WEBVTT - Don't wish time away

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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 about how to stop wishing time away.

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<v Speaker 1>Many of us claim that we want more time, yet

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<v Speaker 1>we also spend reasonable chunks of an average day wishing

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<v Speaker 1>time would move faster. You're stuck in traffic, merging onto

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<v Speaker 1>a busy highway. You're watching the clock during a boring meeting.

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<v Speaker 1>The kids are whining, and you're counting the minutes until bedtime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is human nature, but it always feels like such

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<v Speaker 1>a miserable bargain. Our time on this planet is strictly limited,

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<v Speaker 1>and here we are wishing these minutes would move faster.

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<v Speaker 1>I won't claim all time is precious. Any moments involving

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<v Speaker 1>physical or psychological pain are just hard. In those moments,

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that all time passes can be a blessing. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm talking more about the humdrum moments of life that

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<v Speaker 1>aren't inherently good or bad. Our experience of these moments

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<v Speaker 1>is all about how we interact with them. Unfortunately, there

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<v Speaker 1>are several ways to move these moments from the clock

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<v Speaker 1>watching category to the enjoyable category. The most obvious way

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<v Speaker 1>is to engineer fewer of them into your life in

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<v Speaker 1>the first place. Few of us have truly examined our

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<v Speaker 1>schedules from this perspective. Try tracking your time for a

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<v Speaker 1>few days or ideally a week. You can download a

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<v Speaker 1>time tracking spreadsheet from my website, Laura Vanderkamp dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>or you can just make your own on this schedule,

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<v Speaker 1>note when you felt happy or relaxed. Then also note

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<v Speaker 1>when you were wishing time would move faster. What were

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<v Speaker 1>you doing during those times? Ask yourself a few questions

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<v Speaker 1>about these moments. First, do they absolutely have to happen?

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<v Speaker 1>If you hate running errands on weekends, maybe you can

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<v Speaker 1>plan ahead and get stuff delivered. Maybe you can throw

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<v Speaker 1>money at the problem. I enjoy watching my kids sports games,

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<v Speaker 1>but I don't enjoy chasing younger siblings on the sidelines.

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<v Speaker 1>Hiring a sitter for a few hours on the weekend

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<v Speaker 1>can solve this issue and keep me from wishing these

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<v Speaker 1>moments away. Maybe that horrible meeting can be shortened, or

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<v Speaker 1>it could happen less frequently. Maybe you can shift your

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<v Speaker 1>hours or work from home occasionally so traffic is less

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<v Speaker 1>of a frustration. Maybe a problem can't be solved in

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<v Speaker 1>the short run, but it can be solved in the

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<v Speaker 1>long run. If you find yourself wishing the clock would

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<v Speaker 1>move faster for the majority of your work day, that's

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<v Speaker 1>maybe a sign it's time to hunt for another job.

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<v Speaker 1>There are lots of ways of working, and in a year,

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<v Speaker 1>the odds are good that you could find something more

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<v Speaker 1>interesting and fulfilling. On some level, we know these things,

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<v Speaker 1>but we can become so used to the sensation of

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<v Speaker 1>wishing time move faster that we don't stop to question it.

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<v Speaker 1>So today question it. Declutter your calendar, be more judicious

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<v Speaker 1>about what you take on. Of course, it's not possible

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<v Speaker 1>to live a life where absolutely everything in our schedules

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<v Speaker 1>sparks joy. As Marie Condo might say, some moments are

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<v Speaker 1>necessary evils. I love public speaking and I love exploring

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<v Speaker 1>new places around the globe, Alas both of these tend

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<v Speaker 1>to involve air travel, and despite getting on a plane

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<v Speaker 1>once or twice a week, I remain a semi nervous flyer.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think I will ever get on a plane

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<v Speaker 1>and not wish that the trip was over and I

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<v Speaker 1>was at my destination. But I've gotten better at making

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<v Speaker 1>this time better. I bring books or longer magazine articles

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm looking forward to reading. I download music and

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<v Speaker 1>save podcast episodes for the trip that I know i'll enjoy.

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<v Speaker 1>I assign myself work that will put me in a

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<v Speaker 1>state of flow, particularly since I know it won't be

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<v Speaker 1>checking my email for a few hours. The key is

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<v Speaker 1>to stack some sort of pleasure on top of the

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<v Speaker 1>unpleasant parts. This can minimize the clock watching. We can

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<v Speaker 1>also make the post of the power we have to

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<v Speaker 1>change situations, or at least our perception of them. Distractions

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<v Speaker 1>can make the time go faster, but sometimes we're better

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<v Speaker 1>off forgoing the distractions and leaning into the situation. Rather

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<v Speaker 1>than check email under the table during a boring meeting,

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<v Speaker 1>you commit to paying complete attention. You go in fully

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<v Speaker 1>prepared to make the most of every minute. You commit

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<v Speaker 1>to making eye contact and connecting with the presenter, making

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<v Speaker 1>that person feel like what he or she is doing

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<v Speaker 1>is important. Now, that may or may not be true

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<v Speaker 1>that what the person is doing is important, but a

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<v Speaker 1>genuine connection has all kinds of payoffs and will make

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<v Speaker 1>you feel like you didn't waste that hour. So how

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<v Speaker 1>do you keep from wishing time away? You can let

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<v Speaker 1>me know at before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for

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

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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