1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: tip is to map out a busy season. When you've 4 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: got a lot going on for a month or more, 5 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: it can be helpful to broaden your time horizon a bit. 6 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: That way, you will feel more in control even if 7 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: life feels complex. So this episode is airing as we 8 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: are going into the holiday season. For many folks, December 9 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: features a lot of extras, extra parties, extra travel, extra activities, 10 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: and responsibilities. When life is busy, we need to simultaneously 11 00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: do two things. One is focusing on the immediate day. 12 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: Do you know what's happening today? Do you have a 13 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: plan for today? Can you make it through today? You'll 14 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: get to rest up again before tomorrow, so you don't 15 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: need to worry too much about that. But I also 16 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: find it as helpful to have a rough idea of 17 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: the upcoming landscape. The unknown is scarier than the known, 18 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: even if the known is complex. If you were hurtling 19 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: on a raft down a river through a cave, would 20 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: you rather have a flashlight or not? Personally, I would 21 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: prefer to have the flashlight better to see those rocks 22 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: and stalactites than not. So here is a strategy. Use 23 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: a paper calendar to keep track of anything extra you 24 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: need to think about, anything time specific for the upcoming month, 25 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: or so you don't need anything fancy, print out a 26 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: calendar page showing the month of December, or maybe some 27 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: nonprofit has sent you a calendar for the year as 28 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: a freebie. Rip out the December page and put it 29 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: somewhere you can see. Take a few minutes and really 30 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: think this through, because in my experience sometimes the extras 31 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: haven't made it on too. Let's say your daily work calendar. 32 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 1: Do you have any kid performances, any work holiday events, 33 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: any community celebrations. Are there holiday festivities you'd like to attend? 34 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: When are you traveling or when are you hosting people? 35 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: Would you like to go to any religious observances during 36 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: this time? Now, obviously you can do all this electronically, 37 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: but I think more of us are visual than like 38 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: to admit, and by seeing all of it in front 39 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: of you, it is possible to get a good sense 40 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: of the rhythm of the upcoming month. I did this 41 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: and found that while some weekends were pretty full, others 42 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: actually weren't. There are four weekends in December, and there 43 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: were several weekend days with no extra holiday events. Yet 44 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: things didn't look nearly as intimidating when I looked several 45 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: weeks ahead. I sometimes do this for the end of 46 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: May and the beginning of June, and sometimes for the 47 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: start of the school year, as those tend to be 48 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: busy times for me. Maybe you have some other time 49 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: in your life that is generally more full than other times. 50 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: If so, simultaneously taking things day by day and getting 51 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: a good sense of the upcoming landscape can help you 52 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: pace yourself. You might see that a weekend day is 53 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: open and you can decide to purposefully not put something 54 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: there to give yourself a breather. Or you might see 55 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: that you have a break between work trips and it's 56 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: going to be possible to get together with a friend. 57 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: But if you don't have your flashlight, you probably won't 58 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: see this. Looking forward helps us approach time with more 59 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: of a sense of calm. In the meantime, this is Laura. 60 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 61 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to before breakfast. If you've 62 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 63 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 64 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 65 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,359 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 66 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.