WEBVTT - Tiny Habits to Embrace and Avoid in 2026 EP 442 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:09.720 Hi. 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.840 I'm Laura Vanderkamp. I'm a mother of five, an author, journalist, 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:14.440 and speaker. 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:19.120 And I'm Sarah Hart Hunger, a mother of three, practicing physician, writer, 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:22.280 and course creator. We are two working parents who love 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.000 our careers and our families. 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:27.360 Welcome to best of both worlds. Here we talk about 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:30.360 how real women manage work, family, and time for fun, 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:33.360 from figuring out childcare to mapping out long. 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:34.200 Term career goals. 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:39.320 We want you to get the most out of life. 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.479 Welcome the best of both worlds. This is Laura. 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.960 This episode is airing in mid January of twenty twenty six. 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:50.680 We are going to be talking about nearly effortless good habits. 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:53.920 So there is a certain cynicism out there about New 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.800 Year's resolutions that they are destined to fail. I was 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.320 just reading a statistic that has been batted around a 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.800 lot that's something like ninety one percent of New Year's 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:03.000 resolutions fail. 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:04.560 I don't think they have to. 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.440 I think the problem is that people set really ambitions, 0:01:07.440 --> 0:01:10.360 ones that have no chance of succeeding in life as 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:12.880 it actually is. But there are lots of small things 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:15.840 that people can do differently if they want, and can 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.520 usually stick with them if they want as well. I mean, Sarah, 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:22.080 why do resolutions tend to fail? Or what makes some 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.240 happen more than others? Yeah, I have a couple thoughts 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.240 on that. I mean, the first is that I guess 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.440 I will just caveat that. I don't think a person 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:33.960 not meeting every single goal in their list is an 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.400 overall fail. If you set ten goals and you meet 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:38.680 six of them, you might have done six really awesome things. 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:41.920 That's something to be celebrated, not oh I failed, So 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:44.480 that's number one and number two. I do think like 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:48.000 the goals that are at highest risk of failing are 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:51.120 I've thought about this. It's the size, it's the emotional 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:55.639 intimidation or emotional fraughtness, or maybe they lack any degree 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:59.480 of urgency or accountability. And then also that will relate 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:02.320 to this episodisde Habit goals can be really dangerous because 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.960 if you're setting a habit goal, it means you're setting 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:08.280 out to do something multiple times. And because you're setting it, 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:10.359 it's probably something you failed to do in the past. 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:13.720 So setting it without a very clear strategy as to 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:18.000 what makes this round different from before is really kind 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:21.360 of dangerous. Territory. If you're going to set your habit goals, 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.760 you better be thinking about what's going to support that, 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.120 what's going to make this easier, and what it's going 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:28.600 to make this experience different than it has been in 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:29.240 years past. 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:34.400 Yeah, So I think aiming for simple, Aiming for something 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:37.840 that is often set to a specific time of day 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.040 or is tied into something else that you already do 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.200 that might be enjoyable. 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.800 Right, That would deal with the motivation aspect. 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.919 But really and then having a good reason for doing 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:54.880 it is all things that would help with that. But 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:59.280 I had this post on my vander Hack's substack newsletter 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.280 a couple months ago or a couple weeks ago that 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:04.720 was about Laura's little list of nearly effortless good habits, 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:07.880 and I heard from a certain reader known as Sarah 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:08.880 Hartunger that she's. 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:10.680 Like, I like this, So we thought, you know, we 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.119 can share some effortless good habits on this episode as well. 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.639 Right, Yeah, I loved this list. It made me think 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:19.680 and I thought it would be a really fun thing 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:21.400 to talk about on the show. If you are not 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:24.680 subscribed to vander Hacks, you're missing out, that is my opinion. 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:28.720 Well, we can talk about some nearly effortless good habits. 0:03:28.720 --> 0:03:31.799 We can talk about some bad habits that we can 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:34.760 try to avoid. We will pivot toward that at the 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.080 end of this episode. But if you are looking for 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:43.080 some substitute New Year's resolutions, maybe you haven't really thought 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.280 about it, or the ones you've set are no longer 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:45.960 appealing to you. 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:47.760 Already here in mid January. 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.560 Maybe some of these will be good, so we'll go 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.960 ahead and start with them. My first one is to 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:58.760 add a library stop into your weekly or perhaps bi 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:02.440 weekly schedule. Right, so many people say they want to 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:04.720 read more in the new year, or even set a 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:06.960 goal for the number of books they will read. But 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.120 reading a lot means always having compelling books on hand. 