questions you definitely can't ask your boss for our Biz Inbox episodes send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au. You can remain anon!
HOST: Em Vernem
EXEC PRODUCER: Sophie Campbell.
AUDIO PRODUCER: Leah Porges
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to a Mom with Me podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello and welcome to biz your work life Sorted. I'm
m Burnham and yes, somehow we are halfway through twenty
twenty five. I have no idea how that happened either,
so now feels like the perfect moment for a little
midyear glow up. We are doing the best of a
roundup of the most helpful, actually usable hacks from the
(00:34):
pod so far to help you reset, refocus, and get
through the rest of the year without turning into dust.
This episode's full of stuff I wish someone had told
me earlier, like how to stay motivated when you're completely
over it, how to ask one more money without spiraling,
what to say in a meeting when your voice wants
to disappear, and why your to do list might be
wrecking your productivity. But first, we're kicking off with the
(00:57):
absolute basics being productive without exhausting itself. So this hack
is honestly a game changer for your to do list,
transforming it from a source of overwhelmed to your secret weapon,
saving you from spending a day on busy work rather
than meaningful progress.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
So step one of nailing your to do list is
actually figuring out what the most important thing is. And
I think as humans we can struggle to achieve this
sometimes because we get decision paralysis. Apparently psychologically we're not
even meant to be that good at knowing how to
pick the number one thing.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
So ask yourself this question and.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
It will figure it out for you. So the question
is what is making me feel most uncomfortable? What have
I procrastinated on for quite a while? I'm sure we've
all got the answer to that question, And that's what
you're going to start with. That is the most important thing.
(02:01):
And the follow up question to that is, and this
is what changed my life as a mom, really is
if this were the only thing I accomplished today, would
I be satisfied with my day? And will moving this
forward make all the other to dos seem unimportant?
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (02:20):
So good?
Speaker 6 (02:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
And I used to be the kind of person that
just I love ticking it off, you know. It was
so much more quantity over quality. And then I became
a mum and realized I just wasn't really getting anything done,
to be honest, I was stumbling. And this question of
if this is the only thing I got done today,
will I feel good? Is such a game changer because
(02:44):
you just feel so accomplished, and most uncomfortable ends up
being most important, and you're actually getting through the tougher
shit that you'd be procrastinating on. The kind of follow
up step to this is make sure you're writing it down.
You know, write your to do list and rank it
based on those questions. But never give your self more
(03:06):
than three to five things to get done in a day.
It's just not gonna happen. But you know, even if
you just get that one thing done, the next day,
you're just on to number two and you're still feeling great.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
This is one of my favorite hacks because it's honestly
so doable. In a world where everything is urgent and
you're applying to twelve things at once, Narrowing your focus
is a lifesaver. Three to five things a day, that's it.
It's manageable, effective, and gives you that sweet dopamine hit
when you actually finish them. I'm in love with this hack.
(03:39):
Let's talk about work meetings aka the perfect seating to
forget how to speak. You've got a brilliant idea, your
heart's racing and instead of saying it, you're staring at
the coffee ring on the table like it's got the answers.
We've all been there, which is exactly why this next
one is about speaking up so people actually listen without
needing to become a different person.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Let's take the premise that we're in meetings, right, because
I think that's one of the most commonplaces that were are,
whether it's a one or a group meeting. I think
that's often where I hear from people I work with.
Is the center of a lot of anxiety or just
a lot of overthinking, over preparing beforehand. A couple of
things you can do that I think are really straightforward
and easy to do that will help make that feel
(04:20):
a little bit better. One of them is just to
speak early. So research shows that if you speak early
in a meeting, you're more likely to speak again. And
it doesn't even matter if it's small talk or just
chatting to someone on the way into the meeting. There's
something psychological about hearing your voice in that space that
you then will speak again. So it's a good way
(04:41):
to break the ice, if you like. But once that
voice has been heard, you're automatically a lot more comfortable
to speak again. I can't tell you exactly why. But
I see it work time and again, a really easy win.
Some people think that questions are deferential to your point
about being told you're differential, so we think if I'm
asking questions, it must mean that I'm sort of on
this lower position. I actually think powerful questions are really
(05:06):
good to realign or put some more energy into a meeting.
