1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: tip is that often is pretty much as good as always, 4 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: and often is a lot more achievable in a busy life. 5 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: Today's tip was inspired by someone who was wrestling with 6 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: the question of whether to pick her kid up at 7 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: school each day. She had a new job that allowed 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: her to work from home, and she had a reasonable 9 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: amount of control over her time, so it was theoretically 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: possible to pick her kid up at school at three 11 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: point thirty basically every day, but driving ten minutes to school, 12 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: waiting ten minutes in the car line, and then driving 13 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: ten minutes home was a thirty minute chunk out of 14 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: the afternoon at in time spent grabbing keys and shoes 15 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: and then gearing back up, and the chunk of time 16 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: got larger. Her kid could take the bus, but she 17 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: felt guilty then that she wasn't spending time with him 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: despite the flexible job. But I pointed out that none 19 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: of this was an either or situation. You can do 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: things often, but not always. Given that she did have 21 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: flexibility and autonomy with her time, she could structure different 22 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: days to look different. Maybe she could sign her kid 23 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: up for an after school activity that met at the 24 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: school one day a week, so she got a longer 25 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: uninterrupted work day on that day. Two days a week, 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: he could take the bus home, and then she would 27 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: say hello to him and then get back to work, 28 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: making the chunk of time taken out of work closer 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: to ten minutes rather than thirty. And then two days 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: a week she would pick him up at school and 31 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: just be done with work. Then she and her kid 32 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,559 Speaker 1: could hang out and do something fun. She was driving 33 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: every day right at three point thirty, but she was 34 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: spending plenty of time with her kid and taking advantage 35 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: of her flexible schedule. I suspect that many times when 36 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: people say they always do something, they really mean often anyways, 37 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: people who say they always do family dinner often miss 38 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: a night here or there. They do not truly mean 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: that the primary breadwinner turns down absolutely all work dinners 40 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: or evening events. They do not mean that when a 41 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: family member goes to visit Grandma and the next date over, 42 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: everyone else zips over there for dinner too. What they 43 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: mean is that they generally eat dinner together unless there 44 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: is a good reason not to, but so it goes 45 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: for most things. Once you decide that often is generally 46 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: as good as always, you open up all sorts of possibilities. 47 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: I often go to bed at eleven PM. I consider 48 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: that my bedtime, but if I have a really good 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: book i'm reading, I might stay up later. I often 50 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: practice the piano, but I do not do it every 51 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: single day. I often put my kids to bed, but 52 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: sometimes I am traveling or doing other things at night, 53 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: and that is okay too. What might you choose to 54 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 1: do often rather than aiming for always? What might that 55 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: make possible in your life? Thinking more broadly is often 56 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: a good thing, because life is seldom either or In 57 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 58 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening 59 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 60 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura Vancam dot com. 61 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 62 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 63 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.