1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: Today's Tip is the fourth in a five part series 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: on how to take control of your time in the 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: new year. This week, I'll be talking about five strategies 6 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: that I know will help you feel less busy and 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: get more done because they've definitely helped me. The first 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: tip was to track your time. The second was to 9 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: figure out what you'd like to spend an hour more 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: doing per week. The third was to treat your priorities 11 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 1: with the urgency you'd give to actual emergencies. And the 12 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: fourth is to move time around. Yes, sometimes of day 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: are better suited to some things than others, but by 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: being flexible about when things happen, you can build a 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: full life even if you have an intense job or 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: family responsibilities. Many people who track their time are surprised 17 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: to discover that they do have leisure time. The problem 18 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: is that this leisure time often occurs at times that 19 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: are harder to seize. And we might want to write 20 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: the Great American novel, but when you get the kids 21 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: down at eight thirty pm, Netflix looks a lot more appealing. 22 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: Than cranking out a rough draft. And sometimes we have 23 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: stories of when is the right time for things, and 24 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: if these right times don't fit in our lives, we 25 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: give up. I see this all the time from couples 26 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: who'd like to do regular dates, but getting a Saturday 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: night sitter is tough, so they give up. Or people 28 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: decide that family dinner is the sign of a functioning 29 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: family and feel bad when work and activity schedules preclude 30 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: it most week days. People who need to log long 31 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: hours at work assume that they just won't see young 32 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: kids who go to bed early during the week, or 33 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: they won't be able to play on a softball team 34 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: that me it's on Tuesday evenings. But when we choose 35 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: to be time management masters who moved time around, none 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: of these need to be big problems. For instance, if 37 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: you know you can't be creative at night, well don't 38 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: be creative at night. Try going to bed a little 39 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: bit earlier, waking up a little bit earlier, and writing. 40 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: Then magically you've turned unproductive evening hours into productive morning 41 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: hours just by moving time around. A couple, time doesn't 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: only have to happen on Saturday night. Maybe both of 43 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: you cut out of work a little early and meet 44 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: for a quick happy hour some day before us six 45 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,959 Speaker 1: pm daycare pickup. Or maybe you both work from home 46 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: on Fridays, so you schedule a long lunch break during 47 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: this time where your kids are already in school. You 48 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: put the kids in simultaneous karate classes on Saturday mornings 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: and go grab coffee together. Then no Saturday night babysitting required. 50 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: As for family dinner, I encourage people to think about 51 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 1: family meals instead. Maybe everyone gets up and has breakfast together. 52 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: A weekend launch totally counts, so does pizza altogether on 53 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: Sunday nights. It doesn't have to be a pot roast 54 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: at six pm on Tuesdays. And as for weeknight leisure 55 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 1: or family time, maybe you can move your work hours 56 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: around two. If you want to practice with the softball 57 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: team at six thirty pm on Tuesdays, you arrange to 58 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: leave work by five pm that night. Now the work 59 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: doesn't go away, but after your game is done at 60 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: nine pm, you log back on and do the work 61 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: you would have done between five and seven thirty from 62 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: nine pm. This way, you're trading off work time for 63 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: TV time as opposed to work time for your softball time, 64 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: and that's a tradeoff you might be more interested in making. 65 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: By being flexible about when things happen, we can build 66 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: the lives we want even with very constraints. So today, 67 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: think about what activities you'd like to build into your life. 68 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: Ask if you might make space by being creative. A 69 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: twenty minute jog on the basement treadmill three nights a 70 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: week after the kids go to bed might not seem 71 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: like an ideal solution, but if the alternative is not 72 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: exercising at all, it can still feel pretty good. And 73 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: then you can watch your Netflix guilt free. So how 74 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: will you move time around? What will you do at 75 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: an unorthodox time? You can let me know Before Breakfast 76 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. In the meantime, 77 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 78 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 79 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,039 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 80 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 81 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number 82 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: four then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot 83 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot 84 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 85 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 86 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 87 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 88 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 89 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: favorite shows.