1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that it is okay to end it. 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: If something isn't proving to be a wise use of 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: anyone's time, it is best to acknowledge that and move 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: on rather than continuing to devote time to it. I've 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: been talking in a few recent episodes about how to 8 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: be more resilient with time mastering. Time management is all 9 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: about creating a schedule that works with life as it is, 10 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: not as we wish it would be. I mean, when 11 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: does anything go perfectly? With investments, we talk about not 12 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: throwing good money after bad. Once money is spent, it 13 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: is spent, and sometimes a little bit more can help matters. Yes, 14 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: you should probably pay for that five car repair or 15 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: rather than spend thirty dollars on a new car, but 16 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: economists warn to be where these sunk cost fallacy. If 17 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: no one is excited about a new product your business 18 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: thought about launching, and it looks like launching it will 19 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: require a lot more investment, well, probably better to walk away, 20 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: even if you've spent a lot on the process. Already 21 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: spending more won't get that money back, because nothing will. 22 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: It's sunk. Better not to make more losses now. The 23 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: same is true with time. If you have booked an 24 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: hour to meet with someone and it is clear within 25 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: the first few minutes that the two of you cannot 26 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: accomplish what you set out to do, there is no 27 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: point hemming and hawing and trying to rescue the conversation. 28 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: The fact that you booked an hour doesn't mean you 29 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: need to spend an hour. Same with your personal life. 30 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: If you really aren't enjoying a movie, it's okay to 31 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: stop watching it. I mean, maybe the movie will redeem itself, 32 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: but most likely you will be happier using the time 33 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: to go for a walk or read a book instead. 34 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: If you are training for a race and you are 35 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: supposed to run ten miles but you feel terrible after two, 36 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: it is okay to stop and try again another day. 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 1: The key is to see the red flags for when 38 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: something is an unproductive or generally bad use of your 39 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: time and figure out how you can be flexible rather 40 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: than rigid with your plans. In general, to do this, 41 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: it helps to have a purpose for any such chunk 42 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: of time. What is this meeting? Supposed to accomplish. What 43 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:00,839 Speaker 1: are you trying to do during this block of deep 44 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: work time? And yes, you can have a purpose for 45 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: leisure time as well. You want to relax and decompress 46 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: in the ninety minutes after your kids go to bed 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: and before you go to bed, is what you're doing 48 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: accomplishing that? If so? Great, But if you are watching 49 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: a show you don't like, or reading a book you 50 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: don't like, or halfheartedly checking email, you can acknowledge that 51 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: this is not contributing to that goal and you can 52 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: stop doing it. There is no point in being sad 53 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: about the time already spent. The future is still yours 54 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: to redirect. Now. I know this is one thing with 55 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: a TV show or book, or even a bad meeting, 56 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: it's another if you are considering abandoning something big, like 57 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: writing a novel or building a side hustle. It can 58 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: be hard to recognize what is a red flag that 59 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: this is an unproductive use of time, and what is 60 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: just being busy or discouraged. So here's an idea for 61 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: things like that. Give yourself a deadline for when you 62 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: can officially decide to quit, making sure that the deadline 63 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: is just a little bit in the future. This will 64 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: help you determine if this is the equivalent of a 65 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: car repair or if it's more like a dollar car 66 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: repair on a car that is worth far less than that. 67 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: So if you have set a goal to write five 68 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: thousand words a week on your novel and it just 69 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be happening, commit to this goal for 70 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: two more weeks. Right the next ten thou words, how 71 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: do you feel about them? Maybe you will pull yourself 72 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: out of a slump and be excited to keep going. 73 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: But if you still want to walk away, fine, you'll 74 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: know this is not just a momentary blip. Same with 75 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: the side hustle. Decide that you will decide at the 76 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: end of the order go full in until then then 77 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: you can continue or end it. While people can make 78 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:14,119 Speaker 1: more money, we cannot make more time. Once time is spent, 79 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: it is gone and we will never get it back. 80 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: This is true for other people just as much as 81 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: it is true for you. So if a meeting isn't 82 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: going well, it is actually a gift to give other 83 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: people their fifty minutes back. Yes, it might have been 84 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: a mistake to commit this time. We can learn from 85 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,559 Speaker 1: this mistake in the future. But once the lesson has learned, 86 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 1: there is no point in continuing to spend the time. 87 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: We can do great things with that time as long 88 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: as we aren't choosing to do things that aren't worth 89 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: the bother. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, 90 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. M 91 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can 92 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just 93 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before 94 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: Breakfast pod that's b E the number four, then Breakfast 95 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 96 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com 97 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 98 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 99 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,280 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 100 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 101 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 102 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: favorite shows.