2217: How To Stay Productive When You Get Thrown Out Of Your Routine by Carl Pullein on Time Management

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[00:00:30] UKG is the workforce operating platform with unified HR, payroll and workforce management built to solve the unique challenges of frontline work. Powered by PeopleFirst AI and decades of labor data, UKG turns workforce intelligence into real time decisions around staffing, pay, compliance and productivity, enabling every worker to confidently take action as work happens. Because when work works, everything works. Learn more at UKG dot com slash work. UKG HR, pay and workforce management.

[00:01:00] This is Optimal Work Daily. How to stay productive when you get thrown out of your routine. By Carl Pullein of CarlPalline.com. Over the last few days, I've been away in the U.K. and Ireland, part work, part holiday. And this has thrown me out of my regular routine. By following a few best practices I have developed over the years, I have managed to stay on top of the important work and I wanted to share some of these practices with you.

[00:01:27] The first thing to get control of is your calendar. This is where scheduling your regular important tasks on your calendar can help. There are a number of things I have to do each week. Write this blog post, record the podcast, and record and edit my YouTube videos. During my weekly review, I review my calendar and put in the times I will create the content. Today, Monday, I have scheduled the writing of this blog post. Tomorrow, I will prepare the script for next week's podcast.

[00:01:55] And Wednesday and Thursday, I will prepare my YouTube videos. All of these will be done in the morning so I can spend the afternoon doing the kind of things you would normally do when you are on holiday. These are my core pieces of content I produce each week, and they're important to me. Because they are important, they get scheduled. No excuses. This is the same if you are on a business trip. You are out of your normal working environment, and when that happens, it is hard to get your regular work done.

[00:02:21] Often when you are away on a business trip, you are in back-to-back meetings, your normal eating habits get thrown out, and your exercise routines are thrown out of sync. This is why it is important to make sure you follow some kind of routine that will enable you to complete your core habits so the important things are getting done when they need to be done. So far in the last week, I've written a blog post on a plane, written up some client session feedback on a bus, and planned out my weekly YouTube videos while I sat in the waiting area of an airport.

[00:02:51] We're lucky to have tools that enable us to do our work anywhere, yet it can be very difficult to focus on getting that work done when you are traveling between airports and cities. There are a lot of new distractions, as well as emails coming in and all the other usual interruptions. It's tough, but if it's important to you, you need to find the time to sit down and get it done. The way to do this is to schedule one or two pieces of work each day. In effect, you use the power of the 2 plus 8 prioritization method to stay focused on what needs doing.

[00:03:21] Today, I have scheduled focused work from 9am to 12pm. I've just gotten back to Ireland from doing a workshop in the UK, and there's a lot of admin work that needs catching up on. Important emails to reply to, the usual business admin, and of course this blog post needs writing. Three hours this morning will get everything back up to date, and the rest of the day can be spent on holiday-type things. But none of that will happen by accident. I have to schedule deliberate time to get it done.

[00:03:48] If you are away on a business trip, you can schedule an hour in the morning for your important work, wake up an hour earlier than usual, and get it done. Alternatively, if you're more of a night owl, then make it a priority to spend an hour before going to bed to do your important work. This is far better than worrying about all the work that is piling up while you're away. An hour or two scheduled each day for focused work will give you the time you need to stay up to date. You can make decisions about putting off some of your work until your return.

[00:04:14] Get those into your to-do list manager, so that you're fully aware of them and trust you will see it when you get back to your base. One final trick I use is to schedule a free day when I return home. For me, I will have a day of traveling to get back home. Scheduling a free day on my return means I can recover from the traveling and have plenty of time to catch up, take stock, and do a complete weekly review.

[00:04:36] The weekly review will put me firmly back in control, and I will be able to begin my regular work fully refreshed, up-to-date, and know exactly what needs doing and when. So if you find business trips and holidays disrupt your natural working state, use your calendar to stay focused on what's important to you. Spending an hour or two each day doing the necessary work and deciding not to make a decision on some of the things you have to do until you return to your normal environment will free up your mind to either focus on your business trip or enjoy your holiday.

[00:05:06] That's a far better state than spending all day worrying about what you are not doing. You just listened to the post titled, How to Stay Productive When You Get Thrown Out of Your Routine, by Carl Pullein of carlpullein.com. At Edward Jones, we believe rich is about taking care of what gives your life meaning. That's why your financial advisor personalizes your plan, to help you preserve your progress and create something that lasts. Let's find your rich.

[00:05:36] Edward Jones, member SIPC. UKG is the workforce operating platform with unified HR, payroll, and workforce management. Built to solve the unique challenges of frontline work. Powered by People First AI and decades of labor data, UKG turns workforce intelligence into real-time decisions around staffing, pay, compliance, and productivity, enabling every worker to confidently take action as work happens. Because when work works, everything works. Learn more at ukg.com slash work.

[00:06:05] UKG, HR, pay, and workforce management. And thank you to Carl for letting us share the articles from his site. Carl is a renowned productivity and time management coach who's now helped thousands of people around the world get better at managing their time and become more productive using technology that they already carry around with them every day. He's also written three books on productivity and time management, and he's got a couple of courses you can check out as well.

[00:06:29] His purpose is to help people learn how to manage their time so that they can enjoy their lives and build a life they're truly proud of. He's also featured on Optimal Living Daily, so please check out that show for more from him. And also check out carlpullin.com. That's C-A-R-L-P-U-L-L-E-I-N dot com to show your support. All right, that is it for today's episode. I hope you enjoyed it and that you're having a great one out there. And I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.