1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,600 Speaker 1: tip is to get the confetti out of your schedule. 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: By being strategic, you might get longer stretches of time 5 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: for things in your schedule, rather than small chunks of 6 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: time that are hard to use. Well. Many years ago, 7 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: in Bridget Schulty's book Overwhelmed, she coined the term time 8 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: confetti to describe the little chunks of time that are 9 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: scattered around so many schedules. A few minutes while you 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: are waiting for a meeting to start, a few minutes 11 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: before you need to go pick somebody up from basketball practice. Now, 12 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: Shalty was pretty negative about all this, but I do 13 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: believe this time confetti can be used. For instance, it 14 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: is quite possible to read in ten to fifteen minute chunks. 15 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: You can do a quick strength workout in ten to 16 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,479 Speaker 1: fifteen minute chunks. You can call a friend in ten 17 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: to fifteen minute chunks. I often work on my puzzles 18 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,199 Speaker 1: in ten to fifteen minute chunks. I know this requires 19 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: some planning ahead, which can be hard. I think it's 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: worth it, but I do know it is hard. That's said, 21 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: with just a little bit more intention, it might be 22 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: possible to minimize the existence of time confetti, not get 23 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: rid of it, but have less of it and have 24 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: longer chunks of time for leisure or deeper work. For instance, 25 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: as you are doing your weekly planning and figuring out 26 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: your professional and personal priorities for the next week, look 27 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: to see what is already on your schedule. Are there 28 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: little meetings stuck in the middle of otherwise open chunks 29 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: of time? Can these be moved or do they really 30 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: have to happen? Reach out and see what the person 31 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: wants to meet about. Maybe it's a quick question that 32 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: could be answered right then, or maybe you see meetings 33 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: with thirty minutes of chunks of time between them. While 34 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: too much back to back stuff can be rough, you 35 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: might prefer to have two meetings back to back and 36 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: then have two hours open for other things. Then a 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: different schedule configuration. You might also be more strategic in 38 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: your personal life. The other night, I decided that, with 39 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: a little help from my teenagers, I didn't need to 40 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: come home after dropping the eleven year old off at 41 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: something at seven ten and before picking him up at 42 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: eight twenty five, I would only have gotten about thirty 43 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: minutes at home, and I would have had to spend 44 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: an extra forty minutes in the car. By sitting in 45 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: the lobby of his class, I could work for forty 46 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: five minutes and read a magazine for thirty minutes, enjoying 47 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: this longer stretch of time. Whether it's a carpool, putting 48 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: activities close together, or hiring someone to help, you might 49 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: get yourself longer stretches of reasonably available space on weekends. 50 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: I also try to be mindful of preserving open blocks 51 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: of time. I've generally tried to put my kids' activities 52 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: in the morning or in the evening, so the afternoons 53 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: can be open for adventures if we want, rather than 54 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: driving people places with small chunks of time in between. 55 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: This doesn't always work, but if you are quick to 56 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: sign up for things when schedules open, you can often 57 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: get the times you want. Some time confetti is inevitable, 58 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: so it's worth making a list of activities you can 59 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: do in small chunks of time that don't feel like 60 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: a waste. But you might also be able to compress 61 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: things or move things around to minimize the amount of 62 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: confetti in your schedule. It is worth giving it a try. 63 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 64 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for 65 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 66 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 67 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 68 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 69 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.