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Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to enjoy your efficiency dividend.
As we become more experienced and connected, certain work tasks can be done a lot faster.
There are lots of things you can do at this time, but recognizing its existence is a good first step.
So I recently got a question from someone whose full-time job was not taking her 40 hours a week.
She worked remotely and was able to meet all her work objectives in under 30 hours a week.
Everyone she worked with was happy with her performance.
So, the question, is this a problem?
I think this is a relatively common scenario, with some sorts of white-collar jobs, particularly for experienced and skilled people who have chosen not to move into management.
Everyone is hired with the expectation that the bundle of tasks designated as a full-time job will take about 40 hours a week.
But people obviously have wildly different levels of efficiency.
Someone just starting out won't know how to do things, so tasks will take them longer.
Even people who have been in the same business the same amount of time might work at different paces.
And then there is the reality that the longer you do something, the more you know your way around things.
Someone who is not well-connected in an industry might spend a lot of time figuring out how to get some bit of information or how to get something to happen.
Someone with a lot of experience just picks up the phone and asks for a favor.
What could have taken weeks takes five minutes.
What this means is that people with a lot of experience wind up with what I call a time dividend or perhaps an efficiency dividend.
They've invested time over the years in building their skills and their networks and now it is paying off.
What could have taken 40 hours years ago now takes 30.
So what do we do with this?
I don't think the answer is to force people to sit in the office coming up with things to do to look busy.
Some people might ask for more work, and if you sense others are overwhelmed or could use your guidance, that would be a wise and kind thing to do.
But there are other options.
Some folks might disagree with me on this, but if you are in a season of life where your personal life is extremely busy, it might be okay to just accept this for a while.
Your full-time job takes 30 hours a week.
Thank goodness, because you are dealing with your elderly parent's doctor's appointments or maybe a health issue of your own.
There will be other times in life when you work more.
No doubt, you already have.
For those not dealing with these issues.
I think it might be best in this situation to come up with your own project for those extra hours that is related to your career development.
Read broadly in your field.
Network.
Go to those various virtual seminars your company holds, or to any conferences you think might be useful.
Start an employee group for something you find fascinating.
Have lots of virtual coffees with new hires to get to know them.
Those things are all better than working slower just to show that you are busy.
They will most likely pay off for your employer, but they will definitely pay off for you.
In any case, it is most helpful to recognize what's going on.
Some people feel uneasy if their work is taking them less time than it used to.
But no banker is sad about getting dividends.
Likewise, there is no reason to worry about work taking less time than it used to.
That is part of building up your career capital.
Eventually, you get returns.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy.
Not quite.
On Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends.
Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.
This week my guests SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter.
Where does your group perform?
We do some retirement homes.
Those people are starving for banter.
Listen to humor me with robert smigel and friends on the iheart radio app, apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts on the Look Back At It podcast.
1979, that was a big moment for me.
84 was big to me.
I'm Sam Jay.
And I'm Alex English.
Each episode we pick a year, unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians and favorite authors.
Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.
It was a wild year.
I don't think there's a more important year for Black people.
Listen to Look Back at It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an iHeart Podcast.
Guaranteed human.
