In a world where time is our most precious resource, how do we set boundaries and maximize productivity? Laura may Martin is Google's executive productivity advisor, and she has thought about this question a lot, both for herself and the leaders at Google who she coaches. So what is Laura's trick to not only setting boundaries but communicating them to everyone you work with? Welcome to How I Work, a show about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imber. On today's quick Win episode, we go back to an interview from the past and I pick out a quick win that you can apply today. In today's show, I speak with Laura may Martin about setting boundaries. I was about setting boundaries, and in your book Uptime, you also talk about downtime. How do you set boundaries for yourself? Giving you as someone that loves what you do, your passion comes across so clearly, but also you've got a family their priority. How do you think about boundaries?

In a world where time is our most precious resource, how do we set boundaries and maximize productivity? Laura may Martin is Google's executive productivity advisor, and she has thought about this question a lot, both for herself and the leaders at Google who she coaches. So what is Laura's trick to not only setting boundaries but communicating them to everyone you work with? Welcome to How I Work, a show about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Imber. On today's quick Win episode, we go back to an interview from the past and I pick out a quick win that you can apply today. In today's show, I speak with Laura may Martin about setting boundaries. I was about setting boundaries, and in your book Uptime, you also talk about downtime. How do you set boundaries for yourself? Giving you as someone that loves what you do, your passion comes across so clearly, but also you've got a family their priority. How do you think about boundaries?

I think the first piece of it is actually like setting them. And so when I work with an exec I say, like, what are some of your working boundaries? And a lot of times I can tell how it's going. If they have no answer to that, it means they haven't really sat down and said I do this, I don't do this, And I think that that's a piece that you really have to define. Google has a lot of cool things built into our culture where it's like I can communicate those, whether it's in my signature or in a user manual about me and working with me. But I think that actually saying in my head like I do not email on the weekends and I don't check email on the weekends, Like saying that is actually really powerful because it even keeps me accountable, you know, for saying that that's something I do. I tell people that, and then I know that they're not going to expect an email from me because I've communicated that I do that. I think it's finding these routines, so even like putting my phone away before meals and things like that so I'm not tempted to check or work while I'm with my family. So you know, it's easy to say, oh, I don't do this, but then send emails on the weekend, and it's like, no, you have to really keep that. Like eighty twenty if it's a boundary that you've set. You want to really keep that up to see the benefits of it, because if you're it's just words, you're not going to see the value.

I think the first piece of it is actually like setting them. And so when I work with an exec I say, like, what are some of your working boundaries? And a lot of times I can tell how it's going. If they have no answer to that, it means they haven't really sat down and said I do this, I don't do this, And I think that that's a piece that you really have to define. Google has a lot of cool things built into our culture where it's like I can communicate those, whether it's in my signature or in a user manual about me and working with me. But I think that actually saying in my head like I do not email on the weekends and I don't check email on the weekends, Like saying that is actually really powerful because it even keeps me accountable, you know, for saying that that's something I do. I tell people that, and then I know that they're not going to expect an email from me because I've communicated that I do that. I think it's finding these routines, so even like putting my phone away before meals and things like that so I'm not tempted to check or work while I'm with my family. So you know, it's easy to say, oh, I don't do this, but then send emails on the weekend, and it's like, no, you have to really keep that. Like eighty twenty if it's a boundary that you've set. You want to really keep that up to see the benefits of it, because if you're it's just words, you're not going to see the value.

I like the idea of putting your boundary in your email signature. Can you tell me what that looks like for you? How do you communicate boundaries? And what are some of the examples that you've seen with fellow Googles in terms of how they're communicating boundaries in the email signature.

I like the idea of putting your boundary in your email signature. Can you tell me what that looks like for you? How do you communicate boundaries? And what are some of the examples that you've seen with fellow Googles in terms of how they're communicating boundaries in the email signature.

Yes, a lot of our executives have like a user manual. They call it like how to work with Me doc, and so that's the bigger way of saying, here's how to work with me. So I have one of those that basically says, these are the things that I prefer send me an email before adding time to my calendar, because I prefer to communicate their first. During the workday, I'm usually in meetings or focused intentional, so please don't chat me unless it's something that has to do in the next thirty minutes or so. I don't check email on the weekends. I do check email from seven am to six pm or whatever that is. Or I do check email Monday through Friday. Just communicating, even like a preference like boundaries, like an aggressive word, I think, but even a preference like I prefer to be emailed versus chat. I think I've seen that in people's signatures and it just kind of gives you that, oh, okay, like I didn't know that about them, you know, or some people, some executives are like, just sign up for my office hours and don't put another email in my inbox, Like that's what those are for. So I've seen execs with that and they link to the office hours and it's like there, I was going to send them another email, but now I know, oh that I'll just schedule this slot. A lot of it's just communicating. It's just gently guiding people to work with you the way that you want to work, and it can be powerful, whether it's just one line under your name.