So you could ask a question like can I just
replay what we've discussed here to make sure everyone's on
the same page? Or am I right in thinking that
if X, then why? And then you're actively showing that
you're invested and following along, which is something that I
(05:26):
know a lot of junior people struggle to find opportunities
to do, because often you are a receiver of information
rather than a giver, so you're naturally a bit quieter.
But asking for clarification or to interject like that is
really appreciated by other people, because even very senior folks
are like, oh my gosh, yes, I haven't given this
(05:47):
integral piece of information you know that makes everything else
make sense.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I absolutely love that.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
I think as well, because a lot of us have
this behavior where we think in a meeting you need
to be putting forward opinions to contributing information, adding, adding, adding,
But actually you do need people in the room that
are testing, understanding, clarifying. So I think, especially for someone
who's sort of like I don't feel like an expert
on the topic, you don't have to be. You can
just ask a really helpful question that's going to help
the whole group come to a better Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
So building confidence in meetings doesn't need some dramatic personality
makeover or executive coaching package. It's not about being the
loudest or talking the most. It's about creating impact with
what you say. What actually works are these tiny strategic
tweaks that nobody tells you about. So you're stuck in
a job that doesn't exactly light your fire, we have
(06:35):
all been there, checking the clock every twenty minutes, living
for lunch breaks, and wondering if this is really what
adulting is all about. But here's the thing. Even the
most boring job can be strategic for your career if
you approach it right. Here's how to get your glimmer
back at work.
Speaker 6 (06:52):
So what I would do is I would pick one
person in the company or one skill. So for a person,
try and find one person in the company who's like
a high quality person that you might want to learn
from or like get closer to start by just kind
of learning more about them, knowing what they're up to,
you kind of thing, try and take them for coffee
if you can, and just figure out a way, like
(07:13):
is there a way that you can work on something
with this person? Like Google, we had things like twenty
percent projects and job shadowing and things like that. But
you can just figure out, like, is there sort of
something that you could work on with this person so
you can learn from them and create a relationship.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
So that's the person.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
One or I would pick one skill, So what is
one skill that you can totally master in the next
twelve months or the next six months is going to
be a skill that you're then going to take with
you for the rest of your career and then talk
to your manager and really say, like I really want
to work on this skill, make it your focus, and
see how they can support you in that. So, whether
(07:48):
that's doing a course, whether that's getting yourself onto a
different project where you're.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
Able to develop that skill.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
And what you're going to find is because you've set
yourself this goal of like either developing a relationship with
that person or that skill, You're going to take that
with you when you leave that job, Like that goes
with you for the rest of your career. Instead of
this being, you know, twelve months wasted in a job
you're not motivated about, you're actually flipping it and you're like,
I'm gaining this and that's gonna come with me in
(08:13):
my next role.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
So I love this approach. Instead of seeing a boring
job as wasted time, you're deliberately extracting value that follows
you forever. Remember you're not stuck, You're strategically gathering what
you need for your next move. That mindset shift changes everything. Now,
another great motivation is a promotion or raise. So next
(08:35):
up we are talking about how to ask for more money. Okay,
let's talk about money, specifically, how to ask for more
of it without breaking into a cold sweat. I know
these conversations feel awkward, but they're absolutely critical to your
(08:58):
career progression, and it's about focusing on the right things
when convincing decision makers to open the company wallet.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So how do you actually ask for a pay rise?
Remember your mindset, get inside your boss's head. Frame it
in terms of the value actually bringing for the company.
Don't make it about you and your personal financial situation
for example, don't mention the saving for a house deposit
or you know mentioned cost of living. We're going to
make it all about the company and the value you're delivering.
(09:28):
Don't be scared. You have the right to ask, and
it is showing good leadership.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
This is a very simple framework. Or you can think
about it just like three prompts, and this is what
you're going to sit down at your desk and think
about before you go into these conversations. And the prompts
are experience, role, and output. So when you think about
your experience, you're obviously thinking about how many years you've
been doing the job. What unique insights do you also
(09:54):
bring based on that experience. But I think when it
comes to advocating for a pay rise, when you've been
at the company for a few years, for example, it's
how has your experience grown? Have you done courses leadership,
have you been on training camps, have you you know,
gone to conferences around the world, whatever it is, you're
really thinking about how you've grown your skill set and
(10:16):
your knowledge.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I love that. So it's not just experience in terms
of I've been here two years, it's actually how have
you invested in improving your experience and the experience that
you have in doing that role is like expertise.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
And I know we'll get to this, but that's also
something that you can also be asking for in these
performance conversations, like I want to do a training course
on X, I want to do this online course. Really
simple things people can do that I just think make
them sound and seem a bit smarter. Is got a
bit bored over the break? Did these three online Harvard courses?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
They're just really easy little wins that just make you
seem like you care. The second thing is role, So
how has your role evolved? Did someone go and leave
and you took on their responsibilities? Are you managing more people?
