1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: tip is that when you are trying to figure out 4 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 1: when to do something, consider the present. Often now is 5 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: as good as any other time, and when you do 6 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: something now, you will go ahead and get it done. 7 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: Busy people often aim to schedule things as far into 8 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: the future as possible, perhaps imagining that their future selves 9 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: won't feel nearly as stretched as their present selves. Next month, 10 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: you won't have a big presentation looming, or treework that 11 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: needs to be adjurently scheduled, or a sick kid. And 12 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: that may be true. But next month you may be 13 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: cover ring for a colleague who is out on medical leave, 14 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: or perhaps dealing with the flu yourself, your future self, 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: may have just as much on her plate as your 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: present self does. That's why I like to say now 17 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: is good whenever I can. If your partner says he 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: wants to compare calendars sometime to figure out when you 19 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: can host his new colleague and her spouse for dinner, 20 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 1: how about comparing calendars now? Just take out your phones 21 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: and find some possible dates for dinner. If a colleague 22 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: sticks her head in your office to ask if you 23 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: could schedule time to talk through a question. You may 24 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: be tempted to suggest a time in the future when 25 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: you know you are free, but she already has your 26 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: attention and you have already stopped what you were doing 27 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: so see whether she could talk right. Then you could 28 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: just answer her questions now. Of course, if she isn't 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: ready for this conversation, you'll need to schedule for another time. 30 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: But after this has happened a few times, she will 31 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: probably get in the habit of asking for a meeting 32 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: only after she is prepared for it, and in some cases, 33 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: in the process of preparing for a meeting, she'll answer 34 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: her own question. If you run into your friend as 35 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: you are both walking into the grocery store and she 36 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: suggests getting together to catch up sometime, see whether she 37 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: wants to chat right. Then you could shop together, or 38 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: maybe your grocery store has a coffee shop where you 39 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: could chat for fifteen minutes before doing your shopping. If 40 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: you are not urgently racing to something else, this might 41 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: actually be your best chance for a while. After all, 42 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: you are both there, you're going to have to do 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,519 Speaker 1: a lot of work to make that happen again in 44 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: the future. I often say that when you are asked 45 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: to take on a responsibility or schedule something for the future, 46 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: ask yourself whether you would do it tomorrow. Yes, you 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: are booked up solid tomorrow, but you will be in 48 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 1: the future too. Would you be tempted to move things 49 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: around or cancel things tomorrow in order to fit in 50 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: this new opportunity? If so, awesome, But if you don't 51 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: want to say yes for tomorrow, you aren't really going 52 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: to want to do it in the more distant future either. 53 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: The flip side of this truth is that if there 54 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: is something you do want or need to do well, 55 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: why not do it now. You don't necessarily need to 56 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: schedule for the future. You probably have just as much 57 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: time now as you ever will if it possibly fits now. 58 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: This has the benefit of not requiring an additional layer 59 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: of scheduling work. Your future self will be free to 60 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: schedule her own time in the meantime. This is Laura. 61 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 62 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to before breakfast. If you've 63 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 64 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 65 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 66 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 67 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.