1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: Today's tip is a simple strategy for when you need 4 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: to do something but can't do it now. Email a 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: note to yourself. You'll be far less likely to forget 6 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: what you meant to do. It would be great if 7 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: we only got good ideas when we were able to 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: deal with them. You'd think of people to reach out 9 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: to only during business hours and when you were sitting 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: at your desk with all the information you need, you 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: think of things you'd like to do in the future 12 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: precisely when you're designated weekly planning time rolls around, if 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: only right In the real world, many of us get 14 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: good ideas while sitting at the sideline of a kid's practice, 15 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: or while waiting in line for something, well out for 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: a walk, so it goes. Often we get these ideas 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: precisely because we aren't in our normal working spots. The 18 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: change tends to jar ideas loose. The problem is that 19 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: whatever good ideas we get, or even practical ideas we get, 20 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: like oh yeah, I should follow up with John, can 21 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 1: disappear as we keep going about our lives. But there's 22 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: a simple solution to this. Almost all of us carry 23 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: our phones with us pretty much everywhere. That means we 24 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: can send an email whenever we get those great ideas. 25 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: I imagine that most people listening to this podcast do 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: eventually sort through their primary inboxes. We may not get 27 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: to current quickly, but our main inbox will be addressed 28 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: at some point. That means that it's a reasonable place 29 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: to store anything, knowing it will be looked at again. 30 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: So when you get an idea or remember something you 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: need to do, send it as an email to yourself. 32 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: Then when you are processing your email later on, you 33 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: can add that item to your calendar or to your 34 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: to do list, or you can write it wherever you 35 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: will look when you have your weekly planning session, because 36 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: you do have a designated weekly planning time right, this 37 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: works pretty well. A few weeks ago, I remembered, while 38 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: at the sideline of some kit event, that I needed 39 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: to follow up with two former employees about some tax 40 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: forms from I couldn't do much about this at the sidelines. 41 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: I needed access to those files and PDFs or printing, 42 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: but I also really needed to do it, so I 43 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: sent an email to myself. Then when I got through 44 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: my inbox. Next, I put it on the to do 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: list for the week. Everyone was located and sent the 46 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,519 Speaker 1: appropriate forms in the form they preferred before the deadline 47 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: problem solved. There are various ways to capture ideas. I 48 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: know some people use the note function on their phones, 49 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: or send themselves voicemails, or have little notepads or sticky 50 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: notes with them. These are all great if they work, 51 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,959 Speaker 1: but I've found that the email to yourself approach works 52 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: best because we always do have our phones and we 53 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: do generally process emails. Let's just say that sticky notes 54 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: sometimes get lost in my purse. It's a far less 55 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: sure system. If you have a good way of capturing ideas, 56 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear about it. You can reach me 57 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: at Laura at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime, 58 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 59 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 60 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 61 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, 62 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: and Instagram at before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, 63 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p O D. You can also shoot me 64 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: an email at before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot 65 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 66 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 67 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 68 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: more podcasts from i heart Radio, visit the i heart 69 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 70 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: favorite shows.