Choose today’s highlight

Figure out what you’ll celebrate and you’ll enjoy all time more

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to think ahead of time about what
will be today's highlight. Done right, this can make your
day feel far more pleasant and productive. This tip comes

(00:27):
from Jake Knap and John Zeratsky's book Make Time. In
this book, they argue that focusing on activities that fall
between long term goals and short term tasks is the
key to slowing down, bringing satisfaction to your daily life,
and helping you make time. Long Term goals are useful
for orienting you in the right direction, but make it

(00:49):
hard to enjoy the time spent working along the way,
and tasks are necessary to get things done, but without
a focal point, they fly by in a forgettable haze.
The middle ground between the two is a daily highlight.
Nap and Zaratski right that we want you to begin
each day by thinking about what you hope will be

(01:09):
the bright spot. If at the end of the day
someone asks you what was the highlight of your day?
What do you want your answer to be? When you
look back on your day, what activity or accomplishment or
moment do you want to save her. That's your highlight. Now,
a highlight doesn't have to be an obvious high point,
like spending half the day at a spa. On some days,

(01:31):
the highlight might be finishing a work task that really
needed to get done. It could be something satisfying if difficult,
like hitting a speed goal during your post work run.
Or maybe it's something joyful, like lunch with the colleague
that you always find hilarious. In any case, Nap and
Zaratski recommend choosing a highlight that will take about sixty

(01:51):
to ninety minutes. This isn't a huge amount of time
in your waking six to eighteen hours per day, but
figuring out the highlight ahead of time time will do
several positive things. First, you'll look forward to the highlight
and structure the day's logistics to make sure it happens. Second,
you'll notice the highlight while it's happening. It can be

(02:14):
easy to trudge through even good things in a distracted
frame of mind, but if you know lunch with your
colleague is a highlight, you'll pay attention to his funny
jokes and give yourself permission to laugh a bit more
rather than thinking about your inbox, and rather than going
through the motions of that post work run, you really
think about it and celebrate what your body can do.

(02:36):
And finally, choosing a highlight ahead of time can help
change the story we tell ourselves about our lives. It's
easy to fall into a trap of thinking I have
no time or I'm not in control of anything, But
even an hour spent on an activity that you are
executing agency over can go a long ways. Your highlight
gives each day a focal point. Knapp and Zerotsky right

(02:58):
research shows that the way you experience your days is
not determined primarily by what happens to you. In fact,
you create your own reality by choosing what you pay
attention to. In a previous episode of Before Breakfast, I
talked about turning morning time into family time, and if
you're looking for a family breakfast discussion topic, this could

(03:19):
be good for everyone. What will today's highlight be? Looking
forward to the day's schedule, what is the main thing
you'd like to remember from the next few hours. Now,
maybe some days the highlights won't happen, or some days
it will be really tough to identify a highlight. But
as Nap and Zerotski note the upside of seeking out

(03:41):
a daily highlight is that we can always try again tomorrow.
Eventually there's going to be a highlight we can foresee
and celebrate. In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(04:05):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

(04:27):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.