WEBVTT - Days off need structure

0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.720
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:14.800
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:20.759
<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is that day's off need some structure. While

0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.400
<v Speaker 1>it is tempting to try to do nothing, this tends

0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:29.080
<v Speaker 1>to result in haphazard email checks and house cleaning. A

0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:33.800
<v Speaker 1>little strategy can make the time off feel much more meaningful.

0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:38.640
<v Speaker 1>I recently heard from someone who is facing an interesting

0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:43.200
<v Speaker 1>but probably not that uncommon situation. She had two weeks

0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:47.080
<v Speaker 1>off between jobs. Her kids would still be in their

0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:51.680
<v Speaker 1>usual school and childcare arrangements, so she had two weeks

0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:56.000
<v Speaker 1>when she would be mostly free during business hours. She

0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:57.880
<v Speaker 1>was trying to figure out how to make sure that

0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.480
<v Speaker 1>she felt like she had really enjoyed and the most

0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:05.240
<v Speaker 1>of this time, rather than peddling it away. It's a

0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:09.520
<v Speaker 1>good question. While a two week trip might be amazing,

0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:12.880
<v Speaker 1>this is somewhat harder when the kids aren't traveling too.

0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:17.560
<v Speaker 1>She could, however, maybe do an overnight trip, and she

0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:20.400
<v Speaker 1>was looking at doing some writing projects, which I thought

0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:22.840
<v Speaker 1>was a good idea. I thought it was a really

0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:25.880
<v Speaker 1>good idea to think through this time and to be

0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:30.880
<v Speaker 1>strategic about it, because unfortunately, when many of us are

0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:35.319
<v Speaker 1>not working, but are at our homes. We see the

0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:40.040
<v Speaker 1>same responsibilities that we normally face, and so a school

0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:44.840
<v Speaker 1>day could easily disappear into grocery shopping, returning something to

0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:48.920
<v Speaker 1>another store, and then sorting through the mail pile. Two

0:01:48.960 --> 0:01:53.240
<v Speaker 1>weeks of this might feel unsatisfying, especially when the new

0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:58.240
<v Speaker 1>job would bring its stressors soon enough. In general, if

0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.960
<v Speaker 1>you've got some amount of time off, I think it

0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:05.920
<v Speaker 1>helps to do a few things first. Set a few

0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:10.400
<v Speaker 1>anchor events. Yes, you want to leave a lot of

0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:14.520
<v Speaker 1>open time to learn what it feels like when time

0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:19.240
<v Speaker 1>is unstructured and relaxed, but you also want to know

0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:21.320
<v Speaker 1>that you'll do a few things that you couldn't do

0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.160
<v Speaker 1>while working full time or if you had your kids

0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.720
<v Speaker 1>during the day. Schedule these in so you can look

0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:31.480
<v Speaker 1>forward to them. The day hike, the overnight retreat in

0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:39.040
<v Speaker 1>the mountains, the matinee show, really enjoy the anticipation. Then

0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:41.680
<v Speaker 1>you also want to batch the things that you are

0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:45.000
<v Speaker 1>going to wind up doing during this time, because yes,

0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:48.040
<v Speaker 1>now is a good time to do that dentist appointment,

0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.920
<v Speaker 1>to get your oil changed, to finally pick up that

0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:55.799
<v Speaker 1>form from the county clerk's office. However, if these things

0:02:55.880 --> 0:03:00.480
<v Speaker 1>are always options. You'll have a hard time relaxing if

0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:04.200
<v Speaker 1>you know you should be doing them. Schedule all of

0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:08.200
<v Speaker 1>them for one Tuesday before three p m. And not

0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:11.200
<v Speaker 1>only will you get them done, you won't have to

0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:14.920
<v Speaker 1>worry about them at other points. You know there is

0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:19.480
<v Speaker 1>a time for doing that annoying errand and now is

0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:24.240
<v Speaker 1>not that time. With a few anchor events and a

0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:27.760
<v Speaker 1>time for batching the little things, your days off will

0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:33.359
<v Speaker 1>feel satisfying. You'll feel relaxed without worrying that you are

0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:38.200
<v Speaker 1>wasting your time. You will actually enjoy the open space

0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:43.640
<v Speaker 1>without worrying that you should be doing something else. If

0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:46.760
<v Speaker 1>you've ever planned a few weeks off between jobs, or

0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:50.040
<v Speaker 1>maybe before starting a new school program, I'd love to

0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:52.760
<v Speaker 1>hear how you spent the time. You can let me

0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:59.200
<v Speaker 1>know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,

0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:04.200
<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:13.600
<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.599
<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:20.440
<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:26.040
<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at before Breakfast Pod. That's B the number four,

0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:30.080
<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p O D You can also shoot me

0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:33.760
<v Speaker 1>an email at before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:36.480
<v Speaker 1>dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all

0:04:36.480 --> 0:04:39.320
<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:48.000
<v Speaker 1>in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.

0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:51.479
<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i

0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:55.080
<v Speaker 1>heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

0:04:55.080 --> 0:05:02.720
<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows. I can't get k