Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to leave a night open. Even a
Speaker 1: busy family schedule can feel far more manageable when there
Speaker 1: is one night without a lot going on. I have
Speaker 1: five children, including four who are in school and doing activities,
Speaker 1: and so that back to school season is always a
Speaker 1: time of intensity. I try to figure out a schedule
Speaker 1: that works for each family member but also works for
Speaker 1: the family overall. Some stuff happens when it happens, but
Speaker 1: with other activities, we have a choice about which day
Speaker 1: we go. So as much as possible, I try to
Speaker 1: create one night with nothing going on. If that's not possible,
Speaker 1: maybe it's a night with just one short thing after
Speaker 1: school and the rest of the evening completely open. This way,
Speaker 1: we know we have one night where we could have
Speaker 1: dinner together. Kids will have one night during the week
Speaker 1: when they can concentrate on homework or do longer school projects,
Speaker 1: or get caught up on instrument practice. People can relax
Speaker 1: without running around anywhere. I have found that it is
Speaker 1: worth being a little busier on the other nights in
Speaker 1: order to keep one night clear. We have often aimed
Speaker 1: for Wednesdays in our family as the open night, because
Speaker 1: even if Monday and Tuesday feel busy, we know that well,
Speaker 1: Wednesday is coming up and that will be more low key.
Speaker 1: Then Thursday can be a little busier, but Friday tends
Speaker 1: to be relatively relaxed as well. It all evens out
Speaker 1: whether you have children or not. I find it helps
Speaker 1: to have one night per week where you plan to
Speaker 1: be a little more relaxed. If you often work late,
Speaker 1: maybe you can choose one night where you consciously plan
Speaker 1: to come home earlier. It might be worth working a
Speaker 1: little later on the already late nights to make that happen.
Speaker 1: You'll get more quality time with your family coming home
Speaker 1: at four pm one or two days a week and
Speaker 1: nine pm on the other days, then coming home right
Speaker 1: when kids go to bed every single night. If you
Speaker 1: have kid activities, having one night off from them can
Speaker 1: change the entire rhythm of the week. In general, it
Speaker 1: helps to think of our lives in terms of weeks
Speaker 1: rather than days. When we keep one night open, we
Speaker 1: are taking advantage of our lives. Having this weekly rhythm
Speaker 1: rather than having something on every night. We experience time differently.
Speaker 1: By having some longer nights and some shorter nights, we
Speaker 1: get both intensity and rest. We can also manage our
Speaker 1: energy through the week. A long day gets taken in
Speaker 1: context because we know it is not the only kind
Speaker 1: of day. We have shorter ones coming up to. So
Speaker 1: as you build your schedule or your family scheduled this
Speaker 1: back to school season, try to keep this strategy in mind.
Speaker 1: Look at when things happen and which nights seem like
Speaker 1: they might naturally be lighter than others. Then see if
Speaker 1: you can consciously move things out of the lightest night
Speaker 1: in order to make it open. Then protect this time.
Speaker 1: If someone wants to sign up for rock climbing lessons
Speaker 1: and Wednesday is the open night. When you see lessons
Speaker 1: happen on Mondays and Wednesdays, you know to push for
Speaker 1: the Monday option. You can build the schedule more mindfully
Speaker 1: rather than making choices without any guidelines at all. In
Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd
Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram. At before Breakfast pod. That's B the
Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p O D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart
Speaker 1: media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out with
Speaker 1: all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to
Speaker 1: staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I
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