Are you actually doing three jobs? Is your job moving
well beyond what the original job description was. Those are
(11:10):
things that you can use to advocate for a pay rise.
The biggest and most important one, though, is obviously your output.
And this really needs to be evidence and fact based,
so numbers relating to your KPIs, but always bringing it
back to the company's objectives as well. Really leading with
(11:32):
what the business is trying to achieve and then how you,
as an individual have helped them get there.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
The best hack that I found to doing this is
actually just too every time that you have an example
of good work, and that might be results metrics, it
might be something a client has said about you, it
might be something a coworkers said about you, and slack.
Anything that is like you doing good work, You're going
to screenshot that and just throw it in a folder
on your desk. Stop I try and save like a
(12:00):
couple of week, and what you're going to find is
when you go through that, you're just going to jog
your memory and going to have all these examples.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
What I love about this approach is Howard flips the
power dynamic. You're not begging, you're presenting evidence that makes
your case undeniable. And remember, your boss isn't doing you
a favor by paying you fairly. They're making smart business
decisions to keep talent that delivers, so go get that money.
(12:32):
We're circling back to time management because everyone keeps recommending
time blocking, but when I tried it, I just felt
more stressed and restricted. Here's the truth. I was doing
it completely wrong. The magic isn't about cramming more in
it's about reducing that constant when will I do this
anxiety that follows you everywhere? Done right time, blocking actually
(12:53):
gives you freedom.
Speaker 7 (12:54):
My main tip is too novel one, be very forgiving
because there'll be a process, and I think it really
is based on your energy levels, so you would naturally
do things that are harder at the beginning of the day.
Like for me, cleaning through my personal email is like
very very easy, so I tend to do it at
night when I'm watching TV because I can kind of
(13:15):
like splice it with like low energy activities. But if
something takes a little bit more effort, I would push
it earlier to the morning. I would also consider like
your work day as well. Like some people can go
to the gym at like eleven am, which is I
think crazy because it's in the middle of work day
and you have like meetings and stuff. But like some
people really can do like an early lunch and do
(13:36):
their gym routine then and then go straight into any
kind of meeting afterwards. So I think it really depends
on your own temperament and whether or not this is
something that you can handle. The thing is always just
start really really easy and slot it in. Try it
for like a couple of weeks and test it to
see how viabod is in your life. Just keep adding
things very slowly. I wouldn't rush into anything that sounds good.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
I remember.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
The big aha for me was when I realized that
my brain is different in the morning to the evening,
and I can't actually concentrate on deep work in the afternoon.
So where I used to put all my meetings in
the morning and then I'd be kind of left to
work in the afternoon, I completely flipped it and I
started blocking out my mornings for actual work and time
blocking all my meetings in the afternoon. And that kind
(14:22):
of kept my brain engaged anyway because I was talking
to someone. So that was a really big Labo move
for me in terms of planning out those blocks. So
deb someone who's just getting started, they have an open calendar,
or maybe they've got a few things that they're already
in that calendar in terms of assigned work meetings and
things like that, can you actually break down the step
by step process someone should go through to time block
(14:44):
their week.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
Generally I would either go digital or paper. I personally
like writing things down, so I would just take a
simple piece of paper, blank piece of paper, or you
can use a diary or anything like that. What I
would generally do is write major tasks that you want
to get done during the day all the week as
a list. So first start with a regular to do list,
which I think a lot of people have, and then
(15:06):
kind of consider what your priorities are for the week,
So generally I pick three maximum. Once you kind of
consider that, either in your calendar or if you're doing
the day, you write down time slots from top to bottom,
so like when your day starts, which some people they
want to start from nine am, so nine am ten
am all the way down to whenever you want to
stop your day, And if it's a week thing, then
(15:27):
you would just do Monday to Friday across the top.
