WEBVTT - What to do with a time windfall

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that if you get an unexpected stretch of

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<v Speaker 1>free time, be intentional about how you spend it. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>you will enjoy your time windfall a lot more so.

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<v Speaker 1>On this podcast, I recently shared recommendations about what to

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<v Speaker 1>do with a small windfall of money. The key is

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<v Speaker 1>to use the money intentionally, so the extra cash doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>get folded into your usual budget and forgotten. The same

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<v Speaker 1>is true with a windfall of time. If you have

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<v Speaker 1>an hour next week because a meeting is canceled, you

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<v Speaker 1>could go see an exhibit at an art gallery near

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<v Speaker 1>your office, or grab coffee with a work friend, or

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<v Speaker 1>do some long term strategic planning. With an afternoon unexpectedly

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<v Speaker 1>free on a weekend, you could take your kids to

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<v Speaker 1>an amusement park, or get lost in a novel, or

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<v Speaker 1>take out your watercolors and paint. When we don't think

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<v Speaker 1>about how to use unexpected free time, it's easy to

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<v Speaker 1>just unload the dishwasher, or process email or putter around

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<v Speaker 1>the house, and there's nothing wrong with those things. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's nothing particularly special or memorable about them either. Much

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<v Speaker 1>better to make a conscious choice and spend the time

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<v Speaker 1>on something that matters to you. Windfalls of time were

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<v Speaker 1>on my mind when I read a recent New York

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<v Speaker 1>Times article about money windfalls. Financial advisor Ariana Alicia Bono

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<v Speaker 1>was quoted as suggesting you create a windfall plan every

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<v Speaker 1>year for how you might allocate any larger windfalls of money.

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<v Speaker 1>It's kind of a nice problem to have, but what

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<v Speaker 1>percent would go to debt or savings or spending and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. That way, you won't be caught up in

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<v Speaker 1>the emotion of a windfall. Instead, if you get a windfall,

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<v Speaker 1>you will execute on your windfall plan that is in

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<v Speaker 1>keeping with your long term goals. That seems wise, especially

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<v Speaker 1>for people who are likely to get some sort of windfall,

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<v Speaker 1>like perhaps a year in bonus. As is so often

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<v Speaker 1>the case, that good idea for money is a good

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<v Speaker 1>idea for time too. It is a lot easier to

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<v Speaker 1>be intentional about unexpected free time if you have thought

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<v Speaker 1>in advance about what you would like to do. So.

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<v Speaker 1>I am not sure you need to write up a

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<v Speaker 1>windfall plan for time quite as systematically as that article

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<v Speaker 1>suggested for money, but I do think it could be

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<v Speaker 1>helpful as you are planning your week or doing any

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<v Speaker 1>big picture planning for the season, to think about what

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<v Speaker 1>you would do with extra time. For instance, in your

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<v Speaker 1>weekly planning, you might decide that if you have a

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<v Speaker 1>windfall of an hour during that particular week, you will

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<v Speaker 1>call your sister, or you will bake some bread. And

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<v Speaker 1>your fall planning, you might decide that if you have

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<v Speaker 1>a windfall of a half day, you'll have lunch with

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<v Speaker 1>a friend who lives ninety minutes away, or spend the

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<v Speaker 1>afternoon revamping your wardrobe, or put together a photo book

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<v Speaker 1>from the past year. With a plan in mind, you

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<v Speaker 1>will be able to use any time that is not

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<v Speaker 1>spoken for in a meaningful way. What's more, when you

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<v Speaker 1>have specific and doable ideas in mind for any windfalls

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<v Speaker 1>of time, you might even get through your Saturday afternoon

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<v Speaker 1>life maintenance tasks faster so you can act on your

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful ideas now. To be clear, thinking through what you

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<v Speaker 1>would do with a time windfall isn't about putting one

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<v Speaker 1>more thing on your to do list. You are not

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<v Speaker 1>saying you have to do these things. It is about

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<v Speaker 1>dreaming of how you would spend a stretch of uncommitted

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<v Speaker 1>time that presented itself, so you are ready to make

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<v Speaker 1>the most of it. Snow Days happen, plans get canceled,

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<v Speaker 1>projects sometimes go faster than expected, and it is fun

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<v Speaker 1>to have an idea for something special to do. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>you will enjoy the extra time. It might feel a

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<v Speaker 1>bit like winning the lottery. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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