Spring Mailbag! Kid bedtimes, household chores, 'split shift' childcare, and more EP 347

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah open with some recent travel planning talk, and then delve into all things packing! They share thoughts on carry-on vs check, current luggage situations, packing processes, and include a discuss ion on packing cubes and the merits of unpacking at your destination.Then, they address some listener travel questions. Topics include managing selective eaters on international trips, ski school, and ideas for one parent traveling with her 3 + 5 year old.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode features Kathryn Valentine specializes in Gendered Negotiation, or how to negotiate successfully as a woman.  Sarah and Laura chat about their feelings around negotiation, and then Kathryn joins Laura to discuss ways to negotiate successfully --including some strategies specifically for women, who have been shown to face different challenges in negotiation.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about kid/teen chores - how do you manage chore expectations if older kids are busy with activities?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May is a packed month for most families but usually lots of the events are fun and positive ones! Laura and Sarah discuss strategies for enjoying (not just surviving) your May (and often early June, too!). Laura suggests a 3-part framework: don't get overwhelmed, find the right balance and manage your energy. Sarah and Laura chat about these strategies in depth and how they can be employed throughout and even before this full month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Sarah interviews Laura Mae Martin, Google's productivity expert and author of Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Well-Being, which was released earlier this month. They chat meetings, setting priorities, task & calendar management, family life, and more. In the Q&A, Laura and Sarah answer a listener wondering how to balance vacations with nuclear family with extended family requests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura and Sarah discuss when they themselves became "financial grownups" and then expert guest Bobbi Rebell joins Laura to share ways we can encourage a mature approach to money matters even from a young age. In the Q&A, a listener wonders how Laura and Sarah keep track of their calendars without relying on a digital system (like Google or Apple Calendar).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the moments that make up our lives, from the cutest baby phases to big milestones -- all of these things enrich our lives and have the power to turn the fleeting present moment into a deeper and more lasting experience. Laura and Sarah talk about the ways they preserve family (and personal) memories, and discuss the value and role of celebrations and traditions in their own families.In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking for fresh date night ideas!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura and Sarah welcome Cal Newport to Best of Both Worlds to chat all things slow productivity and how Cal's stage of parenting influenced a lot of his current thinking around productivity, pacing, and getting things done. In the intro, Sarah and Laura discuss their own planning habits going back to childhood, and in the Q&A a listener writes in asking about how Laura and Sarah read blogs - do they browse through individual urls, or is there another way?Cal Newport's book Slow Productivity released in March 2024 and is available wherever books are sold.Sarah's recommended feed reader: FeedlySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode features a fresh crop of mailbag questions! Topics include: split shift childcare handling the daily household chores with young kids different formats for kid activities how has work / productivity changed since COVID thoughts on digital calendar frames retirement plans? dealing with kids that have disparate sleep needs how to handle the tension between wanting to stay up with teens and having your own morning routine the next 5 years of BOBW! Thank you to all for submitting questions - keep them coming! You can always find contact info on our websites, theshubox.com and lauravanderkam.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, Laura chats with author Emily P. Freeman about endings, and in particular determining how and when to leave a situation that no longer fits.Emily's new March 2024 release is How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away, available wherever books are sold.In the Q&A, Sarah and Laura discuss their experiences in coming back from recent injuries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is a departure from the usual topics + format, and is a chance to get to know Laura and Sarah just a little bit better as they share some very random things about themselves that (generally) have not been discussed on the podcast! From physical characteristics (flexibility + left-handedness) to Meyers-Briggs types to ideal superpower and much more - this is a fun conversational chat, recorded live together in Florida.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.