Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is that it is easier to make one
Speaker 1: big plan than lots of little plans. So when it
Speaker 1: is possible decide everything all at once, you will gain
Speaker 1: inefficiency and everyone will know the plan has something they
Speaker 1: can get behind. If you've been involved in negotiations, whether
Speaker 1: for a business deal, salary and benefits package, or even
Speaker 1: plans for Thanksgiving dinner, you may have found that it
Speaker 1: is often easier to make one big deal than to
Speaker 1: have separate deliberations over every item. Do you really want
Speaker 1: to debate with your family about where you will celebrate Thanksgiving,
Speaker 1: and then a month later discuss whether to gather at
Speaker 1: two or at six, and then the week before Thanksgiving,
Speaker 1: have another epic discussion of whether to have your usual
Speaker 1: menu or something different. If you have all those conversations separately,
Speaker 1: you might find yourself spending thirty minutes discussing menu items
Speaker 1: that no one truly cares about. That's because when you
Speaker 1: make a lot of small deals, it is easy to
Speaker 1: give a topic more attention than it deserves, given how
Speaker 1: important it is to you. When you are making a
Speaker 1: big deal. On the other hand, everyone gets clearer on
Speaker 1: the relative importance of different elements. They also get more
Speaker 1: creative about possible compromises. In a big deal, it is
Speaker 1: easier to stay focused on the big picture. This is
Speaker 1: true for business deals and within families and friendships. That's
Speaker 1: why it is my goal to decide most of our
Speaker 1: family's vacations for any given twelvemonth period. In one fell swoop,
Speaker 1: around the time we decided that I would take the
Speaker 1: big kids to London over Christmas break and my husband
Speaker 1: would take the younger kids skiing. We also decided that
Speaker 1: we would probably do a road trip over spring break,
Speaker 1: and that we'd do a summer beach trip with extended family.
Speaker 1: That vacation portfolio has something for everyone. If you like
Speaker 1: big cities but not the beach, well you're less unhappy
Speaker 1: about the beach because it's not pitted against the big city.
Speaker 1: You know that at least parts of the family will
Speaker 1: be doing both. For my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds,
Speaker 1: my co host Sarah hart Unger and I developed the
Speaker 1: curriculum for our Patreon communities monthly online meetups for all
Speaker 1: of twenty three In one setting, we are covering healthy ving,
Speaker 1: our book club picks, tough parenting moments, making a five
Speaker 1: year travel plan, goal setting, and so on. By thinking
Speaker 1: about the year as a whole, we ensured there was
Speaker 1: balanced in the offerings and something for everyone. Plus, our
Speaker 1: Patreon supporters know what to look forward to in the
Speaker 1: year ahead. If someone doesn't like the February topic, oh well,
Speaker 1: they can see that they might be way more into
Speaker 1: April's discussion. As you think about whether this tip might
Speaker 1: be helpful for you, consider what decisions you make repeatedly
Speaker 1: through the year, then ask whether you could consolidate them.
Speaker 1: Your book club might decide on all the books for
Speaker 1: the next six months, rather than deliberating every month about
Speaker 1: what to read next. You and your partner could decide
Speaker 1: what you'll do for several upcoming date nights rather than
Speaker 1: just deciding what you'll do for the next one. Instead
Speaker 1: of waking up every Saturday morning with no idea what
Speaker 1: you want to do, your family could make a list
Speaker 1: of five things you want to do during the next
Speaker 1: month and choose one each week, giving yourself just enough
Speaker 1: flexibility that rainy weather or a tricky schedule won't mean
Speaker 1: that the planned activity is a no go. When you
Speaker 1: decided all at once, it is easier to make sure
Speaker 1: everyone feels excited about what's ahead. You get to say
Speaker 1: yes two more good things, and there's us arguing about
Speaker 1: stuff that doesn't matter. In the meantime. This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeart media dot com.
Speaker 1: That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.