1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: tip is to know and acknowledge stretches of time when 4 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: you will not be getting much done. You can plan 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: your life more rationally when your expectations match reality. Today's 6 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: tip comes from the podcast Best Laid Plans, which is 7 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: hosted by Sarah hart unger my co host on my 8 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: other podcast, Best of Both Worlds. On a recent episode, 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: Sarah read a note from a listener that described how 10 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: she divided the year. She thought of the year and 11 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: five quintiles, and one of those quinn tiles went from 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:01:00,639 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving to the end of her children's holiday break. Now, 13 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: if you do the math, that is not going to 14 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: be a very long quintile. There is maybe a week 15 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: in November, and then they had a longish like three 16 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: week holiday break from late December to early January. So 17 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: we are talking a stretch of time that is maybe 18 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: seven to eight weeks in total. This is not mathematically 19 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: a fifth of the year. But the reason this person 20 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,199 Speaker 1: divided her year up this way is that she realized 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: she basically never got much done during this stretch of 22 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: time Because her kids were out of school so much, 23 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,400 Speaker 1: they tended to take their vacations then or go visit family. 24 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: The three to four weeks or so that her kids 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: were in school between Thanksgiving and Christmas break were often 26 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: stuffed with other activities. The space available to work was limited. 27 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: She could try to play through, or she could acknowledge 28 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: that this was just not going to be a very 29 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:10,239 Speaker 1: productive time, and she could think of the season accordingly. 30 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: She could have limited expectations for her business and probably 31 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: feel happier when she met these low expectations versus setting 32 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: high expectations that would crash into reality. I think this 33 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: is a smart idea. Many of us have stretches of 34 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: time that are simply not going to be productive. Maybe 35 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: you cover for a colleague who tends to take a 36 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: vacation in late June, and then the fourth of July 37 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: causes a series of interruptions to the usual schedule, and 38 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: then you tend to take your vacation in mid July. 39 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: Probably this is just not going to be the stretch 40 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: of time when you can launch some big new speculative project. 41 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: If you have got young kids who to get sick 42 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: like clockwork in February, in March. Then maybe you need 43 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 1: to take this into account when you plan out your year. 44 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: It's not that you won't get anything done, but the 45 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: odds that you get through all eight to nine weeks 46 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: of February in March without getting sick yourself are low. Now, 47 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: obviously you can't trot out excuses all fifty two weeks 48 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: of the year, though perhaps they would be reasonable for 49 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: much of the time. The woman who didn't get much 50 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 1: done between Thanksgiving and New Years worked in a tax 51 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: education field. This meant she poured it on from January 52 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: to April and would often make a lot of her 53 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: revenue during this time. If you are going to have 54 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: a slow season, you probably need a fast season at 55 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: some other point. It might even help to note your 56 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: busy seasons for work and set your expectations for your 57 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: personal life accordingly. And we don't acknowledge these stretches that 58 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: lean one way or another, we start to feel perpetually 59 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: behind whatever sphere of life that happens to be in. 60 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: When you acknowledge that you won't be productive for a 61 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 1: particular chunk of time. On the other hand, you can 62 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: enjoy that time a lot more. You are still getting 63 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: the same amount done, but at least now you don't 64 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: feel bad as well. In the meantime, this is Laura. 65 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 66 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 67 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 68 00:04:51,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 69 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 70 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,520 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 71 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.