WEBVTT - Choose today’s highlight

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to think ahead of time about what

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<v Speaker 1>will be today's highlight. Done right, this can make your

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<v Speaker 1>day feel far more pleasant and productive. This tip comes

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<v Speaker 1>from Jake Knap and John Zeratsky's book Make Time. In

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<v Speaker 1>this book, they argue that focusing on activities that fall

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<v Speaker 1>between long term goals and short term tasks is the

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<v Speaker 1>key to slowing down, bringing satisfaction to your daily life,

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<v Speaker 1>and helping you make time. Long Term goals are useful

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<v Speaker 1>for orienting you in the right direction, but make it

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<v Speaker 1>hard to enjoy the time spent working along the way,

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<v Speaker 1>and tasks are necessary to get things done, but without

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<v Speaker 1>a focal point, they fly by in a forgettable haze.

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<v Speaker 1>The middle ground between the two is a daily highlight.

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<v Speaker 1>Nap and Zaratski right that we want you to begin

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<v Speaker 1>each day by thinking about what you hope will be

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<v Speaker 1>the bright spot. If at the end of the day

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<v Speaker 1>someone asks you what was the highlight of your day?

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<v Speaker 1>What do you want your answer to be? When you

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<v Speaker 1>look back on your day, what activity or accomplishment or

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<v Speaker 1>moment do you want to save her. That's your highlight. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>a highlight doesn't have to be an obvious high point,

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<v Speaker 1>like spending half the day at a spa. On some days,

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<v Speaker 1>the highlight might be finishing a work task that really

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<v Speaker 1>needed to get done. It could be something satisfying if difficult,

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<v Speaker 1>like hitting a speed goal during your post work run.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe it's something joyful, like lunch with the colleague

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<v Speaker 1>that you always find hilarious. In any case, Nap and

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<v Speaker 1>Zaratski recommend choosing a highlight that will take about sixty

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<v Speaker 1>to ninety minutes. This isn't a huge amount of time

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<v Speaker 1>in your waking six to eighteen hours per day, but

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<v Speaker 1>figuring out the highlight ahead of time time will do

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<v Speaker 1>several positive things. First, you'll look forward to the highlight

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<v Speaker 1>and structure the day's logistics to make sure it happens. Second,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll notice the highlight while it's happening. It can be

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<v Speaker 1>easy to trudge through even good things in a distracted

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<v Speaker 1>frame of mind, but if you know lunch with your

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<v Speaker 1>colleague is a highlight, you'll pay attention to his funny

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<v Speaker 1>jokes and give yourself permission to laugh a bit more

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<v Speaker 1>rather than thinking about your inbox, and rather than going

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<v Speaker 1>through the motions of that post work run, you really

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<v Speaker 1>think about it and celebrate what your body can do.

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<v Speaker 1>And finally, choosing a highlight ahead of time can help

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<v Speaker 1>change the story we tell ourselves about our lives. It's

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<v Speaker 1>easy to fall into a trap of thinking I have

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<v Speaker 1>no time or I'm not in control of anything, But

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<v Speaker 1>even an hour spent on an activity that you are

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<v Speaker 1>executing agency over can go a long ways. Your highlight

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<v Speaker 1>gives each day a focal point. Knapp and Zerotsky right

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<v Speaker 1>research shows that the way you experience your days is

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<v Speaker 1>not determined primarily by what happens to you. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>you create your own reality by choosing what you pay

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<v Speaker 1>attention to. In a previous episode of Before Breakfast, I

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<v Speaker 1>talked about turning morning time into family time, and if

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<v Speaker 1>you're looking for a family breakfast discussion topic, this could

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<v Speaker 1>be good for everyone. What will today's highlight be? Looking

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<v Speaker 1>forward to the day's schedule, what is the main thing

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to remember from the next few hours. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe some days the highlights won't happen, or some days

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<v Speaker 1>it will be really tough to identify a highlight. But

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<v Speaker 1>as Nap and Zerotski note the upside of seeking out

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<v Speaker 1>a daily highlight is that we can always try again tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>Eventually there's going to be a highlight we can foresee

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<v Speaker 1>and celebrate. In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.