1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to send an email on Friday about 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: the weekend to anyone who spend the weekend with. Knowing 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 1: what's coming up and when everyone can have their fun 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: can vastly increase the chances that days off will be 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: spent well. Long time listeners know that I am a 8 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: big fan of planning weekends. No, this does not defeat 9 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: the purpose of weekends. I am not saying plan every minute. 10 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: And we should also be clear here that planning doesn't 11 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: only mean planning things you don't want to do. I 12 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: am on a mission to rescue planning's reputation. We want 13 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: to plan things that you you want to do. If 14 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,199 Speaker 1: you have a busy life with kids in particular, thinking 15 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: through weekends ahead of time is the only way to 16 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: make sure that the adults can enjoy themselves as well. 17 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: I am something of the cruise director in my family, 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: and I suspect many listeners of this podcast serve this 19 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,479 Speaker 1: role in their families too. Now, sometimes this can feel 20 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: unfair because it is labor, and it is often unacknowledged. 21 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: Labor but there are upsides. If you are the cruise director, 22 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: you get to decide what happens and when it happens, 23 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: and there is some real power in that. Indeed, if 24 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: you put at least some thought into making sure that 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: any other people in your household get some time for 26 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: their pursuits, you will almost never be challenged on a 27 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: weekend plan. So on Friday afternoons, I plan my week ahead. 28 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: I think about what I want to do professionally, in 29 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: my relationships, and personally too. I think about where these 30 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: things can go. I also take a look at my weekend. 31 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: Some things are already set, like kids sports practices or lessons, 32 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: or in non COVID times, things like birthday parties. Sometimes 33 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: we've arranged for outdoor, masked play dates and such. I 34 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: look at the weather and I think I built what 35 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: I'd like to do and what my husband might want 36 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: to do runs for both of us, sometimes a date 37 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: night if we have babysitter coverage, must us like grocery runs, 38 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: or if it's football season and he'll want to watch 39 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: Texas A and M something like that. It all goes 40 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: on the plan. Then I send my husband an email 41 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: with the itinerary for the weekend, including any questions like 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: do you want to drive our six year old to 43 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: rock climbing or should I. If we have long stretches 44 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: of open time, we might decide to rally the kids 45 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: for a family activity like a walk or a visit 46 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 1: to a zoo or a botanical garden. We make our reservations. 47 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: There are a few upsides to doing this ahead of time. First, 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: if we wake up on Saturday and don't know what 49 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: we're doing, we can burn a lot of energy deciding 50 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: which is energy we might need to execute on any 51 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: family activities involving five children. We also can't as easily 52 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: see the whole lay of the land, so then maybe 53 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: one person gets to run outside, but the rain starts 54 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: midday Saturday, and so the other person gets stuck using 55 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: the treadmill, or we don't see opportunities like that. I 56 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: need to get some work done, so it would be 57 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: best for me to take the six year old to 58 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: rock climbing and right while I wait there, which is 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: what I am doing right now. The second upside is 60 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: that we can look forward to things. If we know 61 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: we're going to a favorite park or cooking a special meal, 62 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: we can enjoy the anticipation. There's plenty of research finding 63 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: that anticipation accounts for the lion's share of happiness gained 64 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: from any event. Eventually, all good things are over. Eventually 65 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: it will be Monday morning. By planning, we can stretch 66 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: out the time when the good things exist in our 67 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: mental universes. Best to maximize the pleasure anyway we can. 68 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: If you tend to be the planner in your family, 69 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: you might try sending this Friday email too. Once everyone 70 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: has the schedule and answers any lingering questions, you can 71 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 1: all be on the same page. You can adjust the 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: schedule if needed beforehand, which keeps you from burning an 73 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: hour on Saturday arguing, and you'll probably start spending weekends 74 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: better with more time for adult fund around all the 75 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 1: kid activities. That is a major wind in my book. 76 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 77 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 78 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 79 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 80 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at before Breakfast pod 81 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 82 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast 83 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast 84 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 85 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 86 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from 87 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 88 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.