1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to see where the time really goes. 4 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: I will be tracking my time next week, as I 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: always do, and I invite you to track a lot. 6 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: When we know where the time goes, we can celebrate 7 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: what is working, and we have data that can help 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: us make mindful choices if that is desired. Long Time 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast listeners know that I am a big fan 10 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: of time tracking. I've been tracking my time on weekly 11 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: spreadsheets for over seven years now. I will be celebrating 12 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: eight years this April. Perhaps that sounds a little intense, 13 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: but I promise it really isn't. I open a new 14 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: spreadsheet every Monday morning. The spreadsheet has the days of 15 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: the week across the top Monday to Sunday, and half 16 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: hour blocks down the left hand side, five a m. 17 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: To four thirty a m. These three hundred thirty six 18 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 1: cells represent the one hundred sixty eight hours of a week. 19 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: I usually check in three times a day or so 20 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: and write down what I have done since my last 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: check in. Each check in takes about a minute, so 22 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: that is three minutes a day. This is the same 23 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 1: amount of time I spend brushing my teeth, an activity 24 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 1: that doesn't seem to intense to most people and doesn't 25 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: inspire a whole lot of resistance from me. And just 26 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: like brushing my teeth, I do think this time tracking 27 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: habit has been a good addition to my life over time. 28 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: If you want to spend your time better, you need 29 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: to know where it is going. Because if you don't 30 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: know where the time is going, now, how do you 31 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: know if you're changing the right thing. Maybe something you 32 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: thought was a problem really isn't. Maybe something you haven't 33 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: considered as taking more time than you might have imagined. 34 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,679 Speaker 1: As with any business decision, you want to work from 35 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: good data, and the only real way to get that 36 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: data is to track your time. If you have been 37 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: curious about time tracking, next week would be a great 38 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: time to try it. I will be leading my annual 39 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: time tracking challenge, as I almost always do, during the 40 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: second week of January. Thousands of people we'll track their 41 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: time together. If you would like to get daily emails 42 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: and reminders from me, then visit my website Laura Vanderkam 43 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: dot com to sign up. You can also follow along 44 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: with my time logs, which I will be posting. But 45 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: the truth is you don't need to do any of that. 46 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: You can just track however you want on a spreadsheet, 47 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: an app, a notebook, you can use anything that can 48 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: help you see where the time is going aim to 49 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: go for a week. You want to know how you 50 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: spend Tuesdays and how you spend Saturdays, because they are 51 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: all part of life. I can't promise the experience of 52 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: tracking your time will be life changing. All I know 53 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: is that it has been very helpful for me. I 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: have figured out how much sleep I need seven point 55 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: four hours per day, in case you're curious. I have 56 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: figured out where the little nooks and crannies of my 57 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: time are and how I can use those spots for hobbies. 58 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: Time tracking helps me see that I have space for 59 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: adventures even with everything else that is going on with 60 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: my family, and I have the ability to conjure up memories. 61 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: As I look at past time logs, I don't just 62 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: vaguely remember going to a conference in Massachusetts in December. 63 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: I can see that I ate lunch at Rosa Mexicana 64 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: and worked in Starbucks for an hour before my hotel 65 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: room was ready, and more about that whole memory reappears. 66 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: It is not completely gone. It is there somewhere waiting 67 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: for me to pull it out of the filing cabinet. 68 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: If you also want to figure out what your life 69 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: really looks like, and what you enjoy about your time 70 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: and what you want to change, then I invite you 71 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: to track along. Even if you only make it through 72 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: a few days, you will have a slightly better sense 73 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: of life's rhythms. Time keeps passing one way or another. 74 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: Cracking gives it a bit more shape and form. It 75 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: gives us something to work with, and that makes it 76 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: less likely to slip through our fingers. In the meantime, 77 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 78 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 79 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 80 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 81 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's B the number four, 82 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 83 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media 84 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 85 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much. I look forward to staying 86 00:05:54,839 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: in Touch Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. 87 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i 88 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 89 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. Yeah.