At that point, you sort of have like almost like
a grid of these time slots that you want to
put tasks into. You just consider how long things will take,
so like washing the dishes would probably take half an hour,
so you can give yourself a half an hour time
slot at like five pm. Then you assign times like
(15:48):
writing might take and make sure you put breaks in between.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
So if you kind of step back and you look
at your full day or your full week, should every
slot of time actually be scheduled?
Speaker 7 (15:58):
I would recommend not to. I would just guarantee like
certain slots to be put in because you need time
to be kind of flexy. And then as you move
through the week or move through the day, you realize
that things will change, like things will pop up, and
if everything's like super rigid, you can't really move anything around,
and I think that causes more stress than what the
(16:18):
purpose of it is to alleviate anxiety about tasks. You
actually realize when you time block that there's so much
time when you're not like stressing about when to do things,
if you just say you'll do it, there's actually so
much time to do things.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Time blocking isn't a bad perfection. It's about intention. That
point about not forcing activities that don't align with your values.
Game changer. I wasted years scheduling important meetings after three pm.
When I know that that is a time that I
completely shut down. Work with your natural tendencies, not against them,
And suddenly productivity feels possible and we are done for today.
(16:56):
Speaking of time, hopefully, these hacks have rescued some of yours.
Tune in next week, where we cover the workplace skills
nobody taught you but everyone expects you to know. We'll
be tackling how to stop over explaining yourself and instantly
sound more confident. The exact phrase is to shut down
that patronizing colleague without getting fired. More productivity hacks that
(17:16):
don't require superhuman discipline, How to nail networking when you'd
rather literally be anywhere else, and why traditional work mentors
are overrated, and what you need instead, Same time, same place.
I'll see you next week. If you enjoy today's biz episode,
we popped everything you need in our free newsletter, including
those step by step guides for both productivity game changes
(17:39):
we talked about today. You can find a link to
that in our show notes and heads up. Our biz
Inbox episodes drop this Thursday, where we solve all of
your career dilemmas. Until then, go forth and do less
the better. Bye. Mamma Maya acknowledges the traditional owners of
(18:04):
land and waters at this podcast as is recorded on
You're listening to a Mom with Me podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hello and welcome to biz your work life Sorted. I'm
m Burnham and yes, somehow we are halfway through twenty
twenty five. I have no idea how that happened either,
so now feels like the perfect moment for a little
midyear glow up. We are doing the best of a
roundup of the most helpful, actually usable hacks from the
(00:34):
pod so far to help you reset, refocus, and get
through the rest of the year without turning into dust.
This episode's full of stuff I wish someone had told
me earlier, like how to stay motivated when you're completely
over it, how to ask one more money without spiraling,
what to say in a meeting when your voice wants
to disappear, and why your to do list might be
wrecking your productivity. But first, we're kicking off with the
(00:57):
absolute basics being productive without exhausting itself. So this hack
is honestly a game changer for your to do list,
transforming it from a source of overwhelmed to your secret weapon,
saving you from spending a day on busy work rather
than meaningful progress.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
So step one of nailing your to do list is
actually figuring out what the most important thing is. And
I think as humans we can struggle to achieve this
sometimes because we get decision paralysis. Apparently psychologically we're not
even meant to be that good at knowing how to
pick the number one thing.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
So ask yourself this question and.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
It will figure it out for you. So the question
is what is making me feel most uncomfortable? What have
I procrastinated on for quite a while? I'm sure we've
all got the answer to that question, And that's what
you're going to start with. That is the most important thing.
(02:01):
And the follow up question to that is, and this
is what changed my life as a mom, really is
if this were the only thing I accomplished today, would
I be satisfied with my day? And will moving this
forward make all the other to dos seem unimportant?
Speaker 4 (02:19):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (02:20):
So good?
Speaker 6 (02:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
And I used to be the kind of person that
just I love ticking it off, you know. It was
so much more quantity over quality. And then I became
a mum and realized I just wasn't really getting anything done,
to be honest, I was stumbling. And this question of
if this is the only thing I got done today,
will I feel good? Is such a game changer because
(02:44):
you just feel so accomplished, and most uncomfortable ends up
being most important, and you're actually getting through the tougher
shit that you'd be procrastinating on. The kind of follow
up step to this is make sure you're writing it down.
