1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Today's tip is to be 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: nice to your future self. Have you ever had the 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: experience of looking at what's on your calendar for the 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: week and saying, Oh, my goodness, why did I agree 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: to this? What on earth was I thinking? Maybe it's 6 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: something that is theoretically interesting, your fun, but you've just 7 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 1: got so much going on right now, and you're committed 8 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 1: to this thing, and so you are kicking yourself for 9 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: saying yes. Does this sounds familiar? Well, if you're human, 10 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: I'm betting it does. I've spent a lot of time 11 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: thinking about why exactly we agree to things. I think 12 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: that what happens is that it's hard to say no. 13 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: And the further something is in the future, the more 14 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: we feel like we're assigning it to a completely different person. 15 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: We're telling ourselves, oh, June, it will never be June, 16 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: or perhaps the conversation with yourself goes something like this, Oh, 17 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: June me won't be busy. June me is going to 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: have tons of time. I mean, you do look at 19 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: your June calendar and it looks pretty clear at the moment, right, So, yeah, 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: June me can totally do this. But here's the thing. 21 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: Come June, you're going to be the exact same person 22 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: you are now. You're going to be just as busy. 23 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: You're gonna have just as much going on, only now 24 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: you will also have this other commitment that you are 25 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: lukewarm about in March, stacked onto the pile. So here's 26 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,279 Speaker 1: a better question to ask yourself. When you are asked 27 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: to do something in the future. Would I do this tomorrow? Now? 28 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: Of course you protest, I'm busy tomorrow. I'm booked up 29 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 1: solid tomorrow, which is somewhat the point because you will 30 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: be in June as well, But consider this, would you 31 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: be tempted to move stuff around or cancel things in 32 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: order to fit in this new opportunity? If you would, awesome, 33 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: You're gonna be just as excited in June. So go 34 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: ahead and say yes. I promise you won't be kicking 35 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: yourself about it. But if the answer is absolutely not, 36 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: no way, would I ever take this on for tomorrow, 37 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: probably that should be your answer for June two, because 38 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: when we think about tomorrow, we can think rationally about 39 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: the opportunity costs in a way that we just can't 40 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 1: for days that are far in the future. When you're 41 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: asked to do something. The question you should ask yourself 42 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: is not am I free? Which is often the question 43 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: that we're asking ourselves about things that occur many months 44 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: from now. The question is is this a better use 45 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: of my time than the other things I could be 46 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 1: doing tomorrow? You know exactly what you could be doing, 47 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: you know exactly what else is on your plate, and 48 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: you know just how much energy you'll have in a 49 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: way that it's really hard to picture for the future. 50 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: Here's some additional motivation for being more careful with the 51 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: word yes. If you say yes to stuff that's only 52 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: a four or five on a ten point scale, you're 53 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: gonna be too busy to say yes to the things 54 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: that are a nine or a ten. You'll already be 55 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: committed to stuff, and so you won't be able to 56 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: take on some great new opportunity, and that would be 57 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: a shame. So what low value thing are you going 58 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: to say no to today? What four or five point 59 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: thing are you going to decide just shouldn't be in 60 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: your life in the future. Let's say no and free 61 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: up space for a ten. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, 62 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, 63 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: everybody got a tip or a question. You can share 64 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: them with me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at Before 65 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod. That's be the number four then Breakfast p 66 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: o D. You can also email me at Before Breakfast 67 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: Podcast at iHeart media dot com. For the email, just 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: spell those words out. I look forward to connecting and 69 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: learning how you make the most of your time.