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:12.920 And it is much easier to have compelling books on 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:16.240 hand if you are constantly bringing in a fresh supply 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.080 of books that look appealing to you. So one way 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:22.400 to do that without going broke is to stop by 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:26.520 the library regularly. So I've built this into my life 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:31.640 this year. My youngest child sings in the church children's choir, 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:34.320 and they have rehearsals at a certain night per week 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:35.919 where it works for me to pick him up and 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:40.080 the large branch library in my community is fairly close 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:43.039 to the church, so I can go there because I 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:44.960 have more or less exhausted the sort of books I 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.680 like at my local branch library, which is much smaller. 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:51.520 Sarah, you do this right, Yeah, I mean I tend 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:54.039 to do a lot of ordering of books like on reserve, 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:56.280 and then I'm very lucky in that my library is 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.120 on my commute home, so I tend to build it in. 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:01.920 I wouldn't say I have a regular day, although it 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:04.800 does absolutely appeal to me to just think, like on Wednesdays, 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:06.640 I always stop at the library and pick up my 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:08.800 holds and return what I'm finished with. So I might 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:10.760 make this a little bit more of a regular occasion 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.200 based on this recommendation. 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.440 Well, see, I'm not putting lists of books I want 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.440 to read for me, it's the discovery factor, Like I 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.440 like to look at the shelves and see, ooh that 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:22.200 looks appealing, And one of the things I often get 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:27.400 is coffee table books. And this is a very conscious 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:31.920 way to reduce the tendency to scroll because I am 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:36.680 looking at beautiful photos of like nicely decorated houses or 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:42.160 vacation destinations or things like that beautiful gardens, which is 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.000 exactly the sort of thing I would be looking at 0:05:44.080 --> 0:05:48.000 on Instagram, but in analog form, I love. 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:50.240 It, and probably a lot more in most cases, a 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:53.600 lot more effort to when into each page than each story, 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:55.680 perhaps exactly. 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:57.679 All right, Sarah, what's next next? 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.240 Is from Laura. I will add water on your nightstand 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.440 and drink some of it when you wake up. So 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:06.320 I read all these habits, and many of them I'm like, ooh, 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:07.920 I would totally do that, or I already do that, 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:09.960 and this one I'm like, Nope, not happening. I am 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.599 not a thirsty human. I wrote that on the human 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:15.480 spectrum of thirst on the scale of one to ten, 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:17.760 I am a zero. I believe it's genetic. My sister 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.520 is the same way. I do drink water in the 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:23.080 morning with my coffee, mostly because I need a vehicle 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:27.120 to like take my vitamins and my cardiac medicine. But yeah, 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:28.960 I don't need the water on my nightstand. I would 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:31.240 just spill it. But if you do, you should. 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:33.280 You could put it in a water bottle and then 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.960 that makes it less likely to spill. But I do 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:37.800 you drink it when I get up in the morning. 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:39.440 I mean, I like to have it there in case 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:40.680 I wake up in the middle of the night and 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:43.080 decide I am thirsty, since I am not a zero 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:44.039 on a one to ten scale. 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:45.560 I did not know this about you, Sarah. 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:47.600 I haven't noticed, like when we're hanging out, like, oh, 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:50.240 Sarah never has a glass of water. Sarah never has 0:06:50.240 --> 0:06:51.920 a water like This isn't something I've seen. 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:54.200 But it was handy in my running days because I 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:55.280 would never carry water. 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.240 But then how do you keep, like medically from having 0:06:58.279 --> 0:06:59.080 a problem. 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:01.360 Well, when I was running in the heat, I would 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:04.240 drink water every few miles, but I just never needed 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.719 it so desperately that I wanted to carry it with me. 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.200 And I guess I just drink just enough to maintain 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:10.120 my equilibrium. 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:14.280 So yeah, things we didn't know we now know about 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:18.000 Sarah that she apparently does not experience thirst like the 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:22.400 rest of us. So Sarah, okay. Number three, Plan your 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.880 listening material. So if you spend a lot of solo 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.040 time in the car, this time can be spent listening 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.760 to random things, or it can be spent listening to 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:35.360 intentional things. So simply as part of your daily planning, 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:37.920 like if you have a time where you plan your day, 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:39.960 which I hope you do that you set out your 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.680 to do list for work, or your intentions for your 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:46.160 golden hours, whatever it is. Think about what you will 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:49.600 be listening to while you are driving around in the car. 