1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: tip is to ask yourself whether your routines are routine. 4 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: If they are not, figure out why not, and adjust 5 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: as needed, or at least update your perception of your life. 6 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: I often hear from listeners about their struggles with time management. Recently, 7 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: one person said she wanted her routines to actually be routine. 8 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: I get that so many people have visions of their routines, 9 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: but a little time tracking reveals that the routine is 10 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: the exception rather than the default. Sometimes people construct whole 11 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: narratives about their lives based on routines that are not 12 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: actually routine. I have written a lot about morning routines 13 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: over the years, and I eventually started asking people how 14 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: often their beautiful routines actually happened. Sometimes it was every day, 15 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: but often it wasn't, even if the person would have 16 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: told you the routine was a daily thing. This can 17 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: go in the other direction too, by the way, a 18 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: person can construct a woe is Me narrative of always 19 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 1: spending their Saturdays on chores, and then I get a 20 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: time log with a Saturday spent with friends and the 21 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: person tells me this never happens, except it did. I'm 22 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: sure you have some of these routines that are not 23 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: actually routine in your life. You theoretically run every Monday, Wednesday, 24 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: and Friday before work, but the last time this happened 25 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: was a couple of weeks ago. Or maybe your weekly 26 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: meal prep routine involves planning the menu, grocery shopping, and 27 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: chopping veggies on Sunday afternoons, but that only happens when 28 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: you don't have anything else to do on Sundays, and 29 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: you almost always do have other plans. You call your 30 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 1: grandmother every Sunday on the way home from church, except 31 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: for those Sundays when you don't go to church, which 32 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 1: turns out to be most of them. If you realize 33 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,079 Speaker 1: that some of your routines aren't routine, this doesn't need 34 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: to be a gotcha moment. I think it is simply 35 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: interesting data about your life and your interests and your priorities. 36 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 1: It might be helpful to figure out why the routine 37 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: isn't routine. It could be that you don't truly care 38 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: about the routine. You may feel like other people meal plan, 39 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: so you decide that you too should develop a Sunday 40 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: meal planning routine. But the truth is that your family 41 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: likes simple meals and you can get home at five 42 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: point thirty and easily get dinner on the table by six. 43 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: You like to do other stuff on the weekends. If 44 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: that is the case, then feel free to let this 45 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: routine go. Or perhaps your routines aren't aligned with your priorities. 46 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: You might think it would be wise to aim for 47 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: routine of unloading the dishwasher and starting a load of 48 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: laundry while your kids are eating breakfast before school, but 49 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: your top priority is being present and connected with your kids. 50 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: You may find that you consistently sit down to have 51 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: a more connected conversation. I don't think that's actually a problem. Instead, 52 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: figure out some other time when you can unload the 53 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: dishwasher and start the laundry. Sometimes the problem is that 54 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: the routine is too ambitious. You may be trying to 55 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: fit more into some part of your day than can 56 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: actually fit, which is why the routine isn't routine. Perhaps 57 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: you can pare down your routine to what is most important. 58 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: If you don't have time to write a full three 59 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: morning pages your journal in the morning, you could elect 60 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: to just write a paragraph, and perhaps you would find 61 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: that more sustainable. If your routines aren't routine, that is fine. 62 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: Some things don't deserve to be routine. Sometimes routines can 63 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 1: be simpler. Sometimes you just need to change your story. 64 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: But it is good to be aware so we can 65 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: make rational choices about life, rather than thinking something should 66 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: happen more often, or thinking that it does happen more 67 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: often than it actually does. In the meantime, this is Laura. 68 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 69 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 70 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 71 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 72 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 73 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 74 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.