July 27, 2022 • 5 mins
A planning hack the can make life more fun
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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 use categories to create variety. When
you introduce smart categories into your planning processes, you make
(00:26):
it easier to build in lots of different things and
not just the usual suspects. Long time listeners will have
heard me advised to plan the upcoming week on Friday afternoons.
I have been doing this for years and I find
it incredibly useful. You may have also heard me suggest
(00:46):
creating a priority list for the upcoming week that features
three categories. Career, Relationships, self. Career is self explanatory. These
are your big fesshional goals. Relationships means things you want
to do with family and friends. Self are those things
(01:07):
you need or want to do for your own health
or pleasure. The reason to make a three category list
in your planning is that it turns out to be
very difficult to make a three category list and then
leave one of the categories blank. Our brains just don't
work that way. We see the category, and once there
(01:30):
is a category, we assume that something needs to go
into it. So using the categories of career, relationships, and
self not just you to plan a more balanced life
that is straightforward enough. And once you realize this, you
(01:50):
can use smart categories for all sorts of other planning.
For instance, if you are building a budget, including categories
for savings and fun and unexpected expenses means you are
highly likely to put at least a few dollars into
(02:10):
each of these buckets. Just like that, you have built
a wiser and more sustainable financial setup. Or if you're
planning a big trip, you might sort your activities into
different categories to nudge variety. Let's say you are planning
a trip to New York City. The city has great museums,
(02:33):
but my guess is that you don't want to spend
every minute in a museum, So maybe you create multiple categories.
As you are planning art, food, theater experiences, which might
mean something like taking the Staten Island Ferry, and outdoors,
(02:53):
which could mean visiting the New York Botanical Gardens or
Central Park. You and your traveling companions can rainstorm possibilities
for each category, and then you can refer to the
categorized list as you plan your days. You will see
the city in a different way. Some families use categories
(03:14):
as they navigate that minefield known as kid birthday gifts.
One popular set of categories is something they want, something
they need, something to wear, and something to read. The
kid doesn't get all books or all video games, or
all socks or all towels. If it's a college student
(03:34):
setting up a first apartment, variety keeps things interesting or
nudges you to think differently. That's why colleges sometimes create
distribution requirements by requiring everyone to take a class in
the sciences or in literature. You are more likely to
expand from your usual first choices. So think about various
(03:58):
things you plan in your life. Think about whether introducing
a new category or two might encourage you to do
things a little differently and introduce some variety. You might
be surprised what you come up with once you give
yourself a little nudge. In the meantime, this is Laura.
(04:21):
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, 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
(04:42):
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 iHeart media dot com
that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
(05:05):
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. Yeah yeah,
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 use categories to create variety. When
you introduce smart categories into your planning processes, you make
(00:26):
it easier to build in lots of different things and
not just the usual suspects. Long time listeners will have
heard me advised to plan the upcoming week on Friday afternoons.
I have been doing this for years and I find
it incredibly useful. You may have also heard me suggest
(00:46):
creating a priority list for the upcoming week that features
three categories. Career, Relationships, self. Career is self explanatory. These
are your big fesshional goals. Relationships means things you want
to do with family and friends. Self are those things
(01:07):
you need or want to do for your own health
or pleasure. The reason to make a three category list
in your planning is that it turns out to be
very difficult to make a three category list and then
leave one of the categories blank. Our brains just don't
work that way. We see the category, and once there
(01:30):
is a category, we assume that something needs to go
into it. So using the categories of career, relationships, and
self not just you to plan a more balanced life
that is straightforward enough. And once you realize this, you
(01:50):
can use smart categories for all sorts of other planning.
For instance, if you are building a budget, including categories
for savings and fun and unexpected expenses means you are
highly likely to put at least a few dollars into
(02:10):
each of these buckets. Just like that, you have built
a wiser and more sustainable financial setup. Or if you're
planning a big trip, you might sort your activities into
different categories to nudge variety. Let's say you are planning
a trip to New York City. The city has great museums,
(02:33):
but my guess is that you don't want to spend
every minute in a museum, So maybe you create multiple categories.
As you are planning art, food, theater experiences, which might
mean something like taking the Staten Island Ferry, and outdoors,
(02:53):
which could mean visiting the New York Botanical Gardens or
Central Park. You and your traveling companions can rainstorm possibilities
for each category, and then you can refer to the
categorized list as you plan your days. You will see
the city in a different way. Some families use categories
(03:14):
as they navigate that minefield known as kid birthday gifts.
One popular set of categories is something they want, something
they need, something to wear, and something to read. The
kid doesn't get all books or all video games, or
all socks or all towels. If it's a college student
(03:34):
setting up a first apartment, variety keeps things interesting or
nudges you to think differently. That's why colleges sometimes create
distribution requirements by requiring everyone to take a class in
the sciences or in literature. You are more likely to
expand from your usual first choices. So think about various
(03:58):
things you plan in your life. Think about whether introducing
a new category or two might encourage you to do
things a little differently and introduce some variety. You might
be surprised what you come up with once you give
yourself a little nudge. In the meantime, this is Laura.
(04:21):
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, 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
(04:42):
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 iHeart media dot com
that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
(05:05):
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. Yeah yeah,
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
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