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:50.160 Now. 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.240 Obviously, if you're driving people with you, you can talk 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:54.000 to them, but if there's solo time in the car, 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.000 is there a particular podcast like this one you might 0:07:57.040 --> 0:08:00.160 want to listen to, or is there some sort of 0:08:00.520 --> 0:08:06.000 cool music you would like to listen to a particular audiobook, 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.600 But some way to use this time intentionally so it 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:12.360 does not feel like a complete waste of time totally. 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:15.640 I curate my podcast playlist regularly, and I even have 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:17.760 different shows that I really like for different days, so 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:20.800 you could curate your you know, a typical Friday commute home. 0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:24.320 I love NPR's New Music Friday. We got Laura's Long 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:27.480 Before Breakfast episodes on Wednesdays, you got Bestly Plans on Mondays, 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:29.160 and Best of Both Worlds on Tuesdays. So really, you 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:31.640 just need something for Thursday, or if you're in the 0:08:31.640 --> 0:08:34.800 car a lot, you need more, But you know true, 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:37.640 but yes, I love that all right. Number four was 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:40.960 probably inspired by Laura's New Year's resolution in twenty twenty 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:44.840 five is eat produce for breakfast. And I was thinking 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:49.000 about this, and I think I do this automatically as well. 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.520 It's just always fruit and not vegetables. I feel like 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:55.840 vegetables would be like the level up version of this goal. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:57.400 Are you still doing this, Laura? 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:57.840 I am. 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:00.280 I am still having it produce for breakfast. But yes, 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.440 it is almost always fruit for me because that seems 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.400 to feel better in the morning than really going overboard 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:09.480 on the vegetables. Although I'm not a posed like the 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.640 can me great, you know, like an omelet with mushrooms 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:14.079 or broccoli or something like that. 0:09:14.080 --> 0:09:16.600 That would be very tasty, And I'm. 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:18.560 Not that organized in the morning to make it, but 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:20.959 I'm sure some people are and that would be great. 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:23.720 But I have been doing this for the past year. 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.320 It is so easy, and I'm pretty sure I've been 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:29.160 eating more fruit as a result, because it nudges you 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:32.079 to have fruit in the house so that you can 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:34.280 eat it for breakfast, and you tend not to only 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:37.560 buy a serving for breakfast, like you will buy six 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:39.640 apples instead of one apple, and then you've got more 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:42.319 apples in the house. That need to get eaten, or bananas, 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.439 and then before they go bad, you wind up eating 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:49.200 them or something. But it's not hard, and it is 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.000 a way to eat more good stuff. All Right, we're 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:53.560 going to take a quick ad break and then we'll 0:09:53.559 --> 0:10:09.320 be back talking with nearly effruitless good habits. Well, we 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:13.360 are back talking through a list of nearly effortless good habits. 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:17.080 If your original New Year's resolutions are either not happening 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:19.880 or feeling like they're very big and not giving you 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.959 that sort of daily boost of motivation that you want, 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.600 here are some substitute ones you might try. 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.560 So our next one is to downsize a little. 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:35.240 So if there is any treat that you consume close 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.560 to daily, and if there is a convenient way to 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:43.200 make it slightly smaller, you can wind up making it 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:47.000 a little bit still fun but not feel quite so 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:50.840 over the top indulgent. And because it is done so frequently, 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:52.680 the savings on that. 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:53.880 Part can add up. 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.880 So in my case, I am a nearly daily consumer 0:10:56.920 --> 0:11:00.319 of Starbucks strawberry aside lemonade refres. 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:02.960 I did not know I had reached this fever pitch 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:04.560 of nearly daily, okay really daily. 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:05.640 My kids got me hooked. 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:09.480 But during the past year I went from Venti down 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:12.760 to Grande on my regular orders. So it's too just 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:14.800 a little bit less sugar, and I don't really miss 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.240 the extra volume. It's it's the first couple of SIPs 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:20.160 that are good. It's not the fiftieth step. 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:21.520 I don't really need that one. 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.120 So, you know, with any sort of treat, like kitty 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:26.800 sized ice cream cone, right, like if you are a 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.560 regular visitor to an ice cream parlor, you know once 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:31.839 or twice a week, like getting the kiddy cone instead 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:35.520 of the bigger one. You still get those first bites, 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:38.319 which are the ones you want. It's the others that 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:39.800 you maybe don't need as much. 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:41.959 Oh yeah, the mini size of dairy Quain is the best. 