#65. Level Up Your Productivity 15 Minutes at a Time
Episode Shownotes:
If you've ever found yourself saying, "I don't have enough time," then today's episode is a must-listen. Tune in as I walk you through how to utilize 15-minute pockets of time to transform what you can get done in a day. Whether it's finishing session notes, writing evaluation reports, knocking out household chores, or even taking time to rest, we all have the opportunity to capitalize on these small windows of time and use them intentionally. I'm sharing a simple 3-step framework to help you make the most of your time, even on the busiest of days. Let's go!
Time Stamps:
00:00 Introduction and Podcast History
00:50 The Power of 15 Minutes
01:31 Personal Story: The 2 PM Rush
04:31 Identifying Pockets of Time
06:20 Three-Step Process to Utilize Time
09:02 Overcoming Procrastination
14:36 Final Thoughts and Challenge
15:59 Upcoming Events and Conclusion
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Episode Transcript*:
Welcome to Work-Life Balance for Speech Pathologists. I’m Theresa Harp, an SLP and productivity coach, and this podcast is all about how to build a successful career as an SLP and still have time for yourself and the people you love. So if you’re ready to ditch stress and burnout for a more balance and fulfilling life, then you are in the right place. Let’s dive in.
Hello SLPs, welcome to the podcast. Today, I'm going to be talking about the power of 15 minutes. So this is actually an episode. It's sort of a remake, if you will, of an episode that I did two podcasts ago. So I had, this podcast was under a different name back in 2021 when I first launched and. Rename the podcast.
So if you've been here since the very beginning, you may remember that former name, had to rebrand that podcast. That's when I started focusing more on SLPs. And then recently, summer of this year, 2024. Updated the podcast name and artwork again. So this episode or at least this topic was a topic that I covered way back when back in maybe [00:01:00] 2022 and the topic is the power of 15 minutes.
I. I think about this episode. I have thought about this episode from time to time, and I think it's a really important message that I remind, I have to remind myself of. And I figured if I need this reminder, then probably some of you all need this reminder too. And so that's what we're going to be talking about today.
The power of 15 minutes. So. In full transparency, I will share with you just how this shows up in my life and like a little story, if you will, of my experience with this and, and why this topic is important to me. So every day at around two o'clock, I find myself feeling a little bit. , Rushed, maybe, is the right word.
So I have to pick [00:02:00] my kids up from school, I have to leave my house every day by 2. 15 at the latest in order to get them. And when 2 o'clock rolls around, I can guarantee you that I start checking out mentally and telling myself, even though I've got a million things left that I want to get done, telling myself that.
It's not enough time. There's not enough time to, you know, make myself lunch, or there's not enough time to return that phone call, or there's not enough time to, you know, send an email, whatever it is. Even when I have a list in front of me, or I have a very clear vision of the things that I do want or need to get done.
And I know that some of those things do not take more than 15 minutes. I still start to write it off as just, uh, day's basically over, might as well stop. [00:03:00] Now, the challenge here, or the reason why this, in my opinion, is so detrimental, is because It is indicative of the belief, this sort of underlying belief or perspective of a scarcity mindset when it comes to time.
It's sort of representative of this idea that there is not enough time. And I don't know about you, But I can speak from personal experience and from clients who I've coached That I often will have that thought throughout the day. There's not enough time Uh, just there's just not enough time to get it all done.
Oh, there's not enough time There's not enough time and that shows up in different flavors in different ways in different words all of that But it shows up and yet here I am with these little pockets of time 2 to 2 15 That are right there for [00:04:00] me for me to use and i'm just sort of You discounting them and saying that they don't matter, that they're not enough.
And so what do I do? Nothing. Or usually I scroll. Okay. Sometimes it's I'll open up email and just scroll through email, but it's not productive. It's not intentional. It's just mindless. Sometimes I will open up Instagram or Facebook and I'll scroll through there and it really is just eating away. It's eating up time.
