1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: tip is to plan and reflect at about the same time. 4 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: Just as it's important to figure out how you'd like 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: to spend your time, reflecting on where the time really 6 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: went can make better planning choices possible in the future. 7 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: Longtime listeners know that I think everyone should have a 8 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: designated weekly planning time. I like the idea of planning 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: on Fridays for the upcoming week, but the key is 10 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: that you have some regular time where you'd look forward, 11 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: figure out your priorities, figure out the logistics, and get 12 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: clear on what you need and want to do. It 13 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: is fine to just do this looking forward, but if 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: you want to get the most out of your planning sessions, 15 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: it might help to take just two minutes or so 16 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: to look back on the previous week. Look at your 17 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: priority list. Did everything happen if so, awesome? If not? 18 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: Why not? Was the list too ambitious? Was life too unpredictable? 19 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: Did you decide you didn't want to do something or 20 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: it wasn't the best use of your time. Did something 21 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,479 Speaker 1: take a lot longer than you expected? Or perhaps less 22 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: time than you expected. There are a few upsides to 23 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: looking back. One is that if something didn't happen, you 24 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: can make a choice about whether to assign it to 25 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: the next week, or maybe you can make it happen, 26 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: or maybe you can make it happen in the next 27 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: thirty minutes or so if you like. It's a reminder 28 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: of what you thought was important and becomes a moment 29 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: to choose whether to continue with that thought or change it. 30 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: The second upside, though, is just more practice at figuring 31 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: out how long things take. Time. Estimation is hard. It 32 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: is hard to know exactly what will fit in a week. 33 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 1: But if you look back and see what did fit 34 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: in a week, and you do this again and again, 35 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 1: you will get a better sense of what can fit 36 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: in a week in the future. I know that for 37 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: me this has been a real upside of a dedicated 38 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: weekly planning practice for many decades. Now I look back 39 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: on what I did, and that lets me know what 40 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:44,119 Speaker 1: I can do. I tend to make more restrained choices 41 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: for the upcoming week than I might have because I 42 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: know that stuff can come up. Stuff always comes up. 43 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: When I'm more careful about assigning myself work for the week. 44 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: That means I probably will get everything crossed off by 45 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: the end of the week. I have a long working 46 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: list of other priorities, so I can always go pull 47 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: something from that if I have extra time. But long 48 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: term reflecting and planning means that the amount of stuff 49 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 1: I plan to do tends to match the amount of 50 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: time I have. But long term reflecting and planning means 51 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: that the amount of stuff I plan to do tends 52 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 1: to match the amount of time I have. Not always, 53 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: but mostly you can do this for shorter planning periods too. 54 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: I tend to create my to do list for the 55 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: next day at the end of each work day. This 56 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: also gives me a chance to look over the list 57 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: for the day that just ended. Did I get through everything, 58 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: did I have a lot of extra time, or was 59 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: I perhaps racing to get through things. This helps me 60 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: make rational choices for the next day, and I think 61 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: it can help you make good choices for your to 62 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: do list too. Sometimes people find planning and creating priority 63 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: lists to be a source of strung because they don't 64 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: get through everything and that makes them feel behind. Reflection 65 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: helps build in a check on this. You know that 66 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: last week and the week before, and the week before 67 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 1: there was a certain amount of space. Most likely that 68 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: will be the case for the next week too. Planning 69 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: and reflection go hand in hand, so take just a 70 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: moment to reflect and your planning will be a lot 71 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: more effective. In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks for listening, 72 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks 73 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 1: for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 74 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 75 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 76 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 77 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.