[Extract a Segment From Laura s Interview]

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1 1 #019: Successful Before Breakfast: An Interview with Laura Vanderkam November 4, 2013 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #19 [Extract a Segment From Laura s Interview] [Intro Song] Good morning and welcome to the 19th episode of The 5 AM Miracle. I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast. My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and

2 2 tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy. In today's episode I interview Laura Vanderkam, author of the book, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. But first, let s begin with the Tip of the Week! [Musical Interlude] The 5 AM Tip of the Week Today s tip is how you can prioritize your projects with Steven Covey s Time Management Matrix. Steven Covey was a very famous man, due primarily to his incredibly popular book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. If you have not read this book yet, I definitely recommend it. One of the key concepts that Steven Covey discusses in this book is what he calls The Time Management Matrix.

3 3 Essentially, it s just four quadrants, each labeled according to urgency and importance of tasks. And by the way, there is a diagram of this matrix on the Show Notes page at JeffSanders.com/019. The 1st quadrant is comprised of tasks that are BOTH Urgent AND Important. Think of these items as the most critical that you must do immediately. For example, all emergencies fall into this category. If your house is on fire right now, that is both urgent and important. Also, if a deadline is fast approaching for a project you really care about -- that would also qualify as a Quadrant 1 item. Quadrant 2 is comprised of tasks that are Important, but NOT Urgent. For example, exercise is normally a Quadrant 2 item because you don t have to do it immediately, but it s important to exercise throughout your life. Another example could be reading this book I m talking about right now. Reading is normally a great idea, but it s rarely something you have to do right this minute.

4 4 Quadrant 3 is comprised of tasks that are Urgent, but NOT Important. Think about your favorite TV show that has a new episode going live in 10 minutes. The show is not important, but because it starts in just a few minutes, you have to decide right away whether you will watch it or not. Quadrant 3 also consists of other people s emergencies. For example, if someone comes up to you in a panic and asks for your help on something you don t care about -- it might be a Quadrant 1 task for them -- but it s just not important to you at all. So, you have to make the judgement call in the moment whether to take on that job or weasel out of it. Finally, Quadrant 4 tasks are those that are NEITHER Urgent NOR Important. Think of every useless activity you have ever done. For example, surfing the Internet, checking in on facebook or twitter, or watching movies on Netflix. Essentially, this category is filled with stuff that never has to happen -- ever. It is the dumping ground for all useless and mindless activity.

5 5 So, now that you know what these quadrants are, what are you supposed to do with this information? Think of The Time Management Matrix as a filter for your daily tasks. In other words, before you schedule a project, or reach for a remote to turn on the television, think about which quadrant your next activity would fit into. Are you doing something that is important? If not, could you find something to do that is? Secondly, are you ignoring anything that is urgent and needs to be addressed soon? Are there any looming deadlines that you need to meet? A good way to think about this matrix is in terms of your daily schedule. For example, I like to schedule Quadrant 2 activities first thing in the morning. This includes healthy food, exercise, reading, catching up on old projects, and anything else that is important but not urgent. Then, I like to schedule Quadrant 1 activities next. Anything that must be done today because it s both

6 6 urgent and important, I try to finish before lunch. Some people like to begin their day with Quadrant 1 work, but I find it s too stressful to start my morning with anything that is extremely urgent. Finally, I like to end my day with more Quadrant 2 activities. Normally, I save this time for projects that don t require a lot of thought and they need to get done at some point in the near future. Now, you might ask, when do you schedule Quadrant 3 and 4? Quadrant 3 items, things that are urgent but not important, are rarely on my calendar at all. I just don t have time to deal with things that don t matter -- even if they need to be done right away. Having said that, Is there ever a time that I should be working on Quadrant 4 items, things that are neither urgent nor important? No -- scheduling time for useless activity is not a habit you want to start. However, what about watching movies with the family, or taking a break from work to surf the Internet? These items are technically Quadrant 4 in that they

7 7 never have to get done, but if you NEED a break from work and watching a movie would help -- then watching a movie is NOT in Quadrant 4 -- it s Quadrant 1. And spending time with your family is probably important to you -- so, it would never be in Quadrant 3 or 4. As you can see, this can get pretty technical and very subjective. However, the point of this discussion is not that you have to label every activity in your life with a Quadrant Number. The point is to routinely ask yourself, What s Important in My Life Right Now? The more you ask yourself what truly matters, the more likely you are to take action on tasks and projects that have real value. I make it my personal goal to spend most of my day in Quadrants 1 and 2. But, I always leave room for things that are not important because I know they are bound to happen. Over time, my goal is to routinely evaluate my time management and push the boundaries for doing more important work as often as possible.

