WEBVTT - Making time management personal, with Anna Dearmon Kornick 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:06.600 Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:13.720 Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:17.639 Today's episode is going to be a longer one part 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:20.480 of the series where I interview fascinating people about how 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:23.120 they take their days from great to awesome and any 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.080 advice they have for the rest of us. So today 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:28.760 I'm delighted to welcome Anna Dearman Cornick to the show. 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.600 Anna is the host of the It's About Time podcast 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:36.040 and author of the book Time Management Essential. So Anna, 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:37.080 thanks for being here. 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:39.520 Hi, Laura, thank you so much for having me. 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:42.919 Yeah, well, I'm excited to talk all things time management 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:45.600 with you, a topic we both enjoy. Why don't you 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:47.760 tell us a little bit about yourself, your life, and 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:48.360 your career. 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:51.519 Sure. So, I'm a time management coach, host of It's 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.760 About Time, as you mentioned, author of Time Management Essentials, 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:59.800 but in addition to really diving into all things time management, 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:03.680 also a mom of two little girls, six and four, 0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:07.360 and we live with my husband, Scott in South Louisiana. 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:12.200 And so when I'm not serving clients who are based 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:15.080 all over the world or leading coaching sessions in the 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:19.280 It's About Time academy, you can find me chasing them around, 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:24.520 taking them to the pool, and balancing my version of 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:26.160 mom life and work life. 0:01:26.800 --> 0:01:27.240 Excellent. 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:29.319 And so how did you wind up in this area? 0:01:29.400 --> 0:01:31.360 Like what drew you to the topic of time management? 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:35.000 So what's so interesting is my very first job right 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.839 out of college was as a scheduler to a United 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:42.120 States congressman, and so very early on I was thrust 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:46.000 into trying to figure out time management for myself while 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:49.800 also managing one of the most hectic schedules in the 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:54.400 entire country. And so I learned so much in that role, 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:59.919 not only about surviving as a young professional, but also 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.480 about how to make the most of your time, how 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:07.520 to navigate curveballs that happened during your day, how to prioritize, 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:12.720 and that translated really well into a what then became 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:16.000 a ten year career in crisis communications and government affairs. 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:17.959 Yeah, well, let's talk. 0:02:17.800 --> 0:02:21.160 About being a congressional scheduler, because I think that you know, 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:25.000 many of us don't necessarily think of time as a 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:27.840 resource that has to be managed. But when you have 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:32.000 one person whose time is you know, needs to be 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:36.800 allocated to different things, to keeping constituents happy, to doing 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:41.880 their various you know, law making responsibilities and whatever public 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.120 facing life they want to do as well as you know, 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:47.560 hopefully they also get to sleep on occasion, and they 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:49.600 have to travel back and forth. So I wonder how 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:51.720 you think about that, Like what are the rules for 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:55.239 a congress person's schedule, and like how you started thinking 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:56.520 about that and managing that. 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.320 Right so it you know, one thing that you have 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:01.799 to keep in mind is that, of course it's going 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.400 to be different based on the individual, their preferences, and 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:10.040 understanding what energizes them and what drains them to make 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:13.839 sure that we're creating a flow for not just their day, 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.360 but their entire week that enables them to hit all 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.280 of those obligations. And there are so many competing obligations, 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:24.680 like you said, from running the office to meeting with 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:28.320 other policymakers and lobbyists to meeting with constituents, not to 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:33.399 mention things like fundraising calls and receptions and dinner invitations 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:37.120 and travel, and it's all over the place. And so 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:40.240 the way that we tended to think about it was 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:45.520 to prioritize those meetings where his impact would go the 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.880 furthest because there's only one of him Unfortunately, there was 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.119 a number of people on our staff who were incredibly 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.920 qualified and intelligent and able to take meetings on his behalf, 0:03:56.960 --> 0:03:59.200 and so you really had to know. 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.839 Where where do we really. 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:05.080 Have to have the congressman and where can someone stand 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.600 in and represent him on his behalf? 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:11.440 Yeah, I wonder, did you have to figure out sort 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.960 of like buffers between things, or I mean space for 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:16.839 the curve, but like what sort of a space would 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:19.080 you leave available for the curve balls that came. 