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Today's tip is powered by National University.
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That's why I'm so happy to introduce an institution that shares the same values.
If you are thinking about going back to school, you're probably wondering how to fit it all in.
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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to talk on Thursday, to plan on Friday.
Before you do your weekly planning, you can have a conversation with anyone whose schedule will affect yours.
That will allow you to plan more strategically.
Long-time listeners know that one of my core time management rules is to plan on Fridays.
I think every busy person needs a designated weekly planning time when they think about the upcoming week and think about what they need and want to do.
Fridays tend to be a good time for this as they are generally slower.
You can think about the upcoming weekend if you want, and then you can hit the ground Monday, ready to go.
But life tends to be a team sport, and so one of the first questions people ask me about this is when they should talk to other people about their schedules.
If they plan on Friday, do they need to call their spouses during this time?
Chat with their managers during this time?
Text with their teens?
If you want, you can do all of these things.
And I often do wind up reaching out to people as part of my planning.
For instance, I might see that I have time to run or walk on a particular morning.
So I'll text a friend about getting together.
But a quick text isn't going to get someone's entire schedule sent to you if you need that.
For instance, let's say your teenager has a job but can't drive himself to his workplace yet.
If you are going to be responsible for some of these rides, then you will need to know your child's work schedule as you plan your week.
Or perhaps your spouse sometimes has to cover an evening shift or would like to go help a relative with a project on the weekend.
These things will all affect your schedule.
And, of course, if you'd like to do things as a family during the course of the week, you will need to talk about what those things are.
You can train people to send you their schedules or to upload their work schedules to a family calendar.
And if that works, amazing.
But I also know that might be expecting a bit much of someone who is, say, 15 years old.
I am also taking a wild guess that if you are listening to Before Breakfast, you might be more adept at keeping schedules straight than other people in your family, which might include your spouse.
He meant to tell you about the weekend meetup with Grandma, but he forgot.
And your manager is something else entirely.
She probably isn't going to sit down and spell out everything for you that might affect your workflow over the next week.
So you can get in the habit of asking people about their schedules.
If you have family dinner on Thursdays, Talk with your kids about what they have going on next week and what you should know about.
Hopefully this will nudge the thought of oh yeah, my manager wanted me to cover an extra shift next Saturday.
These conversations don't have to be long or drawn out.
You are just trying to get through the next seven days.
But once you know about any big things going on in other people's schedules, you can plan more strategically.
And you can also feel fine drawing a boundary around what you will and won't do.
If someone forgets to tell you about something when you specifically asked about this, then that person may need to come up with their own solutions.
You help when given the chance to help.
If not given the chance, well, that might be on them.
I send my family's schedule around on Friday after I've created it and it often does prompt some back and forth still at that point.
Maybe someone sees something else that needs to be added or taken off, and at that point it is still fine.
It's the last minute stuff that's a lot harder.
But having a conversation on Thursday before you plan on Friday can help keep everything running on time.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at LauraVanderkam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, listeners.
Today's tip is powered by National University.
Before breakfast.
You know my goal is to help you make the most of your day without sacrificing work or family time.
That's why I'm so happy to introduce an institution that shares the same values.
If you are thinking about going back to school, you're probably wondering how to fit it all in.
National's flexible online formats, four- and eight-week courses and monthly class starts help you begin your degree sooner, finish faster and do it all on your own schedule.
So you have more options for managing work, family, and school.
With over 150 degrees, credentials and certificates to choose from, they have a program that fits your career goals.
Learn more today at nu.edu.
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