Yes, a lot of our executives have like a user manual. They call it like how to work with Me doc, and so that's the bigger way of saying, here's how to work with me. So I have one of those that basically says, these are the things that I prefer send me an email before adding time to my calendar, because I prefer to communicate their first. During the workday, I'm usually in meetings or focused intentional, so please don't chat me unless it's something that has to do in the next thirty minutes or so. I don't check email on the weekends. I do check email from seven am to six pm or whatever that is. Or I do check email Monday through Friday. Just communicating, even like a preference like boundaries, like an aggressive word, I think, but even a preference like I prefer to be emailed versus chat. I think I've seen that in people's signatures and it just kind of gives you that, oh, okay, like I didn't know that about them, you know, or some people, some executives are like, just sign up for my office hours and don't put another email in my inbox, Like that's what those are for. So I've seen execs with that and they link to the office hours and it's like there, I was going to send them another email, but now I know, oh that I'll just schedule this slot. A lot of it's just communicating. It's just gently guiding people to work with you the way that you want to work, and it can be powerful, whether it's just one line under your name.

Now, A lot of your time at Google is spent coaching executives, and I feel like a lot of people would imagine senior executive Google just being a master of their time and productivity. But I imagine, you know, maybe that's not the case. And I would love to know what are the biggest challenges that you observe these late as having in terms of how they're thinking about and using their time.

Now, A lot of your time at Google is spent coaching executives, and I feel like a lot of people would imagine senior executive Google just being a master of their time and productivity. But I imagine, you know, maybe that's not the case. And I would love to know what are the biggest challenges that you observe these late as having in terms of how they're thinking about and using their time.

Yeah, I get that question a lot, like what are execs dealing with? They have total control of their time, you know, thinking that they have maybe an administrative professional working with them. Isn't it easier? And it's kind of funny because you know, no matter what your level is, if you're entering the workplace or you're a very senior exec with a global team of a lot of the issues are the same. But figuring out the time management piece, the energy management piece. One of the cool things about my job is that a lot of these execs are productive and it's like maybe they've totally mastered one piece of it and I'm learning from them and then I'm able to share those practices as I go to different coaching sessions and so that's really cool, And especially I talk in the book about one executive that that really mastered urgent. You know, he had a lot of urgent coming up. He figured out how to have a slot every day for urgent. His whole team knew that slot. When something urgent comes up, they all clear their calendars knowing that's when he's going to meet with him like things like that.

Yeah, I get that question a lot, like what are execs dealing with? They have total control of their time, you know, thinking that they have maybe an administrative professional working with them. Isn't it easier? And it's kind of funny because you know, no matter what your level is, if you're entering the workplace or you're a very senior exec with a global team of a lot of the issues are the same. But figuring out the time management piece, the energy management piece. One of the cool things about my job is that a lot of these execs are productive and it's like maybe they've totally mastered one piece of it and I'm learning from them and then I'm able to share those practices as I go to different coaching sessions and so that's really cool, And especially I talk in the book about one executive that that really mastered urgent. You know, he had a lot of urgent coming up. He figured out how to have a slot every day for urgent. His whole team knew that slot. When something urgent comes up, they all clear their calendars knowing that's when he's going to meet with him like things like that.

I hope you enjoyed today's Quick Win episode. If you would like to hear the full chat with Laura, you can find a link to that in the show notes. If you're looking for more tips to improve the way you work, can Live. I write a short weekly newsletter that contains tactics I've discovered that have helped me personally. You can sign up for that at Amantha dot com. That's Amantha dot com. If you like today's show, make sure you hit follow on your podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop. How I Work was recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part of the Cooler Nation. A big thank you to my editor Rowena Murray and Martinimmer for doing the sound mix.

I hope you enjoyed today's Quick Win episode. If you would like to hear the full chat with Laura, you can find a link to that in the show notes. If you're looking for more tips to improve the way you work, can Live. I write a short weekly newsletter that contains tactics I've discovered that have helped me personally. You can sign up for that at Amantha dot com. That's Amantha dot com. If you like today's show, make sure you hit follow on your podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop. How I Work was recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part of the Cooler Nation. A big thank you to my editor Rowena Murray and Martinimmer for doing the sound mix.