1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: tip is to ask for more convenient appointments. While sometimes 4 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: you need to take the time slot you are offered, 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: in many cases you can ask what else is available 6 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: and find something that's more convenient for you. Recently, I 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: went back through my time logs from twenty twenty four. 8 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: Longtime listeners know that I have tracked my time in 9 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: half hour increments since twenty fifteen. Perhaps that makes me 10 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: sound a little eccentric, but the upside is that I 11 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: do know where my time has gone, and I can 12 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: see patterns. One thing I saw clearly is that I 13 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: have I had few uninterrupted work weeks between my five kids, 14 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: various doctor and dentist appointments, and my own appointments. It 15 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: was the rare week without something. I've realized for my 16 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,839 Speaker 1: older kids that I really need to ask for early 17 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: in the day or late in the afternoon, because it 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: has become a lot harder for them to miss school. 19 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: But I realized that I wasn't giving myself the same courtesy, 20 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: particularly in the first few months of the year. I 21 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: was going to multiple physical therapy sessions each week. They 22 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: would offer me a time of let's say eleven am 23 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: on Tuesday, and I would take it. After all, I 24 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: was technically available, and it's certainly easier to make that 25 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: time work than say eight am, when I'm rushing to 26 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: get people out the door. But the net result was 27 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: that my work time was quite chopped up. I am 28 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: an efficient person, but there is a limit to how 29 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: much deep thinking you can do when you are stopping 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: and starting all the time. And then there are the 31 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: contractor visits. Now, on some level, if I'm working from home, 32 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: it seems costless to have the HVAC guys come by 33 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: at some point between eight am and noon, but it isn't. 34 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: I won't want to schedule stuff that can't be interrupted 35 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: right when they might come in, and no doubt they 36 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: will have questions and I'll need to pay them, and whoops, 37 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: there's another morning with limited focused work time. Perhaps you 38 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: have discovered the same thing. If so know this, you 39 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: can ask for more convenient appointments. A lot of service 40 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: providers have early morning slots or late afternoon slots. Some 41 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: people even have evening or weekend availability, or at least 42 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: they're open until five thirty or six. You may have 43 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: to wait slightly longer to get an appointment, but your 44 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: teeth will probably be fine if you make it to 45 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: the dentist at seven months instead of six. As for 46 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: contractor visits, sometimes this can be tricky. Some people who 47 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: work in offices and can't get time off easily actually 48 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: pay someone to come sit in their homes to meet 49 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: these people, it might be worth paying fifteen to twenty 50 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: dollars an hour to have someone sit there for four 51 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: hours if you really need something repaired right then, versus 52 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: taking that time off work. But even if you work 53 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: from home, you can try to push all contractor visits 54 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: to certain times. Maybe you decide that Friday is the day. 55 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: If the contractor gives you a window of Wednesday at 56 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: eight am to noon, you can say, no one's available then, 57 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: and you really need Friday now. Maybe it won't be 58 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: this Friday, but if it is not urgent then that 59 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: can be okay. Attention and focus are valuable in their 60 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: own right, especially if your schedule is flexible. It's easy 61 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: to see that you aren't booked for a certain slot 62 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,919 Speaker 1: and say yes, but no doubt you can do amazing 63 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: and valuable things when your attention isn't fragmented, so ask 64 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: for more convenient appointments and give yourself the gift of space. 65 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 66 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for 67 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 68 00:04:52,279 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 69 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 70 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 71 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.