How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life pdfdrive com

What if the Boss Needs You?
Min is an executive in a telecommunications company, and she often finds
herself dealing directly with the company’s global CEO. She describes him as

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“one of those perpetually hectic types, always firing questions and demanding
answers.” She’d recently read an article that helped her understand the perils of
multitasking, and she was doing well at changing some of her habits. She was
checking her messages in several defined batches each day, which meant that
nobody waited more than a couple of hours for a response from her. But it did
mean that people didn’t necessarily get a response within minutes of trying to
reach her. And that included the CEO, who grumbled about it.
Min was tempted to cave in and set a customized alert on her phone that
would ping only when he got in touch. Before resorting to that, however, she
decided to try explaining what she was doing. “I told him I was deliberately
trying to be an email ‘batcher’ rather than a ‘grazer,’ because of the scientific
evidence on multitasking. I explained I was checking emails in four or five
batches each day, which would still allow a fast turnaround time.” She says he
nodded, almost persuaded, but then asked, “What if I need to reach you really
urgently? Checking your email four times a day still means I could be waiting
three hours to get hold of you.” Min thought for a moment. “How about I make
sure my assistant can reach me if you really need me?” He agreed.
Min reflected on the power of having that short conversation. “We rarely take
the time to talk about how we schedule our day, and why we do it the way we
do. But discussing it explicitly with my boss reduced stress on both sides. It
made a big difference to both of us.”
S
INGLETASKING
Look at your schedule for today, and organize your tasks to allow your
brain to work at its best (and get more done as a result). Try the following: