Let me tell you a story: Once upon a time, an employee had a very important date after work. They were just about to turn off their monitor and put on their coat when their co-worker stopped by asking for “two seconds” of their time. The employee said sure, why not, they could spare two seconds. And that “two seconds” turned into a half-hour meeting that involved several steps and left the employee frantically apologizing to their date for showing up late.
Sure, I made this specific story up, but it’s not far from reality. In fact, this happens all the time in my office—and outside the office, too.
The problem is the way we talk about time. We like to think our requests are short, easy, or require little effort, but because we never get specific on just how much time we need to do something, everything usually ends up taking longer than expected.
So, if you want to start leaving work on time (and managing your schedule better in general) you need to stop letting people get away with saying the following to you:
1. “I Need This by End of the Day”
Ask three people in your office what “end of day” means to them. Did they have the same answer?
I did this with my colleagues and got the following three responses:
- 5 PM (an hour before you leave work)
- 6 PM (when you actually leave work)
- 12 AM (when the day physically ends)
The point is, when someone tells you to get something to them by the end of day, that could mean anything.
Follow Up With
This is where a simple let’s get on the same page statement can do wonders: “I define end-of-day as 5 PM—does that work for you?”
2. “Can You Get This to Me ASAP?”
Again, ASAP can mean different things to different people. It implies urgency—and yet, we often use it when something really isn’t all that urgent.
Follow Up With
Remind the person that you’re not just sitting idly waiting for fires by mentioning how this fits into your priorities. If it’s truly an ASAP situation, trust that they’ll let you know.
Try: “Based on my schedule, I can get this to you by 10 AM on Wednesday. If you think you need it sooner, I can do that! But I’ll have to re-adjust my priorities to make that happen.”
3. “This Will Only Take Two Seconds”
Let’s face it: Nothing takes two seconds to do. Even sneezing takes longer than this.
Follow Up With
Something along the lines of: “[I have a meeting in five minutes/I was about to head out and meet my friend for dinner/I’m coming up against a big deadline], so if it’s truly a quick conversation, I can have it now—but if not, can it wait?”
4. “Quick Question for You...”
If you read my story above, you know that quick questions are rarely quick.
Follow Up With
The same as above, ask them exactly how long their question might take to cover.
5. “I'm Running Five Minutes Late, Sorry”
Chances are this person will not arrive in exactly five minutes.
Follow Up With
Get a sense of where they are and if they’re worth waiting for: “We’d like to get this meeting finished by 4 PM—where are you currently, and should we start without you and catch you up later?”
This goes both ways as well. If you catch yourself using this language, force yourself to clarify. Because the more we start talking about time in realistic terms, the better we can all work together to manage each other’s expectations.
