WEBVTT - Planning makes time

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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 invest time in planning, because planning

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't take time, it makes time. I hear from a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people that they would like to plan, but

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<v Speaker 1>they just don't feel like they have the time. With

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<v Speaker 1>work and family demands coming at them from all directions.

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<v Speaker 1>They feel too busy or overwhelmed to think long term,

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<v Speaker 1>even if long term just means a week at a time,

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<v Speaker 1>so they never truly take stock of what they need

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<v Speaker 1>to accomplish. They just keep showing up for scheduled appointments,

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<v Speaker 1>scrambling to meet deadlines, and dealing with a never stream

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<v Speaker 1>of urgent tasks. It can feel like putting out one

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<v Speaker 1>fire after another, but it doesn't have to be that way.

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<v Speaker 1>Planning can help you get a handle on what you

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<v Speaker 1>need to do so you can get it done in

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<v Speaker 1>less time and with less stress. If you are worried

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<v Speaker 1>that you just don't have time to plan, then please

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<v Speaker 1>keep in mind two things. One is that it really

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't take much time if you do it right, probably

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<v Speaker 1>less than twenty minutes a week, maybe fifteen. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>speedy for a quick planning session, and second planning actually

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<v Speaker 1>makes time. You will free up so much time and

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<v Speaker 1>energy that you are going to come out massively ahead.

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<v Speaker 1>I usually plan my upcoming weeks on Friday afternoons, which

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<v Speaker 1>tends to be a low energy time for many people.

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<v Speaker 1>You weren't doing anything else big when you were sliding

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<v Speaker 1>into the weekend, so you are probably minimizing the opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>cost of planning right there. Start by identifying your top

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<v Speaker 1>priorities for the upcoming week. What is it that you

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<v Speaker 1>want to accomplish before next Friday. Be sure to consider

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<v Speaker 1>your work priorities and your relationship and personal priorities too.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, maybe your top priorities are to draft a

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<v Speaker 1>quarterly report, prepare a presentation, and send out invitations for

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<v Speaker 1>your son's birthday party schedule in specific blocks of time

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<v Speaker 1>when you will work on each of these priorities. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you'll gather the information and make an outline of the

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<v Speaker 1>quarterly report Monday morning and write it Wednesday morning. Presentation

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<v Speaker 1>prep might happen Tuesday afternoon, and you might address those

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<v Speaker 1>birthday party invitations while you watch The Bachelor on Monday

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<v Speaker 1>day night. Then look at the appointments you have next week,

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<v Speaker 1>any preparation you need to do, if so, get it

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<v Speaker 1>on the calendar. Any appointments you can cancel or opt

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<v Speaker 1>out of. Maybe you see a meeting that you know

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<v Speaker 1>has been rescheduled four times, Please go ahead and put

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<v Speaker 1>it out of its misery. Get that time back. What

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<v Speaker 1>about recurring or smaller tasks that need to get done?

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<v Speaker 1>Schedule times for handling these tasks, either individually or in batches.

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<v Speaker 1>For instance, every week I need to write, record and

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<v Speaker 1>send in five before breakfast podcasts, so I might block

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<v Speaker 1>off Tuesday morning and Thursday morning for that work. You

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<v Speaker 1>may realize that some of the tasks you identify are

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<v Speaker 1>low priority and can be put off till a rainy day,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe they can be delegated to someone on your team,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe they don't need to be done at all.

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<v Speaker 1>Once you know when you'll accomplish your top priorities and

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<v Speaker 1>you're recurring or smaller tasks and what scheduled commitments you

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<v Speaker 1>have and what you need to do to prepare for these,

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<v Speaker 1>you are able to work purposefully planning prompts prioritization, so

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<v Speaker 1>you start your week knowing what your most important work

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<v Speaker 1>is and when you're going to get it done. Planning

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<v Speaker 1>also lets you delegate what you can, minimize or defer

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<v Speaker 1>activities that don't add much value, and group similar activities

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<v Speaker 1>together for efficiency. In addition, planning lets you avoid losing

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<v Speaker 1>time to transitions. If you know what you need to

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<v Speaker 1>accomplish each morning and each afternoon, you don't spend thirty

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<v Speaker 1>minutes between projects spinning your wheels. You move elegantly from

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<v Speaker 1>task to task. Once you get in the habit, you

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<v Speaker 1>can do this all quite quickly, and then you start

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<v Speaker 1>to see the results. Those twenty minutes spent planning can

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<v Speaker 1>literally free up hours for productive output. You gain efficiencies

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<v Speaker 1>by making intentional choices about what to do when, so

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<v Speaker 1>this Friday, even if you are busy, especially if you

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<v Speaker 1>are busy, invest twenty minutes in planning the week ahead.

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<v Speaker 1>If you do, you will prioritize your most important work,

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<v Speaker 1>maximize your productivity, and streamline your schedule. It will get

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<v Speaker 1>more done and feel less trust And that sounds like

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<v Speaker 1>a great plan to me. In the meantime, this is Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four, then

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

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot

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<v Speaker 1>com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with 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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