1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to stop trying to squeeze in just 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 1: one more thing. Instead of being more efficient, you generally 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: just make yourself late, which is no fun for anyone. 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: Since I write and speak about time, I've spent a 7 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: lot of time studying other people's relationships with time, including 8 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: what time we show up for things. As I'm writing 9 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: this episode, many of us haven't left the house for 10 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: a while. But as life opens back up, we'll start 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,919 Speaker 1: needing to get from one place to another. We'll need 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: to get to these places at certain times. I am 13 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: almost comically punctual to things myself, as you might imagine, 14 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: and there are upsides to this, though there are also downsides. 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: I show up awkwardly early to parties. I could be 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: on the verse urge of solving my most important business problem, 17 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: but I will stop working on it two minutes before 18 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: reaching a solution to call someone right at ten am, 19 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: just because that's the time on my calendar. I know 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: that other folks find themselves chronically late to things, and 21 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: so I've tried to study why that is. With an 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: open mind, I know that in many cases it's not 23 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: actually because the person is engaged in some sort of 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: weird power play to demonstrate that his or her time 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: is more important than everyone else's. It turns out that 26 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: late people are wildly optimistic. They think it takes twenty 27 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: minutes to get to work because it did one time 28 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: five years ago, and that has now become the remembered standard, 29 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: even though it's taken closer to thirty or thirty five 30 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: minutes every other time since. Another way this optimism plays out, 31 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: late people think they can fit in just one more 32 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: thing before they leave. They can send one more email, 33 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: they can tidy up the kitchen. It's just a little 34 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: thing and won't take much time, and then they've taken 35 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: this task off their plates for the future, so it's 36 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: all a win, right. Well, No, the email winds up 37 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: taking more than one minute to write, and then you 38 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: see something hot in your inbox and have to look 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: in Boom, there goes twenty minutes. Now the buffer for 40 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: anything going wrong is gone. As for freeing up some 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: imagined time in the future, well, has there ever been 42 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: a time when the kitchen is clean for good or 43 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: you are completely done emailing. These are tasks that expand 44 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: to fill all available space. You haven't saved time for 45 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: yourself later by trying to squeeze them in. You've just 46 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: given these tasks more time and made yourself rushed and 47 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: harried in the process. So if you find yourself falling 48 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: into this trap next time you've got two minutes before 49 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: you need to be out the door, just go. Don't 50 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: think of this as wasted time. Think of it as 51 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: sanity space. And by the way, the time won't wind 52 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: up existing anyway. Chronically, late people tend to be very 53 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: bad at time estimation. You think it takes ten minutes 54 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: to get to church, so when you see it's services 55 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: start at ten, you think, brilliant. Time to take out 56 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: the trash. But it doesn't take ten minutes to get 57 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: to church. It takes fifteen because you have to get 58 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: everyone in the car, and then you can't actually leap 59 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: straight out of the car into the pews. You have 60 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: to park and walk in. And since you took out 61 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: the trash too, now you're really late in life. It's 62 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: good to be efficient, but it's even better to be effective. 63 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: The tendency to squeeze in just one more thing results 64 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: in feeling like there isn't enough time. We're more productive 65 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: in life when we feel that time is abundant rather 66 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 1: than scarce. Stop trying to squeeze in just one more 67 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: thing and you'll feel more sure of this abundance in 68 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 69 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, at 70 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 71 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, 72 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four, 73 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 74 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media 75 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all 76 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying 77 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. 78 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 79 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 80 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.