Mull it over

First ideas often aren’t the best ideas

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about how to make big decisions. You
don't want to ruminate on the small stuff. But with
anything major, no this your first idea might not be

(00:27):
your best idea. You want to give yourself space to
pull it over. I've been thinking about this a lot lately,
with something that's by no means high stakes but will
affect day to day life in my household. People who
read my blog or follow me on Instagram know that
I'm expecting a fifth baby in January. Now, as my
family gets bigger, we've been trying to figure out how

(00:49):
to configure our bedrooms and living spaces so everyone is happy.
There are lots of options, but every option has upsides
and downsides. We could move, but buying and selling houses
involves transaction costs. We could stay and have more kids
share bedrooms, but some already are sharing and they aren't

(01:09):
all thrilled about it. So then there's the possibility of
renovating to add more space. My first thought after surveying
my house and studying the internet was to finish the
attic it's a reasonable idea, but further research revealed that
this project would likely involve an architect and lots of
permitting and a lot of time and noise. I wasn't

(01:30):
sure I had the capacity to manage that. But the
good news is that no one needs to make an
immediate decision. By thinking about my options before anything is urgent,
I can mull over my instincts and ask if they
make sense. I can recognize that my first ideas aren't
necessarily my best ideas. In time, more ideas might come

(01:53):
to me. Indeed, this is exactly what happened. After pondering
the attic idea for a while and getting feedback, I
decided to look around my house again with an open mind.
I realized that the finished basement offered more ready options
than the unfinished attic. This project would be much more doable.

(02:15):
It would be less expensive and time consuming. Making a
decision without intense time pressure allows us to see possibilities
In general, in life, I find this to be the case,
and sometimes time pressure focuses us, but sometimes it limits us.
For instance, one of the worst times to be job
hunting is when you really need a job, when you're

(02:38):
just passively looking. Because you're already employed, you can really
think about whether you like an offer or if you
might be able to flush out a different offer by
meeting with friends and colleagues at other organizations. When I
talk with people who are re entering the workforce after
caring for children, I suggest that it be a family
priority to give these job seekers the gift of time.

(03:01):
If you've been out of the workforce for five years,
it's not a huge deal if you start a new
job in April or October. But by taking the time
pressure off, you increase the chances of finding something you'll
craft into a position that works well for you and
your family. So how do you build in space to
mull it over. You don't want to lose your life

(03:24):
to decision makings, but there are ways to structure life
to leave space for decisions. It helps to survey upcoming
life transitions and events that might necessitate choices. Talk with
the people in your life who might be part of
these decisions. Ask about their thoughts, Ask for ideas, Ask
what other people have done in similar circumstances. Come up

(03:46):
with your own ideas, make lists, and then step away,
take a vacation, go somewhere for a long weekend, do
a more involved volunteer project. I promise that when you
come back to your list of options, you'll see it
in a new light. Or maybe you'll have more options
to add, and the odds are good that one of

(04:07):
those options might be better than your first thoughts. You
give yourself a huge gift by leaving space to pull
it over in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(04:30):
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 than breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is

(04:52):
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. H