1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to give yourself a bedtime. I know 3 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: a lot of people listen to this podcast in the morning. 4 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: I hope that today your morning started at the time 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: you wanted it to start. Hopefully you didn't spend the 6 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: thirty minutes after your first alarm battling with the snooze button. 7 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: Hopefully no one in your house was racing around and 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: yelling this morning because the morning started thirty minutes after 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: it was supposed to. But in case your morning didn't 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: go so well, here's one of the most important secrets 11 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: I've learned from studying people's time logs. Good mornings start 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: the night before. I don't mean that you need to 13 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: pack everyone's lunches and lay out clothes and all that 14 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: you can if you want, but you don't have to. 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 1: What I really mean is that the key to a 16 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: good morning is getting enough sleep, and the key to 17 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: that is going to bed on time. One of the 18 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: best things you can do to get control of your 19 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: time is to give yourself a bedtime. That way, you 20 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 1: can turn unproductive evening hours into productive morning hours. Setting 21 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: a bedtime as a grown up is pretty simple. You 22 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 1: just need to ask yourself a few questions. First, what 23 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 1: time would I like to wake up in the morning. 24 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: Let's be honest here. While it's fun to read stories 25 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: of people who wake up at four am to do triathlons, 26 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: this isn't realistic for most of us. But maybe you 27 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: could aim to wake up at six point thirty in 28 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: order to get thirty minutes of writing and a shower 29 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: in before your middle schooler wakes up at seven fifteen. 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: Second question, how much sleep do I need? Let's be 31 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: honest here too. The vast majority of adults need somewhere 32 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: between seven to eight hours per day. The odds that 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: you need less than six and a half hours are 34 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: very low. I've seen thousands of time loogs over the years, 35 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: including from some very successful people, and I've seen only 36 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: a handful of short sleepers, and even those people tend 37 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: to average out around six hours per day when you 38 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: look at the whole week, not four. So let's say 39 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: your number is seven point four hours. I'm choosing that 40 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: number because it's my number. If I get eight hours 41 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: of sleep on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I'm cool with 42 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: seven hours Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday. Since this averages out 43 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: to seven point four hours. Final question, what time do 44 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: I need to be in bed in order to get 45 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: this amount of sleep? This is a simple math question. 46 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: I count back seven hours from six thirty am and 47 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: I get eleven thirty pm. This is my bedtime. Ideally 48 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: I set an alarm for at least twenty minutes before 49 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: that in order to give me time to brush my teeth, slowly, 50 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: ease into bed, and so forth. But in any case, 51 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: bedtime is bedtime, So figure out what your bedtime should be. 52 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: I know that some people hearing this are probably bristling 53 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: at the idea of a bedtime. It brings up all 54 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: kinds of battles from childhood. I'm not going to probe 55 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: the psychological issues, but hear me out on this. The 56 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: upside of giving yourself a bedtime is that it forces 57 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: you to make a decision. If you know that you're 58 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: supposed to be in bed at eleven thirty, when eleven 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: thirty rolls around, you have a choice. You can stay up. 60 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: You are an adult, but having a bedtime nudges you 61 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: to ask if the reason you're staying up is a 62 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: good one. Maybe you and your spouse are having a 63 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: wonderful time together. Awesome, you have my blessing. But maybe 64 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: you're just hitting next in the Netflix queue. Maybe it's 65 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: time to turn it off and thank yourself in the morning. 66 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: Because here's the thing, most of us responsible people just 67 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: can't sleep in in the morning. We need to get 68 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: our kids to school, we need to get ourselves to 69 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: our jobs. So I like to think of it like this. 70 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: Going to bed early is how grown ups sleep in. 71 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: When you put it that way, going to bed on 72 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: time sounds like a treat. In the meantime, this is Laura. 73 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 74 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 75 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,479 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 76 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 77 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then 78 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an email at 79 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast 80 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much. 81 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch.