1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about a mindset shift that can help 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: you rethink your weeks and the whole concept of work 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: life balance. Many years ago, when I first had people 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: track their time, I realized that I needed to design 7 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: a workable spreadsheet that I could use for my research. 8 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: I elected to put the days of the week across 9 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: the top, Monday to Sunday, and then half hour blocks 10 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: down the left hand side. To make sure the time 11 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: log captured the way people think about their days. I 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: had the half hour blocks start at five am and 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: go to four thirty am. If you haven't had your 14 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: coffee yet. I know it's a little early to be 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: talking about spreadsheets, so don't worry. You don't really need 16 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: the exact dimensions. All this means is that on my 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: time logs, the week starts Monday at five am. I 18 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: think Monday at five am is a defensible starting point 19 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,839 Speaker 1: for the week. Anyway, This time log represents the hundred 20 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: sixty eight hour week, and I soon noticed something when 21 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: I had filled out several days representing what seemed like 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: a lot of time up to Thursday. At five pm, 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: the end of the day, half the spreadsheet was still blank. 24 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: In other words, if your week starts at five am Monday, 25 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 1: then five pm Thursday is the midpoint of the week. Now. 26 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: I don't know about you, but I'd always thought of 27 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: five pm Thursday is sounding like the end of the week. 28 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: But it isn't. It's the exact halfway mark. If I 29 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: put a pin in my time log at around five 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: pm Thursday, it would balance there's just as much time 31 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: after as there is before. Now. To be sure, for 32 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: most people, there are a few more hours devoted to 33 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: sleep in the second half of the week, but it's 34 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: not as much of a difference as you might think. 35 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: I ran the calculation recently with a thirty bedtime and 36 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: a daily six am wake up, and the midpoint for 37 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: waking hours still fell in the afternoon on Thursday. It 38 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: wasn't anywhere close to Wednesday. The reason this matters is 39 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: we have a tendency to discount time that doesn't happen 40 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: Monday to end of day Thursday. A consultant who flies 41 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: to client sites Monday morning and flies home Thursday afternoon 42 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: might speak of traveling all the time. But this is 43 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: not all the time, it's only about half of the time. 44 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: Someone who logs long hours in the beginning of the 45 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: week might talk of never being home in the evening, 46 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: but if he's home in the evening Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 47 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 1: and Sunday, that's actually over half the week. He's there 48 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: more nights than he's not. Your work life balance is 49 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: probably pretty work heavy Monday through end of day Thursday, 50 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: but it's probably pretty life heavy in the second half 51 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: of the week. Indeed, it's possible these two balances start 52 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: to balance each other out. What I love about this 53 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: realization is that this mindset helps us honor the weekend. 54 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: If Wednesday is the hump day of the week, then 55 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: the weekend is an afterthought. It's two days tacked on 56 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: to the end of the real days. But when Thursday 57 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: is the midpoint of the week, we see that Friday, Saturday, 58 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: and Sunday are real days too. They represent a big 59 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: chunk of our time. I know the shift has helped 60 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: me take my weekends more seriously. It's encouraged me to 61 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: think through what I'd like to do and at least 62 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: attempt to deal with the logistics. Knowing where the real 63 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: midpoint of the week. Lies helps us appreciate time in 64 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: all its fullness. So how will you celebrate Thursday, the 65 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: real midpoint of the week. Let's all try to remember 66 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: to raise a toast to all the time that's yet 67 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: to come. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, 68 00:03:52,920 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 69 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 70 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 71 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod 72 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 73 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 74 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast 75 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 76 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 77 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from 78 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 79 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.