You know, write your to do list and rank it
based on those questions. But never give your self more
(03:06):
than three to five things to get done in a day.
It's just not gonna happen. But you know, even if
you just get that one thing done, the next day,
you're just on to number two and you're still feeling great.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
This is one of my favorite hacks because it's honestly
so doable. In a world where everything is urgent and
you're applying to twelve things at once, Narrowing your focus
is a lifesaver. Three to five things a day, that's it.
It's manageable, effective, and gives you that sweet dopamine hit
when you actually finish them. I'm in love with this hack.
(03:39):
Let's talk about work meetings aka the perfect seating to
forget how to speak. You've got a brilliant idea, your
heart's racing and instead of saying it, you're staring at
the coffee ring on the table like it's got the answers.
We've all been there, which is exactly why this next
one is about speaking up so people actually listen without
needing to become a different person.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Let's take the premise that we're in meetings, right, because
I think that's one of the most commonplaces that were are,
whether it's a one or a group meeting. I think
that's often where I hear from people I work with.
Is the center of a lot of anxiety or just
a lot of overthinking, over preparing beforehand. A couple of
things you can do that I think are really straightforward
and easy to do that will help make that feel
(04:20):
a little bit better. One of them is just to
speak early. So research shows that if you speak early
in a meeting, you're more likely to speak again. And
it doesn't even matter if it's small talk or just
chatting to someone on the way into the meeting. There's
something psychological about hearing your voice in that space that
you then will speak again. So it's a good way
(04:41):
to break the ice, if you like. But once that
voice has been heard, you're automatically a lot more comfortable
to speak again. I can't tell you exactly why. But
I see it work time and again, a really easy win.
Some people think that questions are deferential to your point
about being told you're differential, so we think if I'm
asking questions, it must mean that I'm sort of on
this lower position. I actually think powerful questions are really
(05:06):
good to realign or put some more energy into a meeting.
So you could ask a question like can I just
replay what we've discussed here to make sure everyone's on
the same page? Or am I right in thinking that
if X, then why? And then you're actively showing that
you're invested and following along, which is something that I
(05:26):
know a lot of junior people struggle to find opportunities
to do, because often you are a receiver of information
rather than a giver, so you're naturally a bit quieter.
But asking for clarification or to interject like that is
really appreciated by other people, because even very senior folks
are like, oh my gosh, yes, I haven't given this
(05:47):
integral piece of information you know that makes everything else
make sense.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
I absolutely love that.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
I think as well, because a lot of us have
this behavior where we think in a meeting you need
to be putting forward opinions to contributing information, adding, adding, adding,
But actually you do need people in the room that
are testing, understanding, clarifying. So I think, especially for someone
who's sort of like I don't feel like an expert
on the topic, you don't have to be. You can
just ask a really helpful question that's going to help
the whole group come to a better Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
So building confidence in meetings doesn't need some dramatic personality
makeover or executive coaching package. It's not about being the
loudest or talking the most. It's about creating impact with
what you say. What actually works are these tiny strategic
tweaks that nobody tells you about. So you're stuck in
a job that doesn't exactly light your fire, we have
(06:35):
all been there, checking the clock every twenty minutes, living
for lunch breaks, and wondering if this is really what
adulting is all about. But here's the thing. Even the
most boring job can be strategic for your career if
you approach it right. Here's how to get your glimmer
back at work.
Speaker 6 (06:52):
So what I would do is I would pick one
person in the company or one skill. So for a person,
try and find one person in the company who's like
a high quality person that you might want to learn
from or like get closer to start by just kind
of learning more about them, knowing what they're up to,
you kind of thing, try and take them for coffee
if you can, and just figure out a way, like
(07:13):
is there a way that you can work on something
with this person? Like Google, we had things like twenty
percent projects and job shadowing and things like that. But
you can just figure out, like, is there sort of
something that you could work on with this person so
you can learn from them and create a relationship.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
So that's the person.