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:21.719 Oh my gosh, Laura, I learned the biggest lesson my 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:23.719 very first week on the job. I put together what 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:27.320 I thought was the most amazing, meticulous, perfect schedule for 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.200 his week. And I remember that first Monday morning, our 0:04:30.279 --> 0:04:32.880 chief of staff, this big guy named Clayton, walked over 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:35.440 to my desk and he said, Anna, we have a problem, 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:40.680 and my heart sank, and he pointed out that despite 0:04:40.720 --> 0:04:44.720 the fact that we fit every constituent request into the week, 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:49.200 there were exactly zero spaces available for the boss to 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:50.159 take a bathroom break. 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:53.480 That wasn't gonna happen. 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:58.159 No, And so I learned the difference between creating a 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:01.239 schedule that's a perfect on paper and creating a schedule 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:05.560 that actually reflects our humanity. And I'm so glad I 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.520 learned that lesson early on, because then it did become Okay, 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:11.920 let's make sure that we have buffer time for him, 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:14.960 that we're not only creating space for him to be human, 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:17.720 but also to make sure that he has connection moments 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:19.960 with his family. He had two young girls at the 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.360 time who lived back home in New Orleans, and it's 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:26.440 really important to have that time when when you're away. 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:31.040 And so I really learned the importance of allocating even 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:33.720 more transition time from point A to point B than 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:36.880 necessary in order to make sure that we had a 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:40.200 realistic amount of space to accomplish what we needed to. 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:43.440 Yeah, and what were your sort of thoughts on new 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:45.080 things coming up and upsetting the. 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:49.040 Schedule that exists? Like would was the goal not to. 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:50.920 Move stuff or is like stuff have to rise over 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.120 a certain bar to move what is already there. I'm 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:58.279 curious about the cancellation policy for a congressman as well. 0:05:58.360 --> 0:05:58.920 That's great. 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.520 It was very much an depends. So on one hand, 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:05.719 we aimed to lock the calendar about two weeks in advance, 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:11.200 where no new meetings were added unless it was absolutely necessary, 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.920 but we could lock the calendar and the day would 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:18.440 be flowing smoothly, and then the vote bells would go off. 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:22.640 So Laura on Capitol Hill, any time that the members 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:24.680 are being called to the floor to vote, there are 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.000 these bells that ring, and it sounds kind of like 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.559 a school bell. And whenever I hear this bell, now 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:32.680 just out and about, I get a little bit of 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:36.479 PTSD because I remember that anytime those vote bells would 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:40.880 go off unexpectedly, because we had noticed most of the time, 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.400 but when they went off unexpectedly, I knew that I 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.919 was going to have to rearrange, drop everything, and rearrange 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:49.839 the entire calendar, because that's what they're there for. 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:51.440 Yeah. 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:53.760 Absolutely, all right, We're going to take one quick ad 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:55.400 break and then we'll be back with more from Anna 0:06:55.480 --> 0:07:05.840 Dearman Cornick. Well, I am back talking with Anna Dearman Kornick, 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.400 who is a time management expert host of the It's 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:11.200 About Time podcast. We've been chatting about her first job 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:14.400 as a congressional scheduler and what it's like to schedule 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:18.080 somebody who's every minute needs to be spelled out. But 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:19.840 let's talk a little bit about your own approach to 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.760 time management. Now, I know you've said you're very personality 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.239 driven when you think about time management. 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:26.040 What does that mean to you? 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:31.400 So? I have always been, Laura a huge fan of 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.120 personality quizzes. I mean you take me back to the 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:38.200 high school, middle school teen beat magazine where you figure 0:07:38.240 --> 0:07:43.280 out your lit gloss flavor based on your favorite pasta shape, 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.240 any of those silly quizzes like that. I love, And 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:50.040 as I got older, I really became interested in personality 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:55.440 theory assessments like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Eventually, I, 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:59.320 on a whim, decided to become a certified Myers Brinks practitioner. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:04.960 Remember in that training weekend, someone asking me, how do 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:08.160 you plan to use the Myers Briggs Everyone else there 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:12.000 was either a school counselor, or they were a seasoned coach, 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:15.239 or they worked in human resources, and I remember saying, 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:21.600 I want to use personality to help women manage their 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:24.400 time without the overwhelm. And at the time this was 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.240 years ago, I didn't know what that would look like, 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:30.720 but gradually it came into view. You know, we all 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.760 have very unique ways of thinking of making decisions. Our 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:40.880 approach to closure versus open endedness, and all of those 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:45.440 little pieces of who we are have to be considered 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:49.640 when we create our approach to time management. You know, 0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:51.719 one of the biggest mistakes that we make is when 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:54.800 we decide that I'm ready to get my time management 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.079 in order, is that we look at what other people 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:00.679 are doing. And inspiration is great. You can take so 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.640 much from what other people are doing, right, That's the 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:07.360 entire reason why I started my podcast. But when we 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:10.040 try and copy and paste what's working well for someone 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:12.720 else and then it doesn't work for us, we can 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:15.840 feel like a failure when in reality that method that 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:18.679 we were copying and pasting just might not have been 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:20.960 a fit for who we are at our core. 