That I'm not using intentionally and what I want to offer is that those little pockets of time that little 15 minute window from 2 to 2. 15. That's not the only 15 minute pocket of time that there is. I can think of lots of other points within the day where this happens. So for example, as I'm in the pickup line waiting for my kids to come out, of school and I'm sitting in line in the car for like 15 minutes just waiting [00:05:00] or when I am dropping when I'm dropping my daughter off for piano and we're waiting usually her piano lessons it's 30 minutes usually it's not enough time for me to kind of go back home it doesn't make any sense so there's 30 minutes of time that is there right how many times of day do you have these little windows These little pockets of time that we just sort of brushed aside.
And maybe 15 minutes, maybe you're having a hard time believing that 15 minutes is enough. Okay, but can we agree that those 15 minute pockets add up? Okay. Think about how this shows up for you. So maybe it is a, a no show or a cancellation, a client cancels, or a client comes late, or maybe a session has to end early, or maybe you've had an unexpected reschedule, like something's changed with your session times that day.[00:06:00]
And, you know, or a meeting, a meeting that gets canceled. We all love when that happens, but do any of us really like sit down and use that time productively? Probably not. Very few, very rarely, right? And so this will show up in different ways. Like there are, there are lots of opportunities for this. So I want to walk you through sort of a three step process.
Very, very simple of how you can start to capitalize on these opportunities and use that time intentionally. So the first step of this process is recognizing when those pockets of time happen. Recognizing when they happen or that they exist, where they show up. Sometimes they're going to just show up randomly and you can't predict that.
But also if you look at your day, I guarantee you, if you're looking at it, you can find somewhere in the day. a little 15 minute window that's unaccounted for. [00:07:00] Okay? So I want you to start thinking about where are these little pockets of time? Where are they showing up in my day? Being aware of them. So for example, and I'm not saying that you have to do this, but here's one, one way, here's one idea.
If you were to wake up 15 minutes earlier, if you were to spend 15 minutes of intentional time at the end of the day, Right, like before bed, if you were to spend 15 minutes, just take 15 minutes, um, at the end of your workday. So before you're leaving, before you leave the office or your school or wherever it is that you work, could you spend 15 minutes of time there?
And 15 minutes during your workday, you now have an extra hour. You've come up with one hour of time. That you've just gifted yourself that you weren't otherwise [00:08:00] utilizing. Okay, so think about where are these pockets of time already in existence? Where might I create them? And or how do I become more aware of them when they happen spontaneously when they just happen to unfold?
to appear as a gift. Okay. So once you start recognizing the existence of these pockets of time, the next step in this process is to be willing to use that time intentionally, even if it means that you start without finishing. Okay. This is important. Even if it means you start something without finishing, because there is this underlying belief that if I can't finish it, If I, if it's not enough time for me to actually finish the task on my list, there's no point in starting.
How many of you have said that? I [00:09:00] absolutely have said that a hundred percent. Okay. And spoiler alert, but if you keep waiting for that one hour or two hour block of time to write the evaluation report, you're going to be taking work home with you. You're going to be doing work In the late nights or the early mornings or on the weekends because those big blocks of time they don't exist or if they do exist, they're like unicorns and when they show up, how likely are you to actually spend that block of time on an evaluation report when let's face it, you all have a million other things on your to do list that you want to be doing and I can get I can bet or guess that An evaluation report is probably not at the top of the list.
So What if instead of waiting for that big, big block of time, what if we were willing to start a task without finishing it? Now you [00:10:00] might be thinking, Oh, but then I have a million open tabs in my head, Teresa. Then I have a million open loops, unfinished projects. And I just showed you a few minutes ago how you have these little pockets of time throughout the day and you can even create them.
If you need to. So if you spend 15 minutes starting a task, you will have another pocket of time later on that day or the next day to work on that same task again. So it doesn't mean that you're starting a new task every single time. It just means that you're starting one task in that moment. And think about this.
