Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to ask each week what you are
Speaker 1: looking forward to. If you don't see anything on your
Speaker 1: schedule that sparks genuine excitement, then something needs to change
Speaker 1: right away. Long time listeners know that I am always
Speaker 1: telling people to plan their weeks on Fridays. It's one
Speaker 1: of my favorite time management rules. While the Friday part
Speaker 1: most intrigues people, and we've talked about that in other episodes,
Speaker 1: the most important takeaway is that you need to plan
Speaker 1: your life in weeks. A week is the repeating pattern
Speaker 1: of life as we live it big enough to be holess,
Speaker 1: stick small enough to be feasible. On Friday, you can
Speaker 1: look ahead to the upcoming week and figure some things out.
Speaker 1: First of all, most people figure out the things they
Speaker 1: need to do. They also hopefully figure out steps toward
Speaker 1: long term goals and where those can go. But after
Speaker 1: looking at those two matters, you are not done. As
Speaker 1: you look over the next seven days, ask yourself if
Speaker 1: there is anything you are genuinely looking forward to. Is
Speaker 1: there anything on your calendar that makes you think, Hey,
Speaker 1: I can't wait to do that. Is there anything that
Speaker 1: will make you excited when you get out of bed
Speaker 1: on that morning? I am not talking about vaguely fun
Speaker 1: things we do for other people. Sure, going to an
Speaker 1: amusement part can be fun. But if you are mostly
Speaker 1: going to bring your kids, and you are mostly going
Speaker 1: to be responsible for carrying around their half eaten snacks
Speaker 1: while they decide what to do, then this might not
Speaker 1: spark genuine excitement. I want you to look for something
Speaker 1: you don't have to talk yourself into. If it is there, awesome,
Speaker 1: But I am guessing that for a reasonable number of people,
Speaker 1: and for a reasonable proportion of weeks, there may not
Speaker 1: be anything on your calendar that makes you a little
Speaker 1: giddy with anticipation. So here is your nudge to change that.
Speaker 1: Life can feature want to do alongside the have to do.
Speaker 1: Figure out what you would love to do. It doesn't
Speaker 1: have to be expensive. I love a weekend getaway as
Speaker 1: much as the next person. But it could be lunch
Speaker 1: with a friend who energizes you. It could be drinks
Speaker 1: with friends, or a long run on an amazing trail
Speaker 1: that you keep meaning to try. If you've got a
Speaker 1: gift certificate for a massage for Christmas. Go ahead and
Speaker 1: schedule that in you want something that makes you smile
Speaker 1: when you see the calendar entry, because positive anticipation can
Speaker 1: change our entire mindset, even during bleak days. Knowing something
Speaker 1: good is coming up can let us feel some of
Speaker 1: the pleasure of the good thing long before it happens.
Speaker 1: That means the happiness can last a lot longer. So
Speaker 1: what are you looking forward to. I've got a few
Speaker 1: phone calls with people I enjoy, and drinks with a
Speaker 1: friend and a new singing group meeting up. What will
Speaker 1: you plan in? Maybe something little during the work week,
Speaker 1: something genuinely fun this weekend. Those little bits of joy
Speaker 1: may make these last bleak weeks of winter feel a
Speaker 1: little more like spring. In the meantime, This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four then Breakfast
Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast Podcasts at i heeart media dot com
Speaker 1: That Before breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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