Speaker 6 (07:27):
One or I would pick one skill, So what is
one skill that you can totally master in the next
twelve months or the next six months is going to
be a skill that you're then going to take with
you for the rest of your career and then talk
to your manager and really say, like I really want
to work on this skill, make it your focus, and
see how they can support you in that. So, whether
(07:48):
that's doing a course, whether that's getting yourself onto a
different project where you're.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
Able to develop that skill.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
And what you're going to find is because you've set
yourself this goal of like either developing a relationship with
that person or that skill, You're going to take that
with you when you leave that job, Like that goes
with you for the rest of your career. Instead of
this being, you know, twelve months wasted in a job
you're not motivated about, you're actually flipping it and you're like,
I'm gaining this and that's gonna come with me in
(08:13):
my next role.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
So I love this approach. Instead of seeing a boring
job as wasted time, you're deliberately extracting value that follows
you forever. Remember you're not stuck, You're strategically gathering what
you need for your next move. That mindset shift changes everything. Now,
another great motivation is a promotion or raise. So next
(08:35):
up we are talking about how to ask for more money. Okay,
let's talk about money, specifically, how to ask for more
of it without breaking into a cold sweat. I know
these conversations feel awkward, but they're absolutely critical to your
(08:58):
career progression, and it's about focusing on the right things
when convincing decision makers to open the company wallet.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So how do you actually ask for a pay rise?
Remember your mindset, get inside your boss's head. Frame it
in terms of the value actually bringing for the company.
Don't make it about you and your personal financial situation
for example, don't mention the saving for a house deposit
or you know mentioned cost of living. We're going to
make it all about the company and the value you're delivering.
(09:28):
Don't be scared. You have the right to ask, and
it is showing good leadership.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
This is a very simple framework. Or you can think
about it just like three prompts, and this is what
you're going to sit down at your desk and think
about before you go into these conversations. And the prompts
are experience, role, and output. So when you think about
your experience, you're obviously thinking about how many years you've
been doing the job. What unique insights do you also
(09:54):
bring based on that experience. But I think when it
comes to advocating for a pay rise, when you've been
at the company for a few years, for example, it's
how has your experience grown? Have you done courses leadership,
have you been on training camps, have you you know,
gone to conferences around the world, whatever it is, you're
really thinking about how you've grown your skill set and
(10:16):
your knowledge.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
I love that. So it's not just experience in terms
of I've been here two years, it's actually how have
you invested in improving your experience and the experience that
you have in doing that role is like expertise.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
And I know we'll get to this, but that's also
something that you can also be asking for in these
performance conversations, like I want to do a training course
on X, I want to do this online course. Really
simple things people can do that I just think make
them sound and seem a bit smarter. Is got a
bit bored over the break? Did these three online Harvard courses?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
You know?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
They're just really easy little wins that just make you
seem like you care. The second thing is role, So
how has your role evolved? Did someone go and leave
and you took on their responsibilities? Are you managing more people?
Are you actually doing three jobs? Is your job moving
well beyond what the original job description was. Those are
(11:10):
things that you can use to advocate for a pay rise.
The biggest and most important one, though, is obviously your output.
And this really needs to be evidence and fact based,
so numbers relating to your KPIs, but always bringing it
back to the company's objectives as well. Really leading with
(11:32):
what the business is trying to achieve and then how you,
as an individual have helped them get there.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
The best hack that I found to doing this is
actually just too every time that you have an example
of good work, and that might be results metrics, it
might be something a client has said about you, it
might be something a coworkers said about you, and slack.
Anything that is like you doing good work, You're going
to screenshot that and just throw it in a folder
on your desk. Stop I try and save like a
(12:00):
couple of week, and what you're going to find is
when you go through that, you're just going to jog
your memory and going to have all these examples.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
What I love about this approach is Howard flips the
power dynamic. You're not begging, you're presenting evidence that makes
your case undeniable. And remember, your boss isn't doing you
a favor by paying you fairly. They're making smart business
decisions to keep talent that delivers, so go get that money.
(12:32):
We're circling back to time management because everyone keeps recommending
time blocking, but when I tried it, I just felt
more stressed and restricted. Here's the truth. I was doing
it completely wrong. The magic isn't about cramming more in
it's about reducing that constant when will I do this
anxiety that follows you everywhere? Done right time, blocking actually
(12:53):
gives you freedom.
Speaker 7 (12:54):
My main tip is too novel one, be very forgiving
because there'll be a process, and I think it really
is based on your energy levels, so you would naturally
do things that are harder at the beginning of the day.
