1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to assign yourself one task beyond life 4 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: maintenance each weekend. When you assign yourself one task, it's 5 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: more likely to happen, and then you can move on 6 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: to something else. I am sure you, like many of us, 7 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 1: have all kinds of ongoing personal projects. You want to 8 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,200 Speaker 1: get curtains for the guest room. You want to clean 9 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: out a space in the garage for a work bitch. 10 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: You want to empty out those boxes that have been 11 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: sitting in the living room for a year after your move, 12 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: and find the floor of the laundry room under the 13 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: pile of sheets you are not sure if you want 14 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: to save or not. Okay, that last one is me. 15 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: Often these lists of personal tasks wind up quite long. 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: You tell yourself you will get to them on the weekend, 17 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 1: but then the weekend has its usual amount of kids 18 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: stuff and basic life maintenance like groceries and laundry. Plus 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: you want to relax. All the tasks you could do 20 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: seem overwhelming, and you either feel like you spend all 21 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: your time doing them but aren't sure what you've accomplished, 22 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: or you do nothing. Why bother? It just feels like 23 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: too much. But there is another approach. Assign yourself one 24 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: task beyond life maintenance per weekend. So yes, you do 25 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: the laundry and get your groceries and anything else you 26 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: do to make regular functioning possible. Then pull one task 27 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: from your long list and focus on that, just one. 28 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: Figure out roughly how long it will take and when 29 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: you can do it. If all that is uncertain, decide 30 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 1: on a certain quantity of time, as in I will 31 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: spend two hours dealing with the boxes in the living room, 32 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: Then do it. You might be surprised at what you 33 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: can get through when you put all your energy into 34 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: one thing instead of spreading it around six different projects. Plus, 35 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: you will feel less guilty. You know that this weekend 36 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: you do the living room boxes, you do not need 37 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: to worry about anything else. Next week you can do 38 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: the laundry room, or clean out space in the garage 39 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: or something along those lines. There is a time to 40 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: do those things. Now is not that time? And guess 41 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: what you will start to make it through your list. 42 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: I am happy to report that a few weekends ago 43 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: I emptied out four boxes in the living room. Then 44 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: the next weekend I tackled the laundry room. Next weekend 45 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: I will do the one big box in the foyer 46 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: with all the stuff that seems to resist classification. Bit 47 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: by bit, it all gets done and I don't feel 48 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: so overwhelmed. So maybe think about this for your weekend 49 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: task list too. If you divvy up projects with someone 50 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: else in your household, maybe each of you can take 51 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: one assignment for the weekend. This could be mutually agreed upon, 52 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: so there are no bad feelings. Why isn't So and 53 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: so hanging those pictures well, because this is the weekend 54 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: for taking those bins of old toys to the donation center. 55 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: Next weekend is picture hanging weekend. It is all good. 56 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 57 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 58 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 59 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 60 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 61 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: that's b E the number four then Breakfast p o D. 62 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,160 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 63 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: Podcasts at i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast 64 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters, thanks so much, 65 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast 66 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts 67 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 68 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.