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 to make your days fulfilling and not just filled.
Speaker 1: Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Cassie Holmes,
Speaker 1: a UCLA Business School professor an author of the book
Speaker 1: Happier Hour, How to beat distraction, expand your time, and
Speaker 1: focus on what matters most. Holmes notes that during the
Speaker 1: COVID pandemic, she and some other people, as she put it,
Speaker 1: found some unexpected happiness amid this unquestionably unhappy time. She
Speaker 1: writes about one friend whose nightly routine during the pandemic
Speaker 1: involved her seven year old sun, setting the table with
Speaker 1: a theme for the night dinner, and then a game
Speaker 1: of cards. Holmes's friend commented, before my days were filled,
Speaker 1: but not with things that were fulfilling. This time has
Speaker 1: made us closer. We can all probably recall times when
Speaker 1: our days were filled but were not especially fulfilling, when
Speaker 1: we were running from one thing to the next, without
Speaker 1: a lot of meeting, even with potentially meaningful events on
Speaker 1: the calendar, like a walk with a friend, the pressure
Speaker 1: of things to be done can keep us from being
Speaker 1: fully present and engaged. But we always have the power
Speaker 1: to make sure our days feel fulfilling and not just filled.
Speaker 1: You won't be surprised that one tip I have for
Speaker 1: this is to plan for meaning. Don't just assume that
Speaker 1: your life must be fulfilling if your schedule is filled. Instead,
Speaker 1: actively consider what will be fulfilling, what will have an
Speaker 1: impact on you and others, what will you remember and
Speaker 1: what will matter a month from now or even a
Speaker 1: year from now. On Fridays, when you are planning the
Speaker 1: week ahead, I suggest considering your priorities for career, relationships,
Speaker 1: and self. In each category, consider what is most important
Speaker 1: for you to do in the week. This isn't a
Speaker 1: laundry list of all the things that need to be done.
Speaker 1: You are being intentional about determining what really matters. Maybe
Speaker 1: your career priority is having an important mentoring conversation with
Speaker 1: a direct report. For relationships, your priority might be planning
Speaker 1: a family camping trip for this summer. The planning may
Speaker 1: not feel fulfilling right away, but when you are thoughtful
Speaker 1: now about how you can build closeness, have fun, and
Speaker 1: make memories on your trip, you set yourself up for
Speaker 1: a really fulfilling experience as for self, may be seeing
Speaker 1: an interesting art exhibit, finally talking with your doctor about
Speaker 1: an issue that's been worrying you, or spending a morning
Speaker 1: at a coffee shop setting intentions for the season. Could
Speaker 1: all be fulfilling. These would not be just one more
Speaker 1: scheduled commitment filling up your days. In addition to planning
Speaker 1: meaningful experiences, another key to making your time fulfilling is
Speaker 1: to be present for these experiences. That art exhibit might
Speaker 1: not be fulfilling if the whole time you are preoccupied
Speaker 1: with a work project. So pause ahead of time, take
Speaker 1: a couple of deep breaths, and remind yourself why you
Speaker 1: are there. This isn't just one more thing on the calendar.
Speaker 1: There's a reason for it. Then you can reflect on
Speaker 1: it afterwards. Remind yourself that you are doing good things
Speaker 1: with your time. If you do this, I bet that
Speaker 1: you will be able to look back on a week
Speaker 1: that wasn't just filled, but was also fulfilling. There is
Speaker 1: no point being busy just to be busy. We want
Speaker 1: to create lives worth living in the meantime. This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.