Second Cup: Keep track of others' big days
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Offer ends March 31st. See if your company qualifies for this special offer at oracle.com slash strategic. That's oracle.com slash strategic. Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to keep track of big days in the lives of people you care about. I am not just talking birthdays, though. It is good to remember birthdays.

I am talking about other momentous occasions as well. Like when someone is dropping their first kid off at college or giving a major presentation at work. You want to be aware of when the people you care about might appreciate a little extra care. Noting these days is a great way to show that you, well, care. So as I go through life, I realize that some people are naturally emotionally attuned to others.

they automatically devote time and energy to understanding what is important to other people. Some of us are just not so naturally skilled in these areas. But like anything, friendship skills and interpersonal skills can be learned and practiced. Keeping track of important dates is one such skill. The key realization here is that everyone has various events in their lives that will be front of mind for them.

When other people acknowledge those events, they feel seen. As most of us aren't very good at remembering other people's events, we need a good system to keep track of them. Fortunately, this is not that difficult. If you can schedule a meeting with your sales team for next Friday, then you are equally capable of noting on your calendar that your neighbor will be dropping her child off at overnight camp for the first time on July 9th.

So you can then text your neighbor on the 9th with, Hey, big day for you guys. Hoping it all goes well. I am sure Henry will love this adventure. If you can note on your calendar that you have a dentist appointment next Wednesday, then you can also pay attention when your running buddy tells you that next Wednesday, she's going to meet with her boss and ask for a raise. You can then text her next Wednesday morning to say encouraging things and offer to be a sounding board.

for anything she wants to process afterwards. This isn't difficult, but it requires listening when other people mention things that matter to them, and then having some system for noting the date when some support would be nice. One easy way to do this is just to email yourself. You probably have your phone with you all the time, so just email a note like "H Camp Drop-off 7-9"

I'm guessing the majority of people listening to this have some system for processing their primary inbox to completion. So when you are sitting down to do that processing, you will get the note about your neighbor's kid at a time when you probably have your calendar available and you are in the mode of getting stuff on there. Then you just need to remember to look at your calendar regularly.

But again, if you do this when you check when you are meeting with that sales team or have your dentist appointment, then you will see any messages about other people's important dates as well. Now, I suspect that some people listening to this probably think this whole episode is strange. I mean, doesn't everyone do things like remember the date that their best friend's mother passed away? Doesn't everyone make sure to be extra supportive of their friend on that grief anniversary? And you know what?

It would be nice if everyone was this emotionally intelligent and organized. But unfortunately, that isn't always the case. For those who are not so naturally attuned, keeping track of other people's important dates is a smart way to be kinder and more supportive of those around us. Maybe it feels forced, but so what? Your friend would rather you send her an encouraging note on the day she asks for that raise than

Then you're not sending an encouraging note, even if she finds the entry on your calendar funny, should she ever see it. So do it. You will probably be glad you did. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening. And here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody. I'd love to hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions or anything else.

Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at BeforeBreakfastPod. That's B-E, the number four, then breakfast, P-O-D. You can also shoot me an email at BeforeBreakfastPodcast at iHeartMedia.com. That before breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much. I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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