One year anniversary: Laura’s favorite tips

Before Breakfast is a year old! Here are some of Laura’s favorite tips from the last year

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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 is the official one year anniversary of Before Breakfast launch.
Every weekday morning since March, I've been sharing a productivity

(00:26):
tip designed to take your day from great to awesome.
So today I'll be sharing a few of my favorite
tips from the past year. These are tips that I
use all the time, so I hope they're helpful for you.
To The first one, plan your weeks on Fridays. We

(00:47):
all need time to think through our priorities. I take
a little time on Friday afternoon to think about the
week ahead. I list my top priorities in three categories, career, really,
and chips self. Then I think about when those things
can happen. Simply by doing this, I vastly increase the

(01:08):
chances that I make space for what matters to me.
Why Friday afternoon, Well, to be honest, I'm not doing
much else. Then it's hard to start new projects. But
I think about what future me should do, and that
turns what might be wasted time into some of my
most productive minutes of the week. The second tip is

(01:31):
also about looking forward, be kind to your future self.
It is so easy to over commit. When we're asked
to do something and say October, we either figure it
will never be October, or our future selves will be
so organized and productive that will be able to take

(01:51):
on anything. But sadly, come October we will be the
same people we have always been, will be just as busy,
only now we'll also have these other commitments that we
were lukewarm about squeezed into our calendars. So here's the
way to avoid this. Whenever you are asked to do
something in the future, ask yourself if you would do

(02:14):
it tomorrow? And sure, I know you're busy tomorrow, which
is kind of the point. But would you be willing
to move things around or cancel things to fit this
new thing in? If so, awesome, but if not, best
to decline. Your future self will thank you. Since I

(02:35):
started doing this, my future self has been thanking me
all the time. A third one, give yourself a bedtime.
Life feels so much more doable when you get enough sleep.
Since most adults can't sleep in frequently, the best way
to sleep in is to go to bed early, and

(02:57):
the best way to guarantee that to give yourself a
bed time. These days, I need a really good reason
to be up past PM. Now. If there is a
good reason, awesome, I won't turn into a pumpkin. But
if not, time to turn in so I'll be functional
in the morning. A fourth, think before you send. Whenever

(03:21):
I'm writing an email that I need to make sure
is right, I fill in the address last. This gives
me a chance to double check that I'm sending to
the right person and that the email says what I
mean it to say. It also gives me a chance
to pause and ask if the email should be sent
at all. It's a simple habit that can ward off

(03:44):
disasters and finally elevate the every day. Sure, I'm a
big fan of big adventures, but upgrading the little things
in life can have a huge effect on your happiness.
Whatever you do repeatedly should be as pleasant as possible.
So spring for the good cleaning supplies. I've made sure

(04:07):
all the hand soaps in my house smell fantastic. Drink
your coffee out of your favorite mug. Frankly, all your
mugs should be your favorite mug. There is zero reason
to drink your morning coffee out of a subpar mug.
If you bring your lunch to work, bring good silverware.
It just feels different from eating with a plastic fork.

(04:30):
I have finally convinced myself to buy the good pens.
Sharing that tip with listeners inspired me to do these
things myself. So that's one way that Before Breakfast has
helped me take my days from great too awesome. I
very much appreciate the emails listeners send me. Please know
that I do read all of them and I respond

(04:51):
to most of them too. I love hearing your tips
and questions, so please keep sending them in. You can
reach me at Before Breakfast pot cast at i heeart
media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
for listening for the past year, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(05:18):
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 Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

(05:38):
dot com. That Before Breakfast 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

(05:59):
your favorite chips