WEBVTT - Look at the plan to follow the plan

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to look at your plan in order

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<v Speaker 1>to follow your plan Thoughtfully. Laying out your intentions and

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<v Speaker 1>your schedule won't do you much good unless you consult

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<v Speaker 1>your plan as time unfolds. One of the rules in

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<v Speaker 1>my new book, Tranquility by Tuesday is to plan on Fridays,

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<v Speaker 1>when you determine your priorities for the week ahead and

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<v Speaker 1>figure out what you'll do when you will make progress

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<v Speaker 1>on what matters most at work, at home, and for yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>That sounds straightforward enough, but I have discovered heard over

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<v Speaker 1>the years that some people craft beautiful plans for the week,

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<v Speaker 1>only to forget about them until their next weekly planning session.

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<v Speaker 1>Other people look at their plans in the morning but

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<v Speaker 1>lose sight of them as the day goes along. The

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<v Speaker 1>only way for you to reap the full benefits of

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<v Speaker 1>planning is to follow your plan, and for most of us,

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<v Speaker 1>following a plan requires looking at the plan throughout the

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<v Speaker 1>day to be reminded of what we intend to do

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<v Speaker 1>when otherwise, when we get distracted or the day gets

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<v Speaker 1>busy and things come up, we simply forget personally. I

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<v Speaker 1>have found that the best way to stay focused on

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<v Speaker 1>my plan is to leave my planner out and open

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<v Speaker 1>on my desk all the time. If you work at

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<v Speaker 1>a desk for most of the day and use some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of paper planner, this could work for you too.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are a digital planner and work at a

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<v Speaker 1>computer most of the time, having your plan open on

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<v Speaker 1>your screen is the equivalent of having a planner open

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<v Speaker 1>on your desk. Just be sure that the plan remains

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<v Speaker 1>visible and isn't covered up by the other windows. Some

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<v Speaker 1>people like to use task apps or the task feature

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<v Speaker 1>in their email provider to remind themselves of what they

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<v Speaker 1>need to accomplish during the day, or you could copy

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<v Speaker 1>the day's main tasks onto a sticky note and put

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<v Speaker 1>it somewhere you can see. If you aren't desk based,

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<v Speaker 1>you will need to figure out another way that your

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<v Speaker 1>plan can follow you around. If you use something like

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<v Speaker 1>a clipboard, you can affix a plan there or have

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<v Speaker 1>it pop up on your phone or a tablet. If

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<v Speaker 1>you use that, you can set alarms through the day

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<v Speaker 1>at times when you plan to do things, as long

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<v Speaker 1>as you are sure you will know when an alarm

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<v Speaker 1>goes off at two pm what that means, or you

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<v Speaker 1>have a way to check, or maybe you have some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of command central somewhere like your car and you

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<v Speaker 1>can put the plan on a sticky note on your dashboard.

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<v Speaker 1>But whatever the method, the purpose is the same. You

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<v Speaker 1>want to have a reminder of your plan somewhere that

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<v Speaker 1>you keep seeing all day long. That way, you can

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<v Speaker 1>implement the plan you have thoughtfully designed, or if you

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<v Speaker 1>wind up changing it, you know that you are doing

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<v Speaker 1>so and that there is a good reason for it.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not just that you forgot or got distracted.

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<v Speaker 1>I love fancy planners as much as the next person,

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<v Speaker 1>but crafting a beautiful plan in a fancy planner does

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<v Speaker 1>nothing on its own. Plans have to be put into

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<v Speaker 1>action for them to have maximum impact. It is hard

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<v Speaker 1>to follow the plan when you can't see it, so

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you look at your plan and you will

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<v Speaker 1>be far more likely to achieve your goals. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from it. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod That's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com

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<v Speaker 1>that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

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