Get Your Life Back (Part Two)

(I learned this tip from Stuart R. Levine.) Consider how much time is wasted by over-explaining. When someone is going over a project they want you to handle, sometimes they continue explaining it long past the point when you understood. (In a large meeting, you’re more or less stuck listening to them drone on. You may not be able to just stand up and walk out, but you can work on something else while they’re repeating themselves ad infinitum. When I was a preacher I came up with some of my best sermons while listening to another preacher make his point for the fifteenth time.) But when you’re one-on-one, you can simply say, “I got it.” This lets them know that you understand and that there’s no need to continue. In the same way, when someone says that to you, take the hint and move on. Some people really enjoy the sound of their own voice, and others are insecure either about their ability to explain or your ability to comprehend. In either case, you can save a great deal of time by letting them know you understand and are ready to go to it.

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