Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is that when there is something you want to
Speaker 1: do in the future but you're not sure exactly when,
Speaker 1: just choose a random calendar date around when it will
Speaker 1: be doable. When that date comes, you will see it
Speaker 1: on your calendar and be able to make more specific plans,
Speaker 1: or you can bump the planning a little further into
Speaker 1: the future. So this tip is an example of what
Speaker 1: I call a vander haack, my little life hacks that
Speaker 1: make my life feel a little more efficient. And I
Speaker 1: shared this one on my blog recently with the example
Speaker 1: of a not yet published book that I would like
Speaker 1: to read someday, I saw on the publisher's lunch newsletter
Speaker 1: that someone had gotten a book deal for concept that
Speaker 1: I've found fascinating. Now. Of course, when people get book deals,
Speaker 1: that means that they are just writing the book, so
Speaker 1: it won't be out for a year or two. No
Speaker 1: one will know anything more specific than that for a while. Now.
Speaker 1: That is dangerous territory where the human brain goes. There
Speaker 1: is no way I am going to remember in a
Speaker 1: year or two to look for that particular book. I mean,
Speaker 1: maybe I'll see it in a bookstore around then and
Speaker 1: remember it, but it's probably not going to be splashed everywhere.
Speaker 1: The topic is a wee bit more esoteric. But even
Speaker 1: if I don't know when the book will be out,
Speaker 1: that's not a problem. I have planning systems and they
Speaker 1: can accommodate this. I'm guessing your systems can accommodate vague
Speaker 1: future desires too. Here's how you simply put the thing
Speaker 1: that you want to remember on your calendar for a
Speaker 1: random date that is around the time that the thing
Speaker 1: might be actionable. In my case, I put a note
Speaker 1: on my calendar for a random date a year in
Speaker 1: the future to look for the book. It doesn't really
Speaker 1: matter what date, because here's what will happen next. As
Speaker 1: we near that future date. Future Laura will see that
Speaker 1: note as part of the Friday planning she does every
Speaker 1: week when she looks at upcoming calendar items. She will
Speaker 1: then look to see if the book is out. If
Speaker 1: it is, great, she will put in a hold at
Speaker 1: the library or buy a copy. Or maybe the book
Speaker 1: won't be out, but there is a set publication date. Excellent,
Speaker 1: Future Laura can put that date on her calendar, knowing
Speaker 1: that even more in the future Laura will then be
Speaker 1: able to buy or borrow the book then, and if
Speaker 1: there is no update because our author is taking her
Speaker 1: sweet time cranking this thing out, future Laura will then
Speaker 1: simply choose another random calendar date in another six to
Speaker 1: twelve months and repeat the process. Choosing a random calendar
Speaker 1: date lets me remind my future self of a book
Speaker 1: i'd enjoy in a way that fits with my regular
Speaker 1: planning methods, and you could do the same thing. For instance,
Speaker 1: if you like the performing arts, maybe you can choose
Speaker 1: a random calendar date around the time that the season
Speaker 1: schedule for a venue near you is announced. When you
Speaker 1: see the note, you can then look to see if
Speaker 1: the calendar is available. If so, awesome, you can get
Speaker 1: tickets to all the shows you want before they sell out.
Speaker 1: If the schedule hasn't been released, you can just choose
Speaker 1: another date in a few weeks and repeat the process.
Speaker 1: This is a particularly good practice for anything you have
Speaker 1: a tendency to forget. There was a time when I
Speaker 1: was a new mom that I somewhat forgot about Halloween.
Speaker 1: My husband also forgot about Halloween, which meant that my
Speaker 1: kid went to preschool in whatever costume I could pull
Speaker 1: together at the last minute. Now, I am not sure
Speaker 1: it should always be my job to remember Halloween, but
Speaker 1: be that as it may. I put a reminder to
Speaker 1: myself for the next year on October five to order
Speaker 1: Halloween costumes, a practice I have then continued in perpetuity.
Speaker 1: Now I do not always order Halloween costumes on October fifth,
Speaker 1: but seeing the note nudges me to think about Halloween
Speaker 1: costumes and either get the kids to choose them or
Speaker 1: put it on the calendar for the next week so
Speaker 1: they can think about it and get back to me.
Speaker 1: By putting things to do on a random calendar date,
Speaker 1: you can use your existing planning systems to make sure
Speaker 1: you remember things at the right time. It's a simple
Speaker 1: way of sending messages to your future self so you
Speaker 1: don't miss out on any fun or drop any balls
Speaker 1: that you would prefer not to drop in the meantime.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our text Hey everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the
Speaker 1: number four then breakfast pod. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts. At iHeartMedia dot com
Speaker 1: that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts
Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Gang Gang h