Figuring out if you want to do something + content

This week I was trying to figure out whether I would take a quick trip in a few weeks. The days had things in them which would need to be moved, skipped, or accommodated. It is always challenging to figure out kid logistics when I am gone. There are always reasons not to do things.

But I’ve been thinking about a certain rubric that helps me with these decisions. I pay attention to whether I’m trying to talk myself out of something or into something.

If I’m trying to talk myself out of something, that means I’m really excited — I want to do it — it’s just that the logistics are challenging. But logistical problems are often problems that are solvable with various resources. Whereas if I’m trying to talk myself into something, I’m probably not that excited, which is worth noting.

Now I know this rubric wouldn’t work for everyone. Some people get excited about everything, but I tend to like my routines. I’m not particularly a people-pleaser, and I have a reasonably high barrier for saying yes to stuff anyway. So the initial excitement is telling.

And now the trip is booked! Things could still go wrong, but hey. I’m trying.

In this week’s content….over at Before Breakfast, I interviewed Rebecca Hinds, who is the author of the new book Your Best Meeting Ever. I thought this was a really helpful book in terms of practical ideas. I see on time logs that people have so many meetings, and so many of them are so bad — meandering, ineffective, etc. If there were fewer, better meetings, this would be a massive boon for human time use!

In the short episodes, I talked about why we should “Go for a 5 p.m. walk.” I’m seeing as I study time logs that lots of people have trouble transitioning into leisure/family mode after work. A quick 5 p.m. walk can be both a palate cleanser and a way to boost energy — so we can actually do cool things in our family and leisure time. As part of using evenings well I also recommend that people “Schedule your screen time.” Knowing you are going to watch the Olympics from, say, 8:30-9:30 p.m. can make for a very purposeful and fun evening. Or knowing that you plan to watch two episodes of your favorite home makeover show from 9-10 p.m. or whatever. But making this time intentional makes screen time more fun.

Before Breakfast will be turning 7 years old on March 18 — the show is pretty grown-up in podcast years!

Over at Vanderhacks, my Substack newsletter, I suggested people “Find old favorites on eBay.” I recently refreshed my entire sweater wardrobe for a grand total of $60 by buying my favorite sweaters second hand (and not really second hand — they were all NWT, as in “new with tags”). Some of us have certain uniforms we like, and when the original retailer/company stops making or selling our favorite things, it’s nice to be able to find them elsewhere.

I wrote that even people who work flexibly should “Take your work seriously.” If you plan to work for a set chunk of time, the fact that you choose when and where to work doesn’t mean you need to accommodate others’ requests for that time. Especially if you work flexibly, no one else is going to protect your work time, so it’s important to set some boundaries here.

Behind the paywall, I wrote about “15 things you can organize in 15 minutes” — a bunch of little projects. Choose two this weekend, and two the next, and so on, and life will be more in control! I also wrote about “13 travel hacks to make your adventures easier” — this one came out of some realizations as I was packing and traveling for our 7-person, 9-day trip to the Galapagos. I also did a video for paid subscribers about “How to plan your best long weekend ever.”

I’ve also been booking various interviews that will run when Big Time comes out in May. The book is available for pre-order at various retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through Norton’s website (or your local independent retailer). Thank you so much for supporting me and my work!

Photo: I enjoyed this cardinal art work that came home in my 6-year-old’s art portfolio. We have some cardinals eating at the bird feeder outside the kitchen window, in the snow, so this is a scene he has seen!