1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: tip is that you can make a ritual or tradition 4 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: feel even more special by giving it a name. Giving 5 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: something a name makes it feel distinct. It becomes a 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: character in your life and in your memory, which ultimately 7 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: gives it a place of honor. Today's tip, like another 8 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: one we'll talk about this week, comes from Happier Hour, 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: a book by UCLA Business School professor Cassie Holmes on 10 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: how to spend your time well. Holmes writes about how 11 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: she and her preschool aged daughter had a weekly coffee 12 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: date that they both loved, so they wanted to make 13 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: it feel even more vi. As Holmes put it, they 14 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: turned routine into ritual and made it a thing. Holmes explains, 15 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: whereas habits serve to help get us through the day 16 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: without extra thought, traditions imbue these passing moments with greater meaning. 17 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: Traditions serve to connect us to each other and across time. 18 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: They give us a sense of belonging. Holmes and her 19 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: daughter did a lot of things to make their coffee 20 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: dates feel more special, but one approach deserves attention because 21 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,960 Speaker 1: it is so easy to replicate. They gave the experience 22 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: a name. It became the Thursday morning coffee date using 23 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: capital letters. Now this may seem like a small thing, 24 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: but when something has a formal name, it becomes more formal, 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: it feels more important. Just as an example, there is 26 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: nothing stopping you from gathering with friends and family to 27 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: give thanks on the fourth Thursday of November just to 28 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: do so. But by calling it Thanksgiving dinner, we create 29 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: weight for the occasion, and we think about how we 30 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: will do it year to year, and how we did 31 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: it last year, and what we like to see and eat, 32 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: and we build it into the mental landscape of that 33 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: time of year. Likewise, two people can get coffee in 34 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: a muffin most Thursdays with no particular ceremony, but by 35 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: calling it the Thursday morning coffee date, it becomes more 36 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: of an institution. No doubt, Holmes and her daughter would 37 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: talk about it ahead of time or say, remember when 38 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: this happened at the last Thursday morning coffee date. I 39 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: will add to this that if you give something a name, 40 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: then turning it into an acronym can make it feel 41 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: even a little bit more special because you know the acronym. 42 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: As an insider, back when I was a freshman in 43 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: high school, I remember that four senior girls took out 44 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: an ad in the yearbook about Jack. Those four letters 45 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: were the first letters of their names. Now, who knows 46 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: whatever became of Jack, as these ladies are all grown 47 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: up now, but they made it very clear that their 48 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: foursome was an institution. Do you have any routines that 49 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: you'd like to make even more special and transform into 50 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: a tradition. Perhaps you walk with your kids to school 51 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: on Wednesdays, or you have Sunday morning waffles, or you 52 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: generally have lunch with your direct reports on Fridays. Try 53 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: giving these routines a name. The names don't have to 54 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: be particularly poetic, and often they'll have merged naturally. It's 55 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: just a matter of noticing them and formalizing them by 56 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: capitalizing the name and then using the same name all 57 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: the time. For instance, if your walk to school becomes 58 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: the Wednesday walk, then instead of hollering at the kids 59 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: to hurry up, we'll be late, you start hollering, we 60 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: need to do the Wednesday walk. Or your Sunday waffles 61 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: could become the waffle wake up. People love alliteration. Maybe 62 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: you start calling your Friday lunches your celebration lunches as 63 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: a way to get people to focus on everything that 64 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: went right during the week. When we give our habits 65 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: and routines names as part of transforming them into traditions, 66 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: we create opportunities to recognize meaning in our everyday lives. 67 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: Ordinary experiences can become extraordinary. They connect us to each 68 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: other and to our past and to our future. If 69 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: you give a routine a name and transform it into 70 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: a tradition, I'd love to hear about it. You can 71 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In 72 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 73 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening 74 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 75 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 76 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 77 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 78 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.