1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: tip is to avoid pendulum swings. Consistency tends to lead 4 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: to better outcomes than going to extremes, and it also 5 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: tends to be less stressful. So when something in your 6 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: life feels out of whack, it can be easy to overcorrect. 7 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: If you've had a really busy social season, you may 8 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: be inclined to turn down all social plans for the 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: next few weeks. If you are disciplined in January about 10 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: saving money, you may wind up buying everything under the 11 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: sun in February, And if you put in a week 12 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: of really long days, you may find yourself phoning it 13 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: in the next week. The problem is that these over 14 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: corrections are seldom the right solutions either. Having zero social 15 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: plans is the recipe for heading into work Monday feeling 16 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: like the weekend never happened, which is depressing, so you 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: overschedule the next weekend and feel out of sorts again. 18 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: Saving money through deprivation doesn't help if you then spend 19 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: everything you saved, and if you slack at work, you 20 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: might need to put in long days the next week 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: in order to get caught up. Pendulum swings like these 22 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: can leave you feeling like you are never in the 23 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: right place, even if your average social events per week, 24 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: or spending per month, or sweets per day, or hours 25 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: per week worked, or any other metric seems to be 26 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: exactly what you want. If you are not within the 27 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: range of what's best for you during shorter periods, you 28 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: may end up feeling frazzled. I have certainly seen that 29 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: with sleep. Even during the worst of the baby years, 30 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: my time logs showed that I averaged seven point four 31 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: hours of sleep per day over any longer stretch of time. 32 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: But my time logs also show some awful days of 33 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: being up three times in the night, or finally getting 34 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: a baby down at one am, only to be up 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: at five point thirty to catch a plane. I'd nap 36 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: or crash other places in order to hit the average, 37 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: but it wasn't a lot of fun with babies who 38 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: don't sleep well. This is what it is. These days, 39 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: my kids are older and I can be more consistent 40 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: with daily sleep totals. I am still averaging seven point 41 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: four hours per day, but it feels entirely different than 42 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: those pendulum swings. When pendulum swings can be avoided, as 43 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: with most other metrics that don't involve nursing babies, life 44 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: will feel a lot less chaotic. So with any metric 45 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: that matters to you. Spending exercise, hours worked, social plans, 46 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: figure out what feels sustainable long term. Can you really 47 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: bill forty hours per week or is thirty six hours 48 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: more sustainable? Can you actually run twenty eight miles per 49 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: week or is twenty more realistic given your other commitments? 50 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: Will you feel overscheduled if you go out four nights 51 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: a week or disconnected if you're home for seven nights 52 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: a week. Is two hundred dollars per week doable for 53 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: groceries week to week? Or will spending two hundred dollars 54 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: on groceries this week lead you to ring up a 55 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: hefty four hundred dollars bill next week. In any aspect 56 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: of your life where you're feeling off kilter, pay attention 57 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: to the actual time and money you spend week to 58 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: week and figure out the amount that feels about right. 59 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: Then aim to get pretty close to that amount consistently. 60 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: If you do, you will be on track to meet 61 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: your long term goals and you'll also avoid the stress 62 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: and disorder that can come from pendulum swings. Not every 63 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: week will be right at the ideal, of course, but 64 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: you'll know to return to it as soon as you can. 65 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: For instance, if you put in a really long week 66 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 1: at work, perhaps you take a camp half day the 67 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: next Monday morning, but then work at a normal pace 68 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: the rest of the time. If you overindulge on a 69 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: trip to New Orleans, you don't need to eat salad 70 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: every meal for the next month. Just go back to 71 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: your usual moderate habits. It will all be fine in 72 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 1: the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's 73 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Yes, hey, everybody, 74 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 75 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 76 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. 77 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:23,279 Speaker 1: That's b E the number four then Breakfast pod. You 78 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts 79 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out 80 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look 81 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 82 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 83 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.