Budget time for transitions

Major life changes will take time, so it's best to build that into your schedule

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to budget time for transitions. Transitions almost always

(00:24):
require money, but they also require a lot of time too,
so you are wise to be prepared for both possibilities.
Life is full of transitions. People move, people have new babies,
people get new jobs. There might be smaller transitions between

(00:46):
these as wells, such as a job becoming more in
person and less remote, or children starting new schools. Often,
transitions take time and money. People often think about the
money part, particularly for big transitions, but you want to
be sure to budget for both so life doesn't feel frantic.

(01:10):
In many cases, the financial costs of transitions are fairly obvious,
like if you are looking at the costs of moving
to a new house or apartment. There might be deposits
or down payments and payments to brokers or real estate agents.
Hiring movers takes money, as does dealing with whatever necessary
fixes got missed or got bumped to you. Perhaps you

(01:32):
need new furniture, but it also takes a lot of
time to move. Sometimes people are less likely to consider
the time costs of transitions like this, but they are substantial.
You'll need to supervise the movers and move smaller things
yourself and unpack at least some of the things. On
the other end, you'll need to change your address and

(01:54):
possibly your driver's license and other documents like that. You
will need to supervise whatevern have to happen. Figuring out
new schedules and new routines and how new things work
all take time. You will need to build this into
your life. If you don't, you will feel rushed and
frantic after the move. If you do, things will go

(02:17):
more smoothly. This is also true for transitions like a
child going off to college. When my first went off
to college last fall, I knew we would be paying
tuition and we prepared for that, but I hadn't quite
anticipated that there would be a multi day orientation that
parents would come to in midsummer. I didn't know we

(02:38):
would be given a small move and window on a
day in August, and we wouldn't know what day that
was until about a month before then. There was parents
Weekend about two months after school started. All of this
can be a lot of fun, of course, but it
does take time, so it is best to plan for it.
I know now for my next kids to very lightly

(03:00):
schedule the weeks before school starts. Changing jobs definitely takes time.
You will need to figure out your new schedule and
new routines. You will need to meet with people at
your new organization. You will need to be trained on
whatever policies and technologies are part of the new place. Indeed,

(03:21):
onboarding new employees takes so much time and managerial energy
that anything organizations do to reduce turnover tends to go
straight to the bottom line. But if you are starting
something new, it's pointless to pretend that anyone truly hits
the ground running. Everything requires some transition time. You will

(03:45):
need to plan for that and for all the little
things like updating your information on LinkedIn or in your
alumni directory or with any professional associations. You will want
to reach out to your professional network and let them
know about the new job. This all takes time. When

(04:06):
you understand that transitions take time, then you can be
a bit more patient with yourself and with the world
when things do not run at one hundred percent of
their previous efficiency immediately. If you expect one hundred percent efficiency,
then you probably need to limit the number of transitions
in your life, but if you plan to make them,

(04:30):
then plan for them to take time. Make sure your
schedule can accommodate them. You might need to limit other
commitments or outsource some routine household tasks in order to
free up time. If you do, though, then you will
be happier and you will be able to make the
transition happen more smoothly than if you are constantly borrowing

(04:54):
time from, say sleep, to make it all work. In
the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening

(05:16):
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

(05:39):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.