How much easier will it be the next time you get that little pocket of time to begin? that task when you've already started it, right? You can just pick it back up where you left off, right? Because it's easier. It's easier to start something that's already been started, right? You've, you're not [00:11:00] beginning from the, from ground zero.
So if you're able to get that one initiation, that one initiation, then you can sort of ride that momentum when you get those other pockets of time, right? It is. Easier to work on a task when you've already started it. So why not start it? Start now, continue later and then finish faster. Okay, why wait? And actually, I would ask you to answer that question for yourself.
Why wait? Because there probably are reasons why you want to wait and rather than just ignore them or rather than believe them as fact and tell yourself that this strategy will never work for you. Actually answer that question. Why would I wait? Why would I wait? Answer that question. Go through all the reasons why you would wait.
I already offered you one that you're going to have all these open, open, unfinished, open tabs, unfinished tasks, and then you can sort of solve for those reasons. Okay. [00:12:00] One reason that you might wait that I haven't mentioned. is because it's easier. Honestly, this is often procrastination in disguise. So if you are listening to this or if you're watching this in the Facebook group and you're relating to this, what we're talking about today, then Stop.
Click the link in the show notes or click the link in the comments in the Facebook group and register for the free lunch and learn that is happening later this month. It's a free virtual lunch and learn. It is about procrastination and it will help you with this very issue. Okay, so make sure you sign up for that.
It's free. You have nothing to lose. The recording will be available. Definitely make sure that you are signed up for that event. Okay, so We've gone through two steps. The first step is to find, either create those pockets of time or find those pockets of time. The second step is to be intentional about how you use them and [00:13:00] willing to start without finishing.
And then the third step in this process, the final step, is to recognize that something is better than nothing. Okay? So get out of all or nothing thinking. We very much have, so many of us have all or nothing thinking and you need to get out of that thought pattern. You need to get out of that tendency, out of that perspective and recognize that something is better than nothing.
For example, if you only have 15 minutes, you could Choose to move your body for 15 minutes. I would offer that moving your body for 15 minutes is better than not moving your body at all. Going outside for five, 10, 15 minutes, getting fresh air change of scenery quite literally is incredibly beneficial doing a 15 minute meditation or deep breathing or tapping or whatever kind of self care you can sneak in [00:14:00] in that way.
nothing. If we keep waiting for these big blocks of time to do those things, it's not going to happen. So recognize that something is better than nothing. It's about the quality, not the quantity. How do you want to spend your time? Making a few quick phone calls, sending a message to a friend, closing your eyes and resting, right?
Any of those. Any of those, whatever works for you, but do it with intention and recognize that something is better than nothing. All right. So now I want to challenge you to find those pockets of time and start using them. And I want to be very, very clear here. I am not telling you that you need to use every minute of every day to be productive.
So if that's what you heard, Listen again, because that's not what I'm saying. I want to be very clear. Do not [00:15:00] use this episode or these strategies against yourself. I am not telling you that you have to get as much done as possible and that you need to be accomplishing things all day long. What I am telling you is that you have more time than you think you do, and you can start using those, those pockets of time in ways that serve you.
And it's okay if they're little. Snippets of time here and there, even if how you decide to spend that time is by doing nothing at all, but resting even if, okay, that's great. I want that for you. Just do it intentionally. Stop scrolling, stop, you know, task hopping or stop checking your email and think about what you can do.
That's going to serve you. in those 15 minutes of time. All right. So that is it for today's episode. Hop [00:16:00] in to the Facebook group. If you are listening to this episode on the podcast, make sure you get into the SLP support group because I'm going to be dropping more details about the free lunch and learn.
And let's get started. That's happening later this month. Again, that is scheduled for Thursday, September 26th at 12 noon Eastern. It is free. It's on zoom. All you have to do is click the link to register and I will see you there.
*Please note that this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors.