April 23, 2024 • 5 mins
How to make time feel more meaningful
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to make your days fulfilling and not just filled.
(00:24):
Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Cassie Holmes,
a UCLA Business School professor an author of the book
Happier Hour, How to beat distraction, expand your time, and
focus on what matters most. Holmes notes that during the
COVID pandemic, she and some other people, as she put it,
(00:47):
found some unexpected happiness amid this unquestionably unhappy time. She
writes about one friend whose nightly routine during the pandemic
involved her seven year old sun, setting the table with
a theme for the night dinner, and then a game
of cards. Holmes's friend commented, before my days were filled,
(01:11):
but not with things that were fulfilling. This time has
made us closer. We can all probably recall times when
our days were filled but were not especially fulfilling, when
we were running from one thing to the next, without
a lot of meeting, even with potentially meaningful events on
the calendar, like a walk with a friend, the pressure
(01:33):
of things to be done can keep us from being
fully present and engaged. But we always have the power
to make sure our days feel fulfilling and not just filled.
You won't be surprised that one tip I have for
this is to plan for meaning. Don't just assume that
(01:55):
your life must be fulfilling if your schedule is filled. Instead,
actively consider what will be fulfilling, what will have an
impact on you and others, what will you remember and
what will matter a month from now or even a
year from now. On Fridays, when you are planning the
(02:17):
week ahead, I suggest considering your priorities for career, relationships,
and self. In each category, consider what is most important
for you to do in the week. This isn't a
laundry list of all the things that need to be done.
You are being intentional about determining what really matters. Maybe
(02:41):
your career priority is having an important mentoring conversation with
a direct report. For relationships, your priority might be planning
a family camping trip for this summer. The planning may
not feel fulfilling right away, but when you are thoughtful
now about how you can build closeness, have fun, and
(03:01):
make memories on your trip, you set yourself up for
a really fulfilling experience as for self, may be seeing
an interesting art exhibit, finally talking with your doctor about
an issue that's been worrying you, or spending a morning
at a coffee shop setting intentions for the season.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Could all be fulfilling. These would not be just one
more scheduled commitment filling up your days. In addition to
planning meaningful experiences, another key to making your time fulfilling
is to be present for these experiences. That art exhibit
(03:42):
might not be fulfilling if the whole time you are
preoccupied with a work project. So pause ahead of time,
take a couple of deep breaths, and remind yourself why
you are there. This isn't just one more thing on
the calendar. There's a reason for it. Then you can
(04:07):
reflect on it afterwards. Remind yourself that you are doing
good things with your time. If you do this, I
bet that you will be able to look back on
a week that wasn't just filled, but was also fulfilling.
There is no point being busy just to be busy.
(04:30):
We want to create lives worth living in the meantime.
This is Laura.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
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 Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
(05:06):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to make your days fulfilling and not just filled.
(00:24):
Today's tip, like another this week, comes from Cassie Holmes,
a UCLA Business School professor an author of the book
Happier Hour, How to beat distraction, expand your time, and
focus on what matters most. Holmes notes that during the
COVID pandemic, she and some other people, as she put it,
(00:47):
found some unexpected happiness amid this unquestionably unhappy time. She
writes about one friend whose nightly routine during the pandemic
involved her seven year old sun, setting the table with
a theme for the night dinner, and then a game
of cards. Holmes's friend commented, before my days were filled,
(01:11):
but not with things that were fulfilling. This time has
made us closer. We can all probably recall times when
our days were filled but were not especially fulfilling, when
we were running from one thing to the next, without
a lot of meeting, even with potentially meaningful events on
the calendar, like a walk with a friend, the pressure
(01:33):
of things to be done can keep us from being
fully present and engaged. But we always have the power
to make sure our days feel fulfilling and not just filled.
You won't be surprised that one tip I have for
this is to plan for meaning. Don't just assume that
(01:55):
your life must be fulfilling if your schedule is filled. Instead,
actively consider what will be fulfilling, what will have an
impact on you and others, what will you remember and
what will matter a month from now or even a
year from now. On Fridays, when you are planning the
(02:17):
week ahead, I suggest considering your priorities for career, relationships,
and self. In each category, consider what is most important
for you to do in the week. This isn't a
laundry list of all the things that need to be done.
You are being intentional about determining what really matters. Maybe
(02:41):
your career priority is having an important mentoring conversation with
a direct report. For relationships, your priority might be planning
a family camping trip for this summer. The planning may
not feel fulfilling right away, but when you are thoughtful
now about how you can build closeness, have fun, and
(03:01):
make memories on your trip, you set yourself up for
a really fulfilling experience as for self, may be seeing
an interesting art exhibit, finally talking with your doctor about
an issue that's been worrying you, or spending a morning
at a coffee shop setting intentions for the season.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Could all be fulfilling. These would not be just one
more scheduled commitment filling up your days. In addition to
planning meaningful experiences, another key to making your time fulfilling
is to be present for these experiences. That art exhibit
(03:42):
might not be fulfilling if the whole time you are
preoccupied with a work project. So pause ahead of time,
take a couple of deep breaths, and remind yourself why
you are there. This isn't just one more thing on
the calendar. There's a reason for it. Then you can
(04:07):
reflect on it afterwards. Remind yourself that you are doing
good things with your time. If you do this, I
bet that you will be able to look back on
a week that wasn't just filled, but was also fulfilling.
There is no point being busy just to be busy.
(04:30):
We want to create lives worth living in the meantime.
This is Laura.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
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 Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
(05:06):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
Show Links
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