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:24.360 And I think I read somewhere, maybe on your website, 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.000 you are an E NTJ. I am, so I'm curious 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:31.319 how that affects you personally as you manage your time, Like, 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.720 what does that mean for you that would be different 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:34.480 from somebody else? 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.840 Absolutely? Oh that's so fun. So yes, I in Myers Briggs, 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.040 I am an E N TJ. And you may be thinking, Okay, 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.719 what do those letters mean? And without going too too 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:47.360 far into it, the Myers Briggs is basically based on 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:55.360 two on four pairs of personality preferences, and so that 0:09:55.600 --> 0:10:00.000 E is either E for extroverted or I for introverted, 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.760 that INN is either in for intuition, So really more 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:07.360 an abstract thinker versus sensing, more of a concrete, black 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.720 and white thinker. And then that T is for thinking, 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.000 So that's the type that's what drives our decision making, 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:17.200 really more logic based versus an F which is more 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:21.560 feeling and harmony based. And then JAY which stands for judging, 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:25.760 which is more about closure and P perceiving, which is 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:30.200 more about being open ended. And so as an E INTJ, 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:35.920 I am someone who needs social interaction scheduled into my 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:38.000 week or else I start to get a little crazy. 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:40.920 So that means I need to be intentional about creating 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:46.480 social opportunities for recharge, that I may prefer to mind 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:50.120 map my week out rather than have a set checklist, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:54.080 That my decisions about how I make my time might 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.680 tend to be a little bit more on the logical side, 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.320 So I need to pay special attention to be sure 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:03.680 that I'm incorporating harmony within my family. How do we 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:07.960 keep everyone you know happy and moving forward together? And 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:10.800 then with that JAY. It means I really like to 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.840 finish projects. I really like to finish things and hit 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.640 that point of completion, and so making sure that my 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.880 week is structured so that I am hitting those endpoints 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:25.400 and that all of those things are based on me 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:29.520 and the way that I think, and so just pulling 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:33.440 a time management method off of the shelf, it's not 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.000 going to work for me perfectly. And so that's where 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:39.160 so much trial and error comes into play to figure out, Okay, 0:11:39.480 --> 0:11:41.840 based on who I am and how I think, what 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:43.360 methods are going to work best for me. 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:47.000 Yeah, I think I'm supposed to be an I INTJ. 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:49.679 So I guess we have some similar overlaps. 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:54.080 Okay, So Laura, the E NTJ is the evil dictator 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:57.000 and the I n TJ is the mad scientist. So 0:11:57.480 --> 0:11:59.120 we could take over the world together. 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.640 Probably, although I have to say, you know, I think 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:08.920 being a time management person having the JAY is pretty critical. 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.000 And you know, I try out to be judging if 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:15.400 you were of people who are different, but you know, 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:21.480 like it's always thinking that something else will be a possibility. 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:26.439 It's not work when it comes to managing your time. 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.920 So you know, but that's a whole whole separate topic. 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:33.680 So I'm curious about your daily life. Are there any 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:35.679 routines that make you more productive? 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:39.480 Oh? My goodness, of course, I you know, it's funny. 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:43.319 I love routine. But I also cannot be too bound 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:45.800 by a routine, or else I'll start to rebel. So 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:47.920 that's something that I know about myself. I cannot be 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:52.640 too rigid. I'd say that having two young children four 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.600 and six year old, routines in the morning are absolutely 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:59.840 critical for us, because not only do those routines keep 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:04.080 me in line, but they keep my kids in a 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:08.200 space where it's predictable for them in a healthy way. 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:12.000 And so rather than having set routines where it's step one, 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:12.800 we do this step two. 0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:13.200 We do this. 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:15.880 We think of the morning in milestones, where we want 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.400 to be in certain parts of our home, doing certain 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:22.120 activities at certain times, and what happens in between can 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:24.800 can flex, it can go crazy. We can have a 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:28.280 dance party, we can color whatever. But as long as 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.120 we are sitting down at the kitchen table at seven 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:33.880 thirty having breakfast, we know that we'll be on track. 