WEBVTT - January comes right after December

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is a reminder that January comes right after December.

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<v Speaker 1>Things that are happening in January may feel like they

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<v Speaker 1>are a long time off, being in an entirely new

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<v Speaker 1>year and all, but they really aren't. So make sure

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<v Speaker 1>your mental model of the calendar is right. Longtime listeners

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<v Speaker 1>know that I use a paper calendar. Yes, I know,

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<v Speaker 1>but I like it for various reasons we don't need

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<v Speaker 1>to go into now. Paper calendars have their upsides, but

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<v Speaker 1>a downside, at least for my version, is that the

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<v Speaker 1>calendar ends on December thirty first. Anything happening in January

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<v Speaker 1>is happening in a new calendar will Intellectually, I know

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<v Speaker 1>that the week beginning January fifth is the week right

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<v Speaker 1>after the one beginning December twenty ninth, and the week

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<v Speaker 1>beginning January twelfth is a mere two weeks after the

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<v Speaker 1>one beginning December twenty ninth. The calendar break makes it

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<v Speaker 1>feel like a chasm. Something happening on January thirteenth feels

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<v Speaker 1>like it is far in the future. From the perspective

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<v Speaker 1>of late December, even though well it isn't I get

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<v Speaker 1>caught up on this Every year. I have two kids

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<v Speaker 1>with birthdays immediately after Christmas, and I would not think

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<v Speaker 1>to plan their parties, even though I know that getting

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<v Speaker 1>an in demand spot requires booking five to six weeks

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<v Speaker 1>ahead of time. So a public service announcement six weeks before,

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<v Speaker 1>let's say, January seventeenth is December sixth, It is not

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<v Speaker 1>January fifth, when I have come up for air and

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<v Speaker 1>am looking at my calendar again. Likewise, as I think

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<v Speaker 1>about planning my annual time tracking challenges, which tend to

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<v Speaker 1>happen in January, I feel like that is far in

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<v Speaker 1>the future, but I have planned other challenges one to

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<v Speaker 1>two months out. Two months before January twelfth is wait

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<v Speaker 1>for it, November twelfth, but that was in a whole

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<v Speaker 1>different year. It just doesn't seem rgent until, of course

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<v Speaker 1>it is. I am not sure there's a good way

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<v Speaker 1>around this mental block, but fortunately when we know we

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<v Speaker 1>have certain mental blocks, we can build in systems to

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<v Speaker 1>avoid the downsides. For instance, I now put on my

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<v Speaker 1>calendar in late November to plan my post Christmas baby's

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<v Speaker 1>birthday parties. I may scratch my head when I see

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<v Speaker 1>that entry and first think, but that is ages from now,

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<v Speaker 1>and then I remind myself that, nope, it is not.

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<v Speaker 1>If you likewise have something big at work happening during

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<v Speaker 1>the first three weeks of January, do yourself a favor

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<v Speaker 1>and start building it into your mental picture before the holidays.

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<v Speaker 1>If you would normally start thinking about a big thing

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<v Speaker 1>a month in advance, well a month ahead of mid

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<v Speaker 1>January is mid December. There is likely nothing different about

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<v Speaker 1>this big project versus any other big project, and you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to do everything. But you might be kicking

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<v Speaker 1>yourself on January fifth when you realize how close the

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<v Speaker 1>deadline is. A little knowledge and planning can help you

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<v Speaker 1>get something of a head start in the meantime. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.