WEBVTT - Know what can go

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to figure out each day what you

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<v Speaker 1>might be able to compress or skip if necessary. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>you can get mindfully back on schedule when your day

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<v Speaker 1>isn't going according to plan. I maintain that a great

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<v Speaker 1>many of the things that come up and that people

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<v Speaker 1>use as excuses are entirely foreseeable. Traffic during rush hour,

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<v Speaker 1>a snow day, a client asking for revisions. Who would

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<v Speaker 1>have thought? This is why true time management masters build

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<v Speaker 1>in buffers and make backup plans. They think about what

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<v Speaker 1>might come up, and they think about how they'll cope. However,

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<v Speaker 1>even if we are very careful, things can still disrupt

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<v Speaker 1>the schedule. Sometimes these are good things. If a new

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<v Speaker 1>client wants to spend the morning discussing potential projects, well

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<v Speaker 1>you probably do want to do that. If your back

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<v Speaker 1>up slot is later in the week, you might spend

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time figuring out how to rework the schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's another option you can try as well. Every day,

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<v Speaker 1>identify one or two things that you do plan to do,

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<v Speaker 1>but that you could eliminate or simplify if the need arose.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, you have an immediate plan of action that

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to think too much about and can

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<v Speaker 1>possibly still be on track for the day, including for

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<v Speaker 1>things in our personal lives when work runs long. So,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance, when you plan your day, you look at

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<v Speaker 1>your afternoon meeting schedule and identify the one meeting that

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<v Speaker 1>is the least important. When something goes wrong or goes

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<v Speaker 1>fabulously right in the morning, you know exactly which one

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<v Speaker 1>you're skipping, and you already have a plan for how

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<v Speaker 1>you will deal with that. Or you know that in

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<v Speaker 1>the afternoon you plan to give that report another read over,

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<v Speaker 1>but you can also send it over to a direct

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<v Speaker 1>report who can give it one last set of eyes

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<v Speaker 1>instead of yours. The day stays on track and what

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<v Speaker 1>needs to get done gets done. Or maybe you planned

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<v Speaker 1>to cook a new to you dinner for your family

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<v Speaker 1>before going to your yoga class at night. When you

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<v Speaker 1>get caught in far worse than usual traffic coming home

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<v Speaker 1>from work, you know what you'll do. You switch the

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<v Speaker 1>planned menu to grilled cheese sandwiches and an emergency bagged

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<v Speaker 1>salad that you always keep in the fridge. Voila this

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<v Speaker 1>is a less than ten minute production. You can still

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<v Speaker 1>get to your class. When you think ahead of time

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<v Speaker 1>about what you can skip or minimize, then you don't

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<v Speaker 1>have to choose the most obvious thing to skip. The

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<v Speaker 1>default during a busy day would be to go to

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<v Speaker 1>whatever meetings are on the calendar and then stay late

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<v Speaker 1>at work to finish what didn't get done. Or you

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<v Speaker 1>might choose to chuck any personal evening priorities. But that

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<v Speaker 1>isn't the only option. When you think about what can

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<v Speaker 1>go ahead of time, you can think about the choices

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<v Speaker 1>more holistically. Of course, when you think ahead of time

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<v Speaker 1>about what could go in a pinch, you might decide

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<v Speaker 1>to eliminate those things even if the pinch doesn't happen.

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<v Speaker 1>I am fully supportive of that option. Don't accept meeting requests.

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<v Speaker 1>Automatically triage your schedule when you plan your week to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that you're not just rescheduling things four times

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<v Speaker 1>in a row. If something keeps getting bumped, it's because

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<v Speaker 1>no one truly considers it a priority, so why not

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<v Speaker 1>just get rid of it for good. I'm also a

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<v Speaker 1>fan of being realistic in our personal lives. If you

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<v Speaker 1>frequently choose the same sphere for employing a shortcut like, Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>when things get crazy, I get my groceries delivered. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>why not just keep getting your groceries delivered? Maybe life

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<v Speaker 1>will stop being crazy, but I'm not so sure. In

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<v Speaker 1>any case, it is wise to be proactive and strategic

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<v Speaker 1>about our schedules. When we choose ahead of time what

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<v Speaker 1>can go, then we don't need to dither in the moment.

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<v Speaker 1>We also don't need to make choices under pressure that

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<v Speaker 1>seem obvious but aren't the only option. We can live

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<v Speaker 1>well even when time doesn't go as planned. That is

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what time management masters do in the meantime. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot

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<v Speaker 1>com that Before Breakfast is spelled out of all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio for

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