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:36.800 And I tend to approach my evening in the same 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:40.560 way again with milestones. Anything can happen in between, but 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.880 as long as we are turning the bathwater knob on 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.760 at six thirty, then we know that the rest of 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:48.320 the evening is going to go smoothly. 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:52.840 Do you have any morning routines that are for you 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.280 that are separate from caregiving for the rest of your family? 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:58.800 I do, you know, and it's evolved over the years, 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:03.800 but right now out my most important morning routine involves 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:06.280 waking up early and getting out the door to work out. 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:12.120 I have to based on just the day, the only 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.320 time to really get in a good workout is going 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.720 to be early in the morning, and so that looks 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:20.560 like an evening routine to set me up for success. 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:23.920 Setting out the workout clothes in the evenings, setting out 0:14:24.000 --> 0:14:29.000 the bcaa's and the creatine powder on the kitchen counter 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:32.640 so that I can scoop, scoop and go. Having all 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.640 of that makes the morning run so much easier, because 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:39.440 the morning routine looks like getting out of bed, talking 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:42.440 myself into putting in the workout clothes, putting on the 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.320 workout clothes before I can convince myself to go back 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.920 to bed, meeting a good friend at the gym, We've 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:52.760 become accountability partners because we knew that without that accountability, 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:56.400 we would struggle. Meeting each other at the gym, high fiving, 0:14:56.480 --> 0:15:00.160 going our separate ways, and then heading home, and on 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:02.880 that ride home, that's typically when I listen to podcasts. 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:04.760 That's when I really start to get my mind right 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:08.240 for the day. But the success of our mornings are 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:12.960 really determined by the consistency of my weekly planning sessions. Well, 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:15.320 we're going to talk about that, your weekly planning sessions 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:16.160 in just a minute. 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:16.920 We'll be right back. 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.480 Well, I'm back talking with Anna Darman Cornick about her life, 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:32.160 her routines, and her time management advice for everyone else. 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.320 So let's talk about weekly planning. And then I also 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:37.600 want to I don't know if this happens on Sunday 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:39.880 or not, but I saw you had a big thing 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:42.000 about what you do on Sunday to prepare for the 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:44.440 upcoming weeks. So maybe you can talk about both of 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.760 those as we think of life in terms of weeks, 0:15:46.760 --> 0:15:48.880 which is a big theme for those of us here 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:49.880 before breakfast. 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:54.320 Definitely, So I absolutely believe that the success of your 0:15:54.320 --> 0:15:57.320 week is based on the quality and the consistency of 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.920 your weekly planning. You know, a coach is not going 0:15:59.920 --> 0:16:03.760 to head into an important game without some type of 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.320 a game plan, a playbook, and getting a bird's eye 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:10.360 view of what's ahead. And so my weekly planning sessions, 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:14.840 i'd say typically they do happen on Sundays, but also 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.080 part of the weekly planning session is identifying, Hey, what's 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:20.600 happening next weekend? When am I going to do my 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:23.040 next one? Oh, makes sense to do it on Saturday 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:24.920 morning because we're going to be out of the house 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:28.040 all day on Sunday, and really kind of giving myself 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:32.320 that flexibility in when it happens. Another thing is that 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:34.600 a lot of times when we picture weekly planning sessions, 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.800 we kind of say, okay, so you're probably sitting down 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:40.760 and you're drinking coffee for thirty minutes, and you have 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:44.720 this set agenda. And sure sometimes it looks like that, 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:47.320 but most of the time it doesn't. Most of the 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.600 time it's fragmented over the course of a Sunday. But 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:54.720 as long as I get a look at my week 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:58.200 ahead and understand what's this week going to feel like? 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:00.800 Is this week going to feel is it going to 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.640 feel a little bit more relaxed and based on how 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:05.800 the week's going to feel, how do I want to 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:09.119 structure my time in order to stay on track with 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:13.200 my goals. One of the most important things incorporated into 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:17.480 my weekly planning session is adding in drive time. Now, 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:20.600 we don't necessarily spend a ton of time in the car. 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.479 We live in a relatively small town type of area, 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:28.600 but it's very clear which parent, my husband, Scott or 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.800 I is picking up the girls from camp on which day, 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:34.080 and so we have all of that drive time in 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.240 the calendar. Our calendar is a huge communication tool for us. 