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 to keep a quick fix list so
Speaker 1: you can use unexpected chunks of time to make your
Speaker 1: home more pleasant and streamlined. When we find ourselves with
Speaker 1: extra time at home, it's easy to fritter it away
Speaker 1: tidying up or watching TV. Then we wonder what we've
Speaker 1: been doing with ourselves, and paradoxically, when we're spending more
Speaker 1: time in our homes, we are probably noticing more annoying
Speaker 1: issues that we really do intend to fix. The pantry
Speaker 1: door that sticks, or the shelf that holds towels and
Speaker 1: several months supply of soap, sugar, and garbonzo beans arranged
Speaker 1: in no particular order. The weird light fixture you meant
Speaker 1: to have replaced when you moved in several years ago.
Speaker 1: We all have nagging mental to do lists like this,
Speaker 1: and it's not really a big deal to tackle these items.
Speaker 1: Most take an hour or less. But it's also not
Speaker 1: a big deal to live with them undone, so we
Speaker 1: do live with them, often for an embarrassingly long time.
Speaker 1: Ask me how long it took to get rid of
Speaker 1: two light fixtures I disliked when we moved into this
Speaker 1: house nine years ago. Now is a great time to
Speaker 1: make a quick fix list with all of these two dus.
Speaker 1: Write the tasks down on paper so they are not
Speaker 1: hanging over your head, and so that when you do
Speaker 1: have time to spare, you're able to remember them. Spraying
Speaker 1: w D forty on a squeaky hinge, organizing the wrapper
Speaker 1: paper bin you get the idea. If you leave the
Speaker 1: quick fix list in a prominent place, others in your
Speaker 1: family may add to the list as well. Or better yet,
Speaker 1: they may pitch in by doing quick fixes and crossing
Speaker 1: things off the list. With a quick fixed list, when
Speaker 1: you find yourself twiddling your thumbs while your family is
Speaker 1: playing a board game that you're not into, or when
Speaker 1: a sudden thundershower nixes your plans for a run, you
Speaker 1: can readily identify something you'd like to have done and
Speaker 1: accomplish it. You can do this in time that you
Speaker 1: otherwise wouldn't have used for anything. In particular, Completing tasks
Speaker 1: is satisfying, especially tasks in your home that are visible.
Speaker 1: A quick fix list won't get your attic cleaned out,
Speaker 1: and it won't get your kitchen painted. Those are a
Speaker 1: little bit more than quick fixes, but it can prompt
Speaker 1: you to do smaller things. And that's no small deal.
Speaker 1: Because little annoyances sap our energy. It's much better to
Speaker 1: invest a little energy in fixing them once and for all.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for this thing,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Two