1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: tip is to avoid time black holes. It is easy to. 4 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 2: Drift from intentions, but knowing what you intend to do 5 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 2: and whether what you are doing matches up with that 6 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: can help you make the most of your time. 7 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: When people track their time, they sometimes discover that they 8 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: lose a lot of time to drifting or puttering, pottering 9 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: or zoning out, as some people describe it. The moment 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: comes to record how they spent the last few hours, 11 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: and they realize that some of the time wasn't spent 12 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: on anything they can particularly remember. Maybe some time was 13 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: spent scroll the Internet or wandering around the house tidying 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: or opening and closing emails and calendar items. You can 15 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: probably identify your own personal black holes of time, but 16 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: time is precious. 17 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: It pays to be intentional about how you want to 18 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 2: use a chunk of time, and to notice and course 19 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 2: correct if you find yourself drifting away from that purpose. 20 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 2: If you sat down to write a blog post, or 21 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: plan the agenda for your department meeting, or write a 22 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 2: lesson plan, notice if you find yourself doing something totally unrelated, 23 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 2: then you can stop and redirect. Of course, your intention 24 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 2: for your time won't always be to do work. We 25 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 2: can drift from intended leisure or relationship time too. If 26 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 2: you plan to spend time with your partner and realize 27 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: you are actually on your phone doing nothing of consequence, 28 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: you can notice that you've drifted and put your phone away. 29 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 2: If you plan to play with your kids but realize 30 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: that you have actually drifted to tidying, you can stop 31 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: tidying and refocus on the kids. Whatever you have intended 32 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 2: to do with your time, be sure that you are 33 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 2: actually doing that if you find that easier in theory 34 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 2: than in practice, I can offer some strategies that may help. First, 35 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,079 Speaker 2: and this is always the first step, track your time 36 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 2: for a week or so. Seeing in black and white 37 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 2: what you actually do with your time is incredibly powerful 38 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 2: for building self awareness. It may also help to verbalize 39 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 2: to yourself how you are going to spend the chunk 40 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: of time that is about to start. I am going 41 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: to do laundry now, I am editing this document, I 42 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 2: am about to connect with my partner. Set an explicit 43 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: intention for the time. When you happen to notice what 44 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 2: time it is. Because you walk past a clock or 45 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 2: hear a chime, or look at your watch or phone, 46 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 2: Recall what you've been doing for the last half hour 47 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 2: and what you intended to be doing. If you wandered 48 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 2: away from your intentions, return to what you meant to 49 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: be doing with a period of time. It can also 50 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 2: be helpful to have a name for when your behavior 51 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: diverges from your intentions. Sometime trackers refer to this as 52 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 2: being a drift or zoned out, puttering, or entering a 53 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 2: black hole. Then develop pocket phrases to remind yourself not 54 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 2: to diverge from your intentions. You might say, don't go adrift, 55 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 2: or something along those lines. Note how it feels to 56 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 2: return to what. 57 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: You plan to do. Note also how satisfying it is 58 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: to know how you spend your time. If you are 59 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: tracking your time, you'll be able to record it more effectively. 60 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 1: If we want to make the most of our time, 61 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: we need to be intentional about where the time is going. 62 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: That means noticing when you go adrift so you can 63 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: get back on course in the meantime. This is Laura, 64 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 65 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody. I'd love to hear from you. 66 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 67 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 68 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then 69 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an email at 70 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast 71 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 72 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast 73 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. 74 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple 75 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.