Cope with constant interruptions

Use bits of time for bits of joy

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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 about how to cope with constantly interrupted
time and how to manage your energy even if you're
not trying to get a whole lot of traditional work done.

(00:26):
This tip stems from a letter I got from a
listener who lives in India. Her elderly father had been
admitted to the hospital. Fortunately, he was starting to improve.
In India, the daughter wrote, it's common for a family
member to stay over in the hospital with a patient
to help with his care. That was what she was doing,
and so she was constantly on call. In the short

(00:49):
times I do get to myself when he is sleeping.
Mostly I find myself trying to get other stuff done,
she says, But for obvious reasons, I keep getting interrupted.
The stuff I'm doing is not highly intense, paying bills online,
reorganizing my lists, clearing down inboxes, sometimes just listening to podcasts,
But even then I find it difficult to progress. So

(01:11):
she wondered, did I have any advice for dealing with interruptions?
Getting even small tasks done and feeling efficient is a
big part of my personal self care and goes a
long way in making me feel like at least some
aspects of life are under control in these difficult times.
She said, so she was looking for ideas. I thought

(01:33):
this was a great question. First, no one is going
to get much done in a hospital. Her first move
should be to release herself from any expectations. Even if
she did nothing other than manage her father's care for
a few weeks, it would be okay. Life would not
completely fall apart. That said, she could maintain some sense

(01:54):
of the progress that was important to her by turning
her tasks into very very small ones. Something like pay
bills might get interrupted, which can be frustrating, but write
down amount to pay for a single bill is doable.
Then she could write a check or find the website
or app to pay as another step. The next bill

(02:16):
might likewise be broken up into two to three steps.
Two with tasks taking less than a minute, she could
definitely get through enough to feel like she'd done something.
She could also find fun, fairly low effort activities that
would fit in small bits of time. She mentioned listening
to this podcast, which is great. She could also read

(02:38):
a poem, write in a one sentenced journal, borrow some
art books from the library and digital form, and then
look through a few beautiful pictures at a time she
could brainstorm items for her list of a hundred dreams.
That really extensive bucket list we've talked about in past episodes.
Even if you're not caring for someone in the hospital,
I find it's helpful to make a list of these

(03:00):
little bits of joy that can fit into bits of time.
There are many circumstances in life when you can't do involved,
lengthy activities. Maybe you're caring for a toddler. Maybe you've
got some downtime at work, but not the sort where
you can plan to read a whole novel. In any case,
come up with a few small items that can make

(03:22):
the time pleasant and well, the time will be more
pleasant and I'm a big fan of never wishing time
away in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(03:45):
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 the number four. Then breakst p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

(04:08):
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
I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.