WEBVTT - Track time while off the clock

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to try tracking time when you are

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<v Speaker 1>not working, such as on weekends and particularly on vacation.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that sounds a little strange as a tip,

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<v Speaker 1>like maybe I don't understand the concept of a vacation,

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<v Speaker 1>but I have found that tracking time truly cements memories

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<v Speaker 1>and helps me appreciate this time off the clock. More

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<v Speaker 1>time keeps passing no matter what we do, and so

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<v Speaker 1>it is easy to spend time mindlessly. We often need

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<v Speaker 1>to be accountable for our work hours. Either we are

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<v Speaker 1>paid by the hour, or we need to build clients,

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<v Speaker 1>or at least we need to get things done at

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<v Speaker 1>certain times. The whole phrase off the clock hence at

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<v Speaker 1>a difference between work and not work. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>theoretical benefits of not work time is not needing to

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<v Speaker 1>pay attention to the passing minutes. And yet that is

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<v Speaker 1>not really true. If you have kids or pets, you

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<v Speaker 1>are no doubt accountable for them and their upkeep at

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<v Speaker 1>certain times. We all have household responsibilities. We need to

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<v Speaker 1>sleep certain quantities of ours in order to maintain our

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<v Speaker 1>health and energy. We also have things we wish to

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<v Speaker 1>do with our discretionary time, whether that's adventures or time

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<v Speaker 1>with friends or hobbies. These things tend not to happen

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<v Speaker 1>unless we are intentional about them and choose times for them.

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<v Speaker 1>When we are intentional, we tend to have a better

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<v Speaker 1>recall of our time. But even so, our memories can

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<v Speaker 1>easily slip away. We can look at photos, but those

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<v Speaker 1>only capture well snapshots in time. When you record how

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<v Speaker 1>you spend your time, on the other hand, the memories

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<v Speaker 1>become more accessible. You can conjure almost all of them

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<v Speaker 1>back up. Indeed, it's not that hard to do so.

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<v Speaker 1>I have been tracking my time continuously since April. I

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<v Speaker 1>check in about three times a day and write what

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<v Speaker 1>I've done since the last check in. This only takes

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<v Speaker 1>me a minute each time, so we're talking three minutes

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<v Speaker 1>a day. It's about the same amount of time I

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<v Speaker 1>spend brushing my teeth. My memory is as faulty as

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<v Speaker 1>the next person's, but because I have these records, I

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<v Speaker 1>am able to bring back all sorts of memories. For instance,

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<v Speaker 1>I recently decided to pull up a week in April

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<v Speaker 1>to compare it to April. I knew roughly that we

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<v Speaker 1>had gone to Hawaii in April, but thanks to my

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<v Speaker 1>time log, I know what we did on the plane

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<v Speaker 1>right there. I remember the process of getting our rental car.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember the pizza we found that first night, and

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<v Speaker 1>whether we went on the resort water slides in the

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<v Speaker 1>afternoon or morning, and which afternoon it was. That I

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<v Speaker 1>spent a lovely hour reading on the balcony while my

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<v Speaker 1>kids were at the kids club. All of it is

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<v Speaker 1>still there. Having those memories there and accessible is a

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<v Speaker 1>huge upside, and the only cost was being willing to

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<v Speaker 1>spend three minutes a day recording what I've done now.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that some people worry that noting how they

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<v Speaker 1>spend their time on vacation would make them feel less relaxed,

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<v Speaker 1>But I guess my question is why it's not a judgment.

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<v Speaker 1>No one really cares if you spent an hour watching

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<v Speaker 1>TV when there was a fabulous sunset going on outside

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<v Speaker 1>and you just missed it. Whoops. No one cares if

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<v Speaker 1>you stayed up until two am some night reading or whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>It is just information. You don't need to learn any

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<v Speaker 1>lessons based on this log. Instead, think of it as memory.

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<v Speaker 1>Keeping like a scrap book. When you have a good time,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll be able to look back later at the log

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<v Speaker 1>and note every hour of this precious time. When you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the photos, that will reinforce the time records,

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<v Speaker 1>and all of this will help you truly believe that

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<v Speaker 1>you live a rich and full life. So why not

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<v Speaker 1>give it a try. If you want to take baby steps,

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<v Speaker 1>try tracking time over the weekend for a few weekends

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<v Speaker 1>just to get in the habit. Hopefully you will have

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<v Speaker 1>some adventures then to remember as well, and you will

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<v Speaker 1>be ready to get tracking the next time you go

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<v Speaker 1>somewhere special. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>list thinks and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four then breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com That Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts

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