1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Today's tip is to be 2 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: nice to your future self. Have you ever had the 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: experience of looking at what's on your calendar for the 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:16,079 Speaker 1: week and saying, Oh, my goodness, why did I agree 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: to this? What on earth was I thinking? Maybe it's 6 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: something that is theoretically interesting or fund but you've just 7 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: got so much going on right now and you're committed 8 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: to this thing, and so you are kicking yourself for 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: saying yes. Does this sound familiar? Well, if you're human, 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: I'm betting it does. I've spent a lot of time 11 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: thinking about why exactly we agree to things. I think 12 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: that what happens is that it's hard to say no. 13 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: And the further something is in the future, the more 14 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: we feel like we're assigning it to a completely different person. 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: We're telling ourselves, oh, June, it will never be June. 16 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: Or perhaps the conversation with yourself goes something like this, Oh, 17 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: June me won't be busy. June me is gonna have 18 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: tons of time. I mean, you do look at your 19 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: June calendar and it looks pretty clear at the moment, right, So, yeah, 20 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: June me can totally do this. 21 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 2: But here's the thing. 22 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: Come June, you are going to be the exact same 23 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: person you are now. You are gonna be just as busy. 24 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: You're gonna have just as much going on, only now 25 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: you will also have this other commitment that you are 26 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: lukewarm about in March, stacked onto the pile. So here's 27 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: a better question to ask yourself. When you are asked 28 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: to do something in the future. Would I do this tomorrow? Now? 29 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: Of course you protest, I'm busy tomorrow. 30 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: I'm booked up solid tomorrow, which is somewhat the point 31 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: because you will be in June as well, But consider this, 32 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: would you be tempted to move stuff around or cancel 33 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: things in order to fit in this new opportunity? If 34 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: you would, awesome, you're gonna be just as excited in June. 35 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 2: So go ahead and say yes. I promise you won't 36 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 2: be kicking yourself about it. 37 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: But if the answer is absolutely not, no way, would 38 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: I ever take this on for tomorrow, probably that should 39 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: be your answer for June two, because when we think 40 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: about tomorrow, we can think rationally about the opportunity costs 41 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: in a way that we just can't for days that 42 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: are far in the future. When you're asked to do something. 43 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: The question you should ask yourself is not am I free? 44 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: Which is often the question that we're asking ourselves about 45 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: things that occur many months from now. The question is 46 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: is this a better use of my time than the 47 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: other things I could be doing tomorrow? You know exactly 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: what you could be doing, you know exactly what else 49 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: is on your plate, and you know just how much 50 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: energy you'll have in a way that it's really hard 51 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: to picture for the future. Here's some additional motivation for 52 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: being more careful with the word yes. If you say 53 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: yes to stuff that's only a four or five on 54 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: a ten point scale, well you're going to be too 55 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: busy to say yes to the things that are a 56 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: nine or a ten. 57 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: You'll already be committed to stuff, and. 58 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: So you won't be able to take on some great 59 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: new opportunity, and that would be a shame. So what 60 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: low value thing are you going to say no to today? 61 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: What four or five point thing are you going to 62 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: decide just shouldn't be in your life. 63 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 2: In the future. 64 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: Let's say no and free up space for a ten. 65 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making 66 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: the most of our time. 67 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 2: Hey, everybody got a tip or a question. 68 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: You can share them with me on Twitter, Facebook or 69 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. 70 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 2: That's b E the number four then breakfast Pod. 71 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: You can also email me at Before Breakfast Podcast at 72 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com. 73 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 2: For the email, just spell those words out. 74 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: I look forward to connecting and learning how you make 75 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: the most of your time.