1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: tip is to play tetris with your schedule. Sometimes trying 4 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 1: to fit everything in can feel frustrating, but if you 5 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: recast it more as a game, you can maybe feel 6 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: a little more excited about it. So this episode is 7 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: first airing in September, which is always a time of 8 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 1: new schedules. In my family with five kids, somebody is 9 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: often starting a new school. Kids try different activities that 10 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: meet at various times. My sixteen year old will get 11 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: his driver's license soon, but he doesn't have it yet, 12 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: so our number of drivers ismed. I need to try 13 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: to preserve enough time to work. I like to have 14 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: open time on weekends for seasonal family adventures. Everyone needs 15 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: to get enough sleep, me included. This can sometimes feel 16 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: like a lot to fit into one hundred and sixty 17 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: eight hours. Sometimes I get frustrated as I am waiting 18 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: for one particular organization to post their activity schedule so 19 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: I can sign up for a class that a kid 20 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: really wants and that will affect what other activities he 21 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: can sign up for, and in the meantime, I see 22 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: those activities filling up, and well, there are a lot 23 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: of moving parts. But a few years ago I decided 24 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: to view this as something of a game. If you 25 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 1: are my age or so, you may have spent a 26 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: lot of time playing Tetris as a kid. Blocks in 27 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: various shapes drop from the sky and you try to 28 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: fit them into certain side holes in the right way. 29 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: If you create a full line, it disappears and you 30 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: survive to keep playing. If too many pieces stack awkwardly 31 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: on top of each other, you hit the top of 32 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: the screen and it's game over. I think this is 33 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: a good metaphor for a schedule too. Stuff takes various 34 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: amounts of time to do. There are certain windows of 35 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: time that are open and some that are not. The 36 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: biggest and strangest shapes have to be accounted for first, 37 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: and then you can move other things around to fit. 38 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: I certainly try to think strategically about the Tetris of 39 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: my schedule. How can we schedule things in order to 40 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: leave the most open time for other things, given that 41 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: we are usually up on weekends. Anyway, the nine to 42 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: fifteen soccer session is better than the eleven forty five 43 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: soccer session, as the latter will chop up a weekend day. 44 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: We found a swim program that offers two different options 45 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, and we could 46 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: select based on another activity that was only offered at 47 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: one time per week. Activities that happen right after school 48 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: and at school are preferable to others because there's only 49 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: one round of driving required, leaving at least one evening open. 50 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: Lets us have a low key family night, or at 51 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: least know we've got a spot for rescheduling lessons that 52 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: inevitably get canceled at some point. Things like my workouts 53 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: are flexible and so can be scheduled at any point, 54 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: but I know they are more likely to happen at 55 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: some points than others. That's one reason we are looking 56 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: into getting a treadmill for cold winter mornings. By thinking 57 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: of the schedule as a game, I guess I'm more 58 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: excited about little wins. It's not just phew, that's done. 59 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: It's like, hey, I just want another round of Tetris. 60 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: Maybe no one cares but me. Scratch that, I know 61 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: no one cares but me, But given how thankless family 62 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: scheduling can feel, I will take any positive reinforcement I 63 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: can get in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for 64 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 65 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 66 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,039 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 67 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. 68 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: That's b E the number four than Breakfast Pod. You 69 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts 70 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: at iHeartMedia that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 71 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look forward to 72 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. 73 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 74 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.