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:44.360 And I will add to this the option of sharing. 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:46.360 So I often do this with like one of my 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:49.840 kids at a restaurant, because like a restaurant sized burger 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.240 and fries is definitely enough for two meals. So we'll 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:54.360 just split one and then get like share a side 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.120 salad or some kind of appetizer that's a little healthier, 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:59.000 and it's like a great balance and we're all happy 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:04.679 and cost us too, all right. Number six put exercise 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:08.040 on your to do list or on your calendar. Yes, 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.079 I one hundred percent agree with that. That is part 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.880 of my weekly planning process every week to I don't 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:14.840 really have to decide when I do it because the 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:18.040 timeslot is so automatic for me. But I decide what 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.319 I'm going to do each day and I love seeing 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:24.160 it there. It's like a not a guarantee, but just 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:26.280 built into my day like anything else. Is that how 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:27.000 you do it as well? 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:29.839 Yeah, I mean I don't even necessarily set a time. 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:31.680 I might think about a rough time when I would 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.040 do it. But we're recording this on a Wednesday, and 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.160 I tend to make Wednesdays to do list on Tuesday 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:40.600 at the end of the workday, and so I made 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:42.360 my list of what do I need to do on Wednesday? 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:46.280 And on that list I put run And so I 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:48.480 will run, like because I tend to obey the to 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:52.200 do list, right, and I know there is a spot 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:54.560 in my schedule where it fits, like if every minute 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.160 were accounted for, and that would I didn't have it 0:12:57.200 --> 0:12:59.439 budgeted on my schedule for that that wouldn't work. But 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:02.200 it's not that sort of day. I have an opening 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.000 where I can see that it could go. Now, if 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.040 you are very tightly scheduled, you might need to be 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:07.359 a little bit more. 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:08.240 Careful with this. 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:11.120 But even if it's just a fifteen minute walk, like 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:13.360 looking at your schedule and saying, oh, well, this is 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.360 a thirty minute meeting at eleven, and then I have 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.480 a meeting at twelve, but that thirty minutes is open. 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:23.480 I could go walk for fifteen minutes and then check 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:25.640 my email while eating my sandwich before. 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:26.520 Going to my noon meeting. 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:28.800 So putting it on your to do list or schedule 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:34.200 means it happens the next one number seven. Think about 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:39.000 Saturday by Wednesday. So I have a little bit of 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:42.040 an elaborate approach to weekend planning where I tend to 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:45.720 plan my weekends twice. As I plan my weeks on 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.280 Thursday or Friday, I'm looking forward to the next Monday 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:52.280 to Sunday week, So then I plan the far out weekend, 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:55.160 and then I plan the one that is happening in 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:58.320 two days much more tightly, knowing the weather and other 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.800 things that have come up. Most people are not going 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:02.840 to plan their weekends twice, but if you at least 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:05.200 think about what you're going to do, on the weekend. 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.800 By Wednesday or so, you'll have more options, like if 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:10.840 you need a babysitter, if you need to make a reservation, 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:13.520 if you want to do a half day trip somewhere, 0:14:13.920 --> 0:14:16.240 Like you're not going to wake up on Saturday morning 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:17.679 and think, let's all get in the car and go 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:19.400 to this place, like nobody's going to have the energy 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:19.800 to do it. 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:21.440 Like, you have to decide that ahead of time. 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:25.080 So giving yourself some moment on your Wednesday schedule to 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:27.840 think through the weekend will increase the odds of having 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:29.400 good weekends. Well. 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.000 I especially love this given that Wednesday has become a 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.040 bigger and bigger planning day for me with my current rhythms. 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.880 So I like it all right. The next one is 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:43.640 one that is very aspirational for me. I like the idea, 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:46.000 I don't think I can actually do it, and that 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:49.880 is to check email on the hour. And Laura had 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:52.760 written in her habits vander Hack's post, we all know 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.120 it's best to check email less frequently. I know it 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:57.440 can be hard to pull off if people are expecting responses. 