8 8 Now, here s a quick activity to do right after you finish listening to this podcast episode: Go to the show notes page, JeffSanders.com/019 and download a blank copy of The Time Management Matrix. Then, fill out the Quadrants with all of your tasks from yesterday. Be as specific and thorough as possible, listing out everything you did from the moment you woke up until the moment you went to bed. This exercise is very revealing and will immediately show you where you spend much of your time. Based on your results, you can then re-design tomorrow. Find better activities to do, and be more observant about catching yourself doing work that doesn t ever have to get done. Okay, Now it s time for a Listener Question from Celia Crossett. [Celia Crossett] Recommendations of other women like Jennifer

9 9 who are creating great content that you can learn from? First, thank you very much Celia for recording this question. I will be the first to admit that I am probably not the best resource for answering this question because most of the people I learn from are men. And why is that? Honestly, I think it s because that s who I am naturally drawn to. And, I think Celia has pointed out a natural weakness of mine that I need to address. In my quest to be the best version of myself, I seek out other men who I believe are worthy of following so I can model my life after theirs. Having said that, there are plenty of women in the world that I could (and should be) learning from because they also have incredible value to share. I think it s just human nature to seek out other people who are like you. However, there are a few women that are clearly doing amazing work that I think you should be following. The first is Marie Forleo.

10 10 Marie hosts an online TV show called MarieTV and she has thousands upon thousands of followers. Marie is the creator of B-School, which is an online business training program designed for women. It s a wildly popular course, driven by the fact that Marie has a crazy awesome personality and lots of great information to share. By the way, the link to her site is in the show notes as well. Secondly, Jillian Michaels is a great woman in the fitness industry who I m sure you have heard of or seen on TV. The reason why I mention her here is that she has one of the most popular podcasts in the world. The Jillian Michaels Show has millions of listeners and Jillian shares incredibly helpful advice and motivation for anyone to get fit. Though I don t necessarily agree with Jillian s dietary advice, she is awesome when it comes to exercise. Finally, I would love your opinion. As I just mentioned, I don t know as many women who are creating awesome content through blogs, podcasts, and online courses.

11 11 So, if there is a woman you are currently following that you think I should recommend or interview on my podcast, please let me know. Now, if you would like to send in a question and have it answered here on the podcast just like I did for Celia, visit JeffSanders.com/podcastquestion where you can record a voice message. Or, feel free to send me an at Jeff@JeffSanders.com. Okay, Now it s time for the Feature Segment! [Musical Interlude] I am very honored to have my guest, Laura Vanderkam, on the podcast today. Laura is an expert in time management as well as the the author of multiple books including, All the Money in the World, 168 Hours, and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Welcome to the Show Laura!

12 12 [Interview] [Fade In Music] Announcements Just 2 quick announcements here at the end of this episode. The first, if you have not yet joined The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free. When you join the club you will get a free copy of The 5 AM Miracle ebook, which shows you exactly how to wake up each morning with vigor and make enormous progress on your biggest goals. To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - visit 5amMiracle.com. My 2nd announcement is that my next podcast episode will be an interview with Cliff Ravenscraft, also known as THE Podcast Answer Man. Cliff and I discuss his transition from a profitable career in Insurance into a full-time podcasting consultant and content creator.

13 13 If you have a question about podcasting or any other question that you d love me to answer here on my podcast, please leave me a voic message at JeffSanders.com/podcastquestion. Final Thoughts Also, I would be grateful if you would rate my podcast in itunes with a full 5 stars. That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast visible so that people who have never heard of it can discover it. Just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/019, as in Episode 19. Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle. Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early. [Fade Out Music]

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#093: Losing 100 Pounds to Run 100 Miles: An Interview with Jeffrey Binney. April 6, 2015

1 #093: Losing 100 Pounds to Run 100 Miles: An Interview with Jeffrey Binney April 6, 2015 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #093: Losing 100 Pounds to Run 100 Miles: An Interview with Jeffrey Binney