Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to use anchor dates to make sure that
Speaker 1: things that need to happen periodically actually occur on schedule.
Speaker 1: I recently heard about a person who schedules all of
Speaker 1: his annual medical appointments for right around his birthday. He
Speaker 1: schedules his annual physical plus the eye doctor, dermatologist, and
Speaker 1: whatever other specialists he needs to see once a year.
Speaker 1: He isn't going to forget his birthday. So if he
Speaker 1: knows that he makes his appointments for around his birthday,
Speaker 1: there is no more wondering when the last appointment was.
Speaker 1: Such a smart and simple approach, and hey, it has
Speaker 1: the added benefit of recasting preventative healthcare as a gift
Speaker 1: to yourself. You are increasing the chances of many more
Speaker 1: birthdays to come. That is the power of a good
Speaker 1: anchor date. For tasks that need to happen more frequently,
Speaker 1: you can simply choose anchor dates that happen more frequently.
Speaker 1: For instance, if the air filters in your home need
Speaker 1: to be changed four times a year, why not choose
Speaker 1: the four dates when your estimated taxes are due the
Speaker 1: summer and winter solstice could work for your dental cleanings
Speaker 1: or other tasks that need to happen semiannually. Anchor dates
Speaker 1: can likewise be useful for things that need to happen
Speaker 1: at specific times of the year. For instance, in parts
Speaker 1: of the American South, the day after Thanksgiving is the
Speaker 1: traditional day to plant bulbs. It would be fine to
Speaker 1: plant bulbs earlier in November, even in early December, but
Speaker 1: the rule of thumb to plant the day after Thanksgiving
Speaker 1: helps ensure that what needs to happen sometime around then
Speaker 1: actually happens. And hey, most people need a little physical
Speaker 1: activity the day after Thanksgiving. Since many people have the
Speaker 1: day off work, there are fewer extra there are fewer
Speaker 1: excuses for not spending some daylight hours outside. That is
Speaker 1: a good anchor date. Here where I live near Philadelphia,
Speaker 1: the day after Thanksgiving would be a little late to
Speaker 1: plant bulbs, since we've usually had a number of good
Speaker 1: frosts by then, but I can choose another anchor date,
Speaker 1: like my daughter's early October birthday. We often think of
Speaker 1: getting our flu shots right around Halloween, and I start
Speaker 1: making my annual camp spreadsheet right around the new year
Speaker 1: early enough to get discounts and to almost always get
Speaker 1: the dates that I want. By setting smart anchor dates,
Speaker 1: you can get a jump on almost anything where it
Speaker 1: is problematic to wait. I have found that making summer
Speaker 1: vacation plans around Thanksgiving means there are a lot more
Speaker 1: choices than if I am making those plans in June.
Speaker 1: So think about what you need to do periodically. Is
Speaker 1: there a memorable date like your birthday or a holiday
Speaker 1: right around this time so that you could attach the
Speaker 1: task to that memorable date. Once you start doing this,
Speaker 1: the anchor date will help you remember to do the
Speaker 1: task on schedule from year to year. Eventually this will
Speaker 1: be automatic day after Thanksgiving time to plant those bulbs.
Speaker 1: But in the near term it's a good idea to
Speaker 1: use a calendar item to reinforce that association. So, for example,
Speaker 1: you might put a note on your calendar for next
Speaker 1: Halloween to go get a flu shot and to create
Speaker 1: a calendar item for the next year. Then the cycle
Speaker 1: repeats itself and the things you want to have happened happen.
Speaker 1: How awesome is that. In the meantime, this is Laura,
Speaker 1: thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's B the number four then Breakfast
Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before
Speaker 1: Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: should I look forward to staying intell much. Before Breakfast
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