1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to stop wishing time away. 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: Many of us claim that we want more time, yet 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: we also spend reasonable chunks of an average day wishing 6 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: time would move faster. You're stuck in traffic, merging onto 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: a busy highway. You're watching the clock during a boring meeting. 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: The kids are whining, and you're counting the minutes until bedtime. 9 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: This is human nature, but it always feels like such 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: a miserable bargain. Our time on this planet is strictly limited, 11 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: and here we are wishing these minutes would move faster. 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: I won't claim all time is precious. Any moments involving 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: physical or psychological pain are just hard. In those moments, 14 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: the fact that all time passes can be a blessing. Instead, 15 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: I'm talking more about the humdrum moments of life that 16 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: aren't inherently good or bad. Our experience of these moments 17 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: is all about how we interact with them. Unfortunately, there 18 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: are several ways to move these moments from the clock 19 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: watching category to the enjoyable category. The most obvious way 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: is to engineer fewer of them into your life in 21 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: the first place. Few of us have truly examined our 22 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: schedules from this perspective. Try tracking your time for a 23 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: few days or ideally a week. You can download a 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: time tracking spreadsheet from my website, Laura Vanderkamp dot com, 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: or you can just make your own on this schedule, 26 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: note when you felt happy or relaxed. Then also note 27 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: when you were wishing time would move faster. What were 28 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: you doing during those times? Ask yourself a few questions 29 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: about these moments. First, do they absolutely have to happen? 30 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: If you hate running errands on weekends, maybe you can 31 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: plan ahead and get stuff delivered. Maybe you can throw 32 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: money at the problem. I enjoy watching my kids sports games, 33 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: but I don't enjoy chasing younger siblings on the sidelines. 34 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: Hiring a sitter for a few hours on the weekend 35 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: can solve this issue and keep me from wishing these 36 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: moments away. Maybe that horrible meeting can be shortened, or 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: it could happen less frequently. Maybe you can shift your 38 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: hours or work from home occasionally so traffic is less 39 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: of a frustration. Maybe a problem can't be solved in 40 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 1: the short run, but it can be solved in the 41 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: long run. If you find yourself wishing the clock would 42 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: move faster for the majority of your work day, that's 43 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: maybe a sign it's time to hunt for another job. 44 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: There are lots of ways of working, and in a year, 45 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: the odds are good that you could find something more 46 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: interesting and fulfilling. On some level, we know these things, 47 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: but we can become so used to the sensation of 48 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: wishing time move faster that we don't stop to question it. 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: So today question it. Declutter your calendar, be more judicious 50 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: about what you take on. Of course, it's not possible 51 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: to live a life where absolutely everything in our schedules 52 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: sparks joy. As Marie Condo might say, some moments are 53 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: necessary evils. I love public speaking and I love exploring 54 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: new places around the globe, Alas both of these tend 55 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: to involve air travel, and despite getting on a plane 56 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: once or twice a week, I remain a semi nervous flyer. 57 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: I don't think I will ever get on a plane 58 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: and not wish that the trip was over and I 59 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: was at my destination. But I've gotten better at making 60 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: this time better. I bring books or longer magazine articles 61 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: that I'm looking forward to reading. I download music and 62 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: save podcast episodes for the trip that I know i'll enjoy. 63 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: I assign myself work that will put me in a 64 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: state of flow, particularly since I know it won't be 65 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: checking my email for a few hours. The key is 66 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: to stack some sort of pleasure on top of the 67 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: unpleasant parts. This can minimize the clock watching. We can 68 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: also make the post of the power we have to 69 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: change situations, or at least our perception of them. Distractions 70 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: can make the time go faster, but sometimes we're better 71 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: off forgoing the distractions and leaning into the situation. Rather 72 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: than check email under the table during a boring meeting, 73 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: you commit to paying complete attention. You go in fully 74 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: prepared to make the most of every minute. You commit 75 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: to making eye contact and connecting with the presenter, making 76 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: that person feel like what he or she is doing 77 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: is important. Now, that may or may not be true 78 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: that what the person is doing is important, but a 79 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: genuine connection has all kinds of payoffs and will make 80 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: you feel like you didn't waste that hour. So how 81 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: do you keep from wishing time away? You can let 82 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: me know at before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media 83 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 1: dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for 84 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 1: listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 85 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 86 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 87 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. 88 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,600 Speaker 1: That's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 89 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 90 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast 91 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 92 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 93 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,040 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from 94 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 95 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite show.