Community & Government
Organizing a Busy Life
Lesson time 13:07 min
Hillary understands what it means to live with a chaotic and jam-packed schedule. In this lesson, she walks you through a briefing binder, an organizational tool that has helped her be successful throughout her career.
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Topics include: Organizing a Busy Life • Show Up and Know Your Limits • Find a Method That Works for You • Planning and Preparation Are Key • Inside Look: A Presidential Campaign Day •
Teaches the Power of Resilience
Barrier-smashing leader Hillary Rodham Clinton teaches you how to overcome setbacks and build a life of principle and purpose.
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[UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC] - My ability to be resilient is directly tied to my ability to stay organized and to focus on what's important. In this lesson, we'll talk about how you can find an organizational framework that works for you, and I'll even show you my own system. [UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC] For the last-- oh, gosh-- 28 or 29, maybe 30 years, I have had such busy days that I've tried to organize everything that I'm doing in one place. And for me, that's a binder, what we call a briefing book. And I still do it on paper, even though much of our lives are electronic, because it helps to get everybody focused on the same material at the same time. Because it's often coming from different directions. And it's just been my experience over a lot of years that the people who take preparation seriously and organize their thoughts, organize their materials, inspire both more confidence but also are more likely to end up in control of whatever the situation might be. If you're disorganized, if you're winging it, if you are shuffling through papers because you didn't plan before you went into the meeting or the event, it doesn't inspire confidence. And you want people to think, hey, you're the person who can do this job. You're the person I want on my team. I wanted to share this briefing book because not everybody's going to run for president, not everybody would organize their day and backup information in the same way-- as a model. Because almost no matter who you are, you're going to have days that are unpredictable days or days that are more full than other days. And I find it is really a helpful organizing tool. [MELODIC PIANO MUSIC] The idea of a briefing book can also be designed to suit other situations as well. For instance, as you prepare for a job interview, you can use it to hold information about the company's history, media highlights, or interview bios. You can also organize a trip itinerary that lays out where you're going, who you're meeting with, and what information you'll need. Even simpler, it can be an easy place to lay out your family's schedules, play dates, or emergency information. You just need whatever method works for you. If it's electronic, if it's printed, if it's a book, a diary, whatever works for you. I have a method that has worked for me for a long time. There are a lot of other methods. If you don't have one, then go learn about some of them. Because every day, you need to know where you're supposed to be, what you're supposed to do, who you're doing it with. It sounds simplistic, but it's really important that you plan your day out if you want to have the maximum effect of your efforts. Number 2, for all those activities, all those meetings, you will do better and you will inspire more confidence if you think ahead. Like, what am I wanting to get out of this meeting? Why did Mary ask to meet with me? And what do I want to get out of meeting with Mary? That'...
About the Instructor
With a lifetime of smashing barriers and achieving at the highest levels of public service, Hillary Rodham Clinton has learned to tap deep wells of resilience to reach her goals. Now the former U.S. senator and secretary of state is teaching the values, lessons, and practical tools that help her rise above, even sharing her never-before-heard 2016 presidential victory speech. Be inspired to own your ambition and make your mark.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton
Barrier-smashing leader Hillary Rodham Clinton teaches you how to overcome setbacks and build a life of principle and purpose.
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