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:42.760 And then creating drive time slots for even just home 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.960 to Jim Jim to home, because I know that if 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:49.320 I don't have drive time in my calendar, I will 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:52.399 push all the way up until the last minute, and 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:55.399 then of course get there late because I haven't accounted 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:58.320 for parking and then walking in the door and then 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.760 finding the room where I'm going, And so transition time 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.399 is huge. Once we know what the week's going to 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:06.960 feel like, we shift into meal planning mode. Now, my 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:11.400 husband Scott, he actually handles meal planning and grocery shopping 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.040 at our home. It's this awesome partnership that we have, 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:17.399 and so based on what the week looks like, will 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.119 decide what the menu looks like. He'll take the girls 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:22.800 with a grocery list to the grocery store, and then 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:27.240 I check the weather. I check the weather, and I 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.280 actually pull clothes for the entire week for both of 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.600 my girls. Now, when I tell you, Laura, I am 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:35.320 not a morning person. The fact that I wake up 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.600 and go to the gym at five fifteen still shocks 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.720 me sometimes. And so having a check on the weather 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:45.320 and their clothes for the week pulled out on Sundays 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:48.000 and hanging on little hooks on their back on their 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:52.919 closet door, it makes a huge difference in how smooth 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:53.560 our mornings go. 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:56.359 What do you do if the kid doesn't want to 0:18:56.359 --> 0:18:57.240 wear what you chose. 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:02.359 So here's the funny thing is that my oldest wears 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:06.000 school uniforms. Oh okay, well that makes the whole thing right, 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:09.840 So she wears school uniforms, and then my youngest I 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:11.520 don't think she's really caught onto. 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:12.840 The because I caught on to the idea that there 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:13.400 are options. 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:16.800 So, you know what, whenever, whenever she does figure that out, 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:20.280 it'll probably be about time for her to start uniforms. Anyway, 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:22.919 So I'm feeling good about it, but I know that 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:24.760 I'm going to have to pivot like that's that's a 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:26.920 part of the way that we manage our time too. 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:29.560 It's not set it and forget it. We have to 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:32.639 adjust as our kids get older, as life evolves. 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:33.240 Yeah. 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:36.040 Absolutely, Well, when you're doing this weekly planning session, are 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:38.159 you planning with your husband? Then you mentioned that you know, 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:40.679 you guys move into meal planning, but it sounded like 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:43.520 there was a we involved there, So I'm curious logistically 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:44.199 what that looks like. 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.119 Doesn't that sound lovely imagining sitting with him at the 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:48.520 table and planning our week. 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:50.879 So no that, and no one's throwing anything at you 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:53.000 or asking for anything, because I know that the six 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:54.760 year old and three year old will obviously give you 0:19:54.760 --> 0:19:57.080 guys completelyway to do this right exactly. 0:19:57.160 --> 0:19:58.640 No, it's really it's. 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.119 Just me and and part of the weekly planning session 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:03.639 might happen with me standing up with my computer at 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.240 the kitchen island. Part of it might happen at the 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:10.160 kitchen table. And this when I say we move into 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:13.399 meal planning, it goes like this, Hey, Scott, I have 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:17.280 a meeting late on Tuesday, so factor that into meal 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:18.000 planning for the week. 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:21.919 Boom, that's it. Yeah, boom, that's it. Okay, got it. 0:20:22.760 --> 0:20:25.159 Are there any other sort of time management strategies that 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.040 you find yourself using frequently in your daily life? 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.760 Oh? I mean, I of course can't live without time blocking, 0:20:32.359 --> 0:20:35.600 time blocking, task patching in them days. For me, the 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:38.879 I call those the OG time management strategies, part of 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:43.240 my time management Swiss army knife. I'm actually Laura in 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:44.840 the middle of a theme week. 0:20:45.359 --> 0:20:46.160 Where what is that? 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:51.320 Oh, it's where you assign essentially a theme to your 0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:54.840 entire week in order to cut down on that context switching. 0:20:55.200 --> 0:20:58.359 So this is a podcast theme week for me. I 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:02.919 will I will end this week with twelve new podcast 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:07.040 interviews for my podcast that I'll then be able to 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:10.879 run over the next few months. And the next podcast 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.800 theme week is in October. And so this makes life 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:19.640 so easy because I'm not trying to plug interviews into 0:21:19.840 --> 0:21:22.480 my schedule because I find that I'm someone that gets whiplash, 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.320 and I don't think that this is uncommon, going from 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:29.280 a coaching session with a client to an interview for 0:21:29.359 --> 0:21:32.480 someone else's podcast, to an interview for my podcast to 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.760 a conversation with a teacher at my daughter's school. It 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:38.440 feels like a game of ping pong, back and forth, 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:42.200 back and forth. And so by having a podcast theme week, 0:21:42.440 --> 0:21:46.479 I'm able to be in this podcast mindset, this host 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:50.600 mindset all week long, and it's really exciting, it's really fun, 0:21:50.640 --> 0:21:55.159 and it's really energizing. And so looking for opportunities to 0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:57.800