1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to remember the tulips. You can become 4 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: the kind of person who remembers things when you need 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: to remember them by building a very simple weekly planning 6 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: practice into your life. Make this work and you will 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: always have tulips blooming come spring. In my part of 8 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: the world, the tulips bloom at some point in April. 9 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: These gorgeous flowers turn the world into a burst of 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:49,599 Speaker 1: primary colors. I've even been a tulip tourist sometime. One 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: of my favorite experiences ever was seeing kuckenhof gardens in 12 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: the Netherlands in April. Wow, what a moment to be 13 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: thankful for the extravagant beauty the planet and its people 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: offers up. When we see tulips blooming in spring, we 15 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: might think I'd love to have some more of those 16 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: blooming in my yard. But here's the challenge. Tulip bulbs 17 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: generally need to be planted in fall. You need to 18 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: buy the bulbs and dig the holes and say October 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: when there is no obvious nudge to do so. The 20 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: nudge to plant tulips. That flowers are blooming all around you. 21 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: Happens in spring when it's not the right time to 22 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: make that desire happen. So how do we reconcile this? Well, 23 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: it's actually quite simple to guarantee that you will remember 24 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: things when you want to remember them. You simply need 25 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: to build a designated weekly planning session into your life 26 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: and have a calendar that you know you will look 27 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: at during that planning session. I planned my weeks on 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: Friday afternoons. I heartily recommend that slot, though I know 29 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: at other people like Sunday evenings or Monday mornings. The 30 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: actual time doesn't matter so much is that you know 31 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: it will happen. You need to trust that once every 32 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: week you will look at your life and your time 33 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: and your commitments and figure out what you need to 34 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: do and what you want to do. As for the calendar, 35 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: you need to know that if you put a note 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: on it for a future time, there will be a 37 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: time when you look at it and plan with that 38 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: in mind. So, for instance, if you plan on Fridays 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: on some April day when you see the tulips and think, hey, 40 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: I'd like some tulips next year, you can write a 41 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: note on your calendar for some Friday in the fall 42 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: about the tulips. Then come that Friday you will see 43 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: the note. You will either put tulip bulb planting on 44 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: your calendar for some point in the next week that 45 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: you are currently planning, or you will push it to 46 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: the next Friday to reconsider. But either way you will 47 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: remember the tulips in the fall, even though this is 48 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: not the obvious time to remember it. The calendar and 49 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: the weekly planning session allow you to send a note 50 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: securely to your future self. This is how I managed 51 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: to occasionally make reservations for things that quickly sell out. 52 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: We've stayed at Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, eating at 53 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: French Laundry in California, gotten tickets to eat breakfast with Santa, 54 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: some pretty hot commodity places, and so forth. When I 55 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 1: think of these things, I put a note to myself 56 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: on the calendar for the friday ahead of the slot 57 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: when the reservations open, and I note the window on 58 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: my calendar too. Then when I plan my upcoming week, 59 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: I can build the reservation window into my model. I 60 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: know not to take a phone call at eight a m. 61 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: Tuesday if that is when the window opens. In any case, 62 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: there aren't that many occasions when I need to get 63 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: a reservation for stuff in a specific two minute time frame. 64 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: But there are a lot of things in life that 65 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: are worth thinking about ahead of time. For instance, a 66 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: few months ago, a blog reader recommended that I go 67 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: visit a particular tulip farm in New Jersey that, while 68 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: not Kuckenhof, is supposed to be pretty awesome. I want 69 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: to go when the tulips are at their peak, so 70 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: I put that on a Friday on my calendar for 71 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: early April. On that Friday coming up, I will look 72 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: at my upcoming days and weeks and figure out where 73 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: that can go. I sent this message to my future self, 74 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: and I know my future self will see it. This 75 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: increases the chances of having more fun. I am guessing, 76 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: as a before Breakfast listener that you probably do have 77 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: a weekly planning time. But maybe you mostly use this 78 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: to figure out your upcoming work assignments. And that's fine, 79 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: but you could expand your use of this practice to 80 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: build more exciting things into your life professionally and personally too. 81 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: Start thinking about what messages you could send to your 82 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: future self and get in the habit of putting these 83 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,359 Speaker 1: notes on your calendar for your future planning times, you 84 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 1: won't forget things you want to do, and you will 85 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: have access to those reminders when they are most worth remembering. 86 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: This is an incredibly useful breakthrough. It's the kind that 87 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 1: has you enjoying your own tulips rather than just hoping 88 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:30,799 Speaker 1: you'll remember in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, 89 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 90 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 91 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 92 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 93 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 94 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 95 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:04,559 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled 96 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 97 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 98 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 99 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 100 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.