0:14:57.600 --> 0:14:59.680 So for me, it is not that people are expecting 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.680 response and says it's that of all the vices and 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:04.600 like dopamine hits that one could be attracted to in 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.320 the world. I don't do any social media anymore. I'm 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:10.520 just sort of like left with email, and I find 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:14.000 it very hard to resist when I am in moments 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:16.720 of downtime checking my email. Now, sometimes I'm busy enough 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.160 that that doesn't happen every hour, so great, But if 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.040 I happen to, i don't know, be doing something very 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:25.640 boring like catching up on charts or something. It's very 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:27.440 hard for me to do this. So I guess I'm 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:31.120 just going to share my real world experience. Lest anyone 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:33.640 listen to this and think, wow, these two are just 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.440 making every habit sound incredibly easy when I don't. Well, 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:39.920 for me, this one would be difficult. It sounds awesome. 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:42.800 Maybe I'll try to focus on it at one point, 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:44.720 but sounds challenging. 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:47.360 So to be clear, the idea of checking email on 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.000 the hour is to get people to check email less. Yes, yeah, 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.800 because I know that many people through the workday are 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:56.280 sort of constantly in their inbox, and the problem with 0:15:56.360 --> 0:15:58.640 that is that you feel busy, but you aren't getting 0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:02.280 much done beyond response to things like you're not doing 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:04.200 any of the things that you need to execute on, 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:06.880 Like your day kind of goes back and forth between 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:10.000 email and meetings, and sometimes even during the meetings, you're 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:13.960 multitasking your email. So rather than have that happen and 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:15.600 feel like you've gotten through the whole day and haven't 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.920 gotten to anything other than the email, check on the 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.720 hour and then get out of it. Right So, if 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:23.600 you're in your inbox, like be in it for ten 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.920 to fifteen minutes or whatever, and then don't be after that, 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:30.840 because that will open up time for you to think 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.800 to do other projects, and then you could go back 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:37.760 in on the hour and you can sort of nudge 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:41.200 yourself to wait forty minutes and know that you're still 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.440 being responsive, Like most people will not notice that you're 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:47.080 not responding for like forty five minutes, but that at 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:48.800 least buys you some additional time. 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:53.520 Totally makes sense, and maybe that is something I will 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:55.960 aim for in the future, because I do see the 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:58.240 rationale behind it. And to be clear, I don't check 0:16:58.240 --> 0:16:59.680 it all day long. It's just that when I get 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:01.880 in so and moods or certain loops, that is the 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:03.800 one one of those things I sort of can't resist 0:17:04.440 --> 0:17:06.760 and you're using the opal app on This is that 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:10.680 I am currently using the opal app actually, and I 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.000 really like it. I am trying to debate whether I 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:14.680 need the paid version or whether I can just use 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:17.800 the free version. But you can set certain times where 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:19.480 and I did set my email as something I want 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:21.479 to do less of, so that if I do want 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:23.120 to check my email, it'll still let me the way 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:24.560 I have it set, but I have to like wait 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:26.760 for the thing to like do a break, And honestly 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.359 it has been a bit of a deterrent. Plus I 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:33.320 really like the you can tell how many breaks you're 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:36.919 It gives you more insight compared to screen time, which really, honestly, 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.720 I feel like has worked worse and worse over the years, 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.639 probably on purpose. So it's been helpful to be like, 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:44.760 oh wow, that was my fifth break, Like it's someone's 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:46.880 keeping track, you know, so. 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:50.040 To unneat this break, I don't know, yeah, maybe I didn't. 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.400 The next one, number nine is to end your meetings 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:58.480 ten minutes early. So if you are in charge of meetings, 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:01.280 give yourself and your tea members a few minutes to 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:04.480 decompress and to process any to do's coming out of 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:09.320 those meetings by ending on the fifty minute mark. 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:10.360 Instead of on the hour mark. 0:18:10.400 --> 0:18:12.480 And I guess the other version of this, if thirty 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:14.639 minute meetings, try and be done that like twenty minutes 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:17.960 if you can. Twenty minutes doesn't feel rude if somebody 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:19.480 has to you to have a meeting, like if you're 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:22.639 off the phone in twenty minutes, but it still buys 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:26.359 you a little bit of breathing room in your schedule. Now, obviously, 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:27.800 if you are not in charge of the meeting, it 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.679 can be harder to make this happen. But try to 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.159 get the agenda for any meeting ahead of time, and 0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:34.960 if you can help edit it to make it only 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.160 take fifty minutes, that would be great. You can also 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:42.199 offer to be the timekeeper and to keep people on 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:44.520 schedule so that you end on time and get everyone 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:45.320 off to their next thing. 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.320 Yeah, and I would say, at best, please don't go 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:52.520 over the time allotted for the meeting. I mean, unless 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.280 there's an emergency. Realize that some people may consider it 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.560