Make a commitment after work

Become more efficient by making life more interesting

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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 make a commitment after work, especially
if you are working from home, as many people still

(00:24):
are these days. Work and life can bleed into each other.
Having something big in your personal life can make you
more efficient at work and make your non working hours
seem bigger and more memorable. When I first started working
from home full time in late two thousand two, I

(00:46):
was living in New York City with a roommate who
traveled a lot for work. In other words, I spent
a lot of time alone in my apartment. I would
half work and half not work well into the evening.
Now this was before the days of social media, but
I would read a lot of comment threads on discussion

(01:07):
boards if you remember those. I wasn't exactly getting anything done,
but I wasn't really relaxing either, with my inbox right
there where I could see the numbers rising. What helped
break the cycle for me was joining three community choirs,
each met once a week, so on three week nights,

(01:29):
I'd need to stop work by six or six thirty
and haul myself to rehearsal. Seeing other people put me
on a more regular shower schedule, which was good, but
a hard stop on work also had the upside of
making me better at my job. I'd work hard and
get it done by six instead of getting distracted, because

(01:51):
I knew I could keep working until midnight if I
wanted these days. I have five children who make it
difficult to keep working until midnight, what with their need
to be fed and put to bed and such. Their
activities often force a stop to work, but I have
made sure to still be in one choir whose Thursday

(02:13):
rehearsals still punctuate my week. If you have the sort
of job that can bleed into all hours of the
day and night, then I would highly suggest that you
to commit to something in your personal life. Yes, you
are busy, and making commitments can seem ridiculous when every

(02:34):
hour is spoken for with work and family responsibilities. But
hear me out here. One of the reasons people feel
like they spend all their time working is that work
is structured. Hours have jobs to do. We plan how
we will spend our time and what we will accomplish

(02:56):
with that time. We are working towards something and have
commitments with other people that happen at specific hours. All
of these make time feel more full. Many people's personal
lives do not feature these same attributes, and that makes

(03:16):
the time feel malleable and sadly, more often forgettable. Now,
I am not saying that you need to plan in
fifteen minute chunks like you would at work, but a
once a month book club, a run every Monday morning
with a friend, and your Wednesday night tennis game with
your sister will all make your leisure time feel more expansive.

(03:40):
Then if you just scroll around social media for the
same quantity of time, that's because these commitments are memorable,
you will remember and notice them, whereas lower quality leisure
time just seems to disappear. Plus, work can expand to

(04:01):
fill the available space when we give it less space.
Because we have commitments in our personal life, well sounds good.
It'll find a way to fit and that will mean
we will waste less time. And if you are working
from home, it's also good to get out and see people.
Even if you do have a family, you can trade

(04:24):
off with a partner or relative or neighbor, or hire
a sitter for kid coverage just a few hours a
week can make a big difference between feeling like you
are always working but not necessarily getting much done, and
feeling like you are efficient and have a real life.

(04:44):
I think I know which one sounds better. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. M Hey everybody, I'd love
to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

(05:06):
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 is spelled out

(05:26):
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.