Like for me, cleaning through my personal email is like
very very easy, so I tend to do it at
night when I'm watching TV because I can kind of
(13:15):
like splice it with like low energy activities. But if
something takes a little bit more effort, I would push
it earlier to the morning. I would also consider like
your work day as well. Like some people can go
to the gym at like eleven am, which is I
think crazy because it's in the middle of work day
and you have like meetings and stuff. But like some
people really can do like an early lunch and do
(13:36):
their gym routine then and then go straight into any
kind of meeting afterwards. So I think it really depends
on your own temperament and whether or not this is
something that you can handle. The thing is always just
start really really easy and slot it in. Try it
for like a couple of weeks and test it to
see how viabod is in your life. Just keep adding
things very slowly. I wouldn't rush into anything that sounds good.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
I remember.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
The big aha for me was when I realized that
my brain is different in the morning to the evening,
and I can't actually concentrate on deep work in the afternoon.
So where I used to put all my meetings in
the morning and then I'd be kind of left to
work in the afternoon, I completely flipped it and I
started blocking out my mornings for actual work and time
blocking all my meetings in the afternoon. And that kind
(14:22):
of kept my brain engaged anyway because I was talking
to someone. So that was a really big Labo move
for me in terms of planning out those blocks. So
deb someone who's just getting started, they have an open calendar,
or maybe they've got a few things that they're already
in that calendar in terms of assigned work meetings and
things like that, can you actually break down the step
by step process someone should go through to time block
(14:44):
their week.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
Generally I would either go digital or paper. I personally
like writing things down, so I would just take a
simple piece of paper, blank piece of paper, or you
can use a diary or anything like that. What I
would generally do is write major tasks that you want
to get done during the day all the week as
a list. So first start with a regular to do list,
which I think a lot of people have, and then
(15:06):
kind of consider what your priorities are for the week,
So generally I pick three maximum. Once you kind of
consider that, either in your calendar or if you're doing
the day, you write down time slots from top to bottom,
so like when your day starts, which some people they
want to start from nine am, so nine am ten
am all the way down to whenever you want to
stop your day, And if it's a week thing, then
(15:27):
you would just do Monday to Friday across the top.
At that point, you sort of have like almost like
a grid of these time slots that you want to
put tasks into. You just consider how long things will take,
so like washing the dishes would probably take half an hour,
so you can give yourself a half an hour time
slot at like five pm. Then you assign times like
(15:48):
writing might take and make sure you put breaks in between.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
So if you kind of step back and you look
at your full day or your full week, should every
slot of time actually be scheduled?
Speaker 7 (15:58):
I would recommend not to. I would just guarantee like
certain slots to be put in because you need time
to be kind of flexy. And then as you move
through the week or move through the day, you realize
that things will change, like things will pop up, and
if everything's like super rigid, you can't really move anything around,
and I think that causes more stress than what the
(16:18):
purpose of it is to alleviate anxiety about tasks. You
actually realize when you time block that there's so much
time when you're not like stressing about when to do things,
if you just say you'll do it, there's actually so
much time to do things.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Time blocking isn't a bad perfection. It's about intention. That
point about not forcing activities that don't align with your values.
Game changer. I wasted years scheduling important meetings after three pm.
When I know that that is a time that I
completely shut down. Work with your natural tendencies, not against them,
And suddenly productivity feels possible and we are done for today.
(16:56):
Speaking of time, hopefully, these hacks have rescued some of yours.
Tune in next week, where we cover the workplace skills
nobody taught you but everyone expects you to know. We'll
be tackling how to stop over explaining yourself and instantly
sound more confident. The exact phrase is to shut down
that patronizing colleague without getting fired. More productivity hacks that
(17:16):
don't require superhuman discipline, How to nail networking when you'd
rather literally be anywhere else, and why traditional work mentors
are overrated, and what you need instead, Same time, same place.
I'll see you next week. If you enjoy today's biz episode,
we popped everything you need in our free newsletter, including
those step by step guides for both productivity game changes
(17:39):
we talked about today. You can find a link to
that in our show notes and heads up. Our biz
Inbox episodes drop this Thursday, where we solve all of
your career dilemmas. Until then, go forth and do less
the better. Bye. Mamma Maya acknowledges the traditional owners of
(18:04):
land and waters at this podcast as is recorded on
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