1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that remembering where the time goes becomes 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: easier over time, while trying to get a grip on 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: time is challenging at first, Over time, you will become 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: more mindful, which makes it easier to figure out where 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: the time really goes. When this episode is first airing 8 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: in January, I am leading a time tracking challenge where 9 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: hundreds of people are logging their time for a week. 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: We are all trying to figure out where the time 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: really goes so we can make wise decisions. If that 12 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: sounds good to you, then feel free to join in. 13 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: You just write down what you're doing as often as 14 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: you remember, and keep going for a week. Then you 15 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: can celebrate, reflect or change. If you have never tracked 16 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: time before, you might find that it's a little tough 17 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: at first. It's tough to remember to check in with 18 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: your log. It's tough to describe what you were doing 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: in short phrases. It might be hard to remember what 20 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: you were doing a few hours ago if you weren't 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: really paying attention. Sometimes these challenges make people stop tracking 22 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: their time. But I really hope they won't stop you. 23 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: Because here's the thing. Remembering where the time went becomes 24 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: much easier the more you do it. I have been 25 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: tracking my time for almost seven years now, yep, every 26 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: half hour for seven years. I have a busy life, 27 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: so there is no way I would have stuck with 28 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: this habit if it were difficult. At this point, I 29 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: usually check in three times a day and write down 30 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: what I've done since the last check in. Over the 31 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: past few months, there have been a few weekend days 32 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: in particular, that have just been so full I've been 33 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 1: nowhere near my computer. But I have found that after 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: almost seven years, I can in fact reconstruct a full 35 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: twenty four hours with what feels like reasonable accuracy. The 36 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,799 Speaker 1: reason is that I now think about where my time 37 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: is going. I remember that, oh, yes, we did that 38 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: thing at two pm, so we were in the car 39 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,119 Speaker 1: at one thirty, and I put the baby to bed 40 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: at eight pm, or that the pizza came out of 41 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,799 Speaker 1: the oven at six thirty pm, and so forth. As 42 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: I think about my time and think about how I'd 43 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: like to spend my time, there are more conscious decisions. 44 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: I look at the clock and see at two PM 45 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 1: that I don't have anything I have to do until 46 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: and so I go read a book on the back porch, 47 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: because that is a conscious decision. It is in my 48 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: brain and I can remember it for at least a 49 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: day or so. I have found this to be the 50 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: case with other folks as well. For my next book, 51 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: Tranquility by Tuesday, I had a hundred fifty people learned 52 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,960 Speaker 1: nine time management rules over the course of nine weeks. 53 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: I had people track their time before the study and 54 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: after the study. It turned out that people had an 55 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: easier time recollecting where their time went in the post 56 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: study survey than the pre study survey. Once they were 57 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: primed to start thinking about their time and to think 58 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: about how they would like to spend their time, time 59 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: was less likely to be spent mindlessly. They were making 60 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: active choices about where it should go, so they remembered 61 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: their choices. In general, I think this mindfulness is a 62 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: good thing. Perhaps there are some times we don't really 63 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: want to think about this too much. I mean, I 64 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: have definitely put something like beach for five hours when 65 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: I'm at the beach, rather than recount every single time 66 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: I went into the waves or built a sandcastle. But 67 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,280 Speaker 1: since we only get so much time, knowing where it 68 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: goes allows us to be better stewards of it. Days 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: and weeks and years don't disappear into the abyss. A 70 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: life is lived in hours. We can use those hours 71 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: to create the lives we want. Being mindful of where 72 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: those hours go is the first step to doing just that. 73 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 74 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our times. M Hey everybody, 75 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 76 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 77 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 78 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 79 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 80 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast 81 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 82 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 83 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from 84 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 85 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.