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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning. This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that if you can't work, plan.

Even if your current self doesn't feel like doing anything, you might be willing to think about what future you should be doing.

That can turn what might feel like wasted time into something far more productive.

So long-time listeners know that one of my favorite time management rules is to plan your upcoming weeks on Friday afternoons. When I tell people about this rule, I first explain the idea of

planning your life in weeks. Think about the upcoming 168 hours, and what's important to you

professionally and personally. I promise that this is a life-changing practice.

But once people have their heads around that, inevitably the follow-up question is,

why Friday afternoons?

The answer is that if you work a Monday to Friday week, it is really hard to start anything new on Friday

afternoons. Most people are drifting into the weekend at that point. But if you can't actually

execute on any of your priorities, at least maybe you can define what those priorities will be for upcoming days.

And then future you, who hopefully has more VIM and vigor than Friday you, can tackle them.

That's why Friday is my weekly planning day.

But you can convert any low-energy time into planning time.

We have all had those days.

You meant to work on a big project in the afternoon, but you just got back from lunch,

and frankly, you would rather take a nap.

Unfortunately, you work somewhere that this is frowned upon.

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