WEBVTT - Build a better lunch break

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to turn your lunch break into a

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<v Speaker 1>mini daily vacation. This episode is first airing in January,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a month when a lot of us think

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<v Speaker 1>about resolutions, and some of these resolutions seem like a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of hard work, but resolving to make more of

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<v Speaker 1>your lunch hour can actually be quite a bit of fun.

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<v Speaker 1>The first step, well, take a lunch break. In some jobs,

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<v Speaker 1>this is contractually built in, but in others it's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot more nebulous. Sometimes people imagine that they're scoring points

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<v Speaker 1>by staying at their desks all day, but in reality,

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<v Speaker 1>we all take breaks, whether they're conscious or unconscious. If

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<v Speaker 1>you don't take a real break, you're rain will take

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<v Speaker 1>a fake one as you start reading the same emails

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<v Speaker 1>over and over again, and then mysteriously find yourself perusing

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<v Speaker 1>cat videos on YouTube. Better to actually get away from

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<v Speaker 1>your desk for a bit. Then there's the question of

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<v Speaker 1>what you do during your lunch break. Most people do

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<v Speaker 1>consume food, though if you want to use your lunch

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<v Speaker 1>break completely for something else, it can be okay to

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<v Speaker 1>eat at your desk later, I would argue against grabbing

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<v Speaker 1>the same food from the same quick serve place next

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<v Speaker 1>to your office daily. Instead, really think about what could

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<v Speaker 1>make this meal special. Maybe once a week you go

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<v Speaker 1>out somewhere decent with your favorite colleagues. Maybe once every

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<v Speaker 1>other week you invite a collegue you don't know well

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<v Speaker 1>but would like to get to know. You could also

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<v Speaker 1>arrange to meet a friend or your spouse once every

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<v Speaker 1>other week or two for a midday meal that will

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<v Speaker 1>definitely feel like the day's highlight. If you're watching your budget,

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<v Speaker 1>you can of course bring food for these lunches, but

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<v Speaker 1>even so, try to make it special. A picnic with

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<v Speaker 1>a friend in the park some Wednesday June is going

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<v Speaker 1>to feel like a real treat. Of course, some days

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<v Speaker 1>you might prefer to eat quickly so you can do

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<v Speaker 1>other things. There are several other options for feeling like

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<v Speaker 1>lunch is a mini vacation. One is to get some exercise.

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<v Speaker 1>You can go for a twenty to thirty minute walk

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<v Speaker 1>with a friend or colleague or someone you're mentoring, or

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<v Speaker 1>just by yourself if you'd like to clear your head.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll definitely return refreshed. If you've got access to a gym,

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<v Speaker 1>you could go once or twice a week to take

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<v Speaker 1>a favorite class, just take a shorter lunch break on

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<v Speaker 1>the other days, or do some serious strength training. A

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<v Speaker 1>twenty minute circuit three times a week could get you

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<v Speaker 1>back in time and would check off this exercise box

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<v Speaker 1>that even a lot of people who do regular aerobic

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<v Speaker 1>activity tend to skip. I'm a big fan of reading

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<v Speaker 1>at lunch. If you suspect people will bother you if

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<v Speaker 1>you sit at your desk with a book, will go elsewhere,

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<v Speaker 1>a park, a nearby coffee shop, your car. Squeezing in

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<v Speaker 1>an extra twenty five minutes of reading each work day

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<v Speaker 1>is an extra two hours each week. Since most books

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<v Speaker 1>only take about four hours or so to read, that

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<v Speaker 1>can buy you an extra twenty four books a year

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<v Speaker 1>right there. You could also do creative work. Some things

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<v Speaker 1>like painting take a lot of equipment and time to

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<v Speaker 1>set up, so you might not do that, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>not the case for sketching or cross stitching. Or you

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<v Speaker 1>could write. Minutes might not seem like much, but you

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<v Speaker 1>might be able to get in three words or so

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<v Speaker 1>during this time. If you do at that pace, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>be able to write a book in a year. A

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<v Speaker 1>lunch break could also be a time for reflective or

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<v Speaker 1>spiritual activities. Meditating or praying can make you feel more centered.

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<v Speaker 1>Some houses of worship in your business districts have midday services,

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<v Speaker 1>or you might be able to squeeze in some volunteering

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<v Speaker 1>by doing short online mentoring sessions. And of course you

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<v Speaker 1>can combine all of these. The key is to actually

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<v Speaker 1>think about it ahead of time. Long time listeners know

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<v Speaker 1>that I am a big fan of planning our weeks

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<v Speaker 1>before we are in them. Friday afternoons, as you are

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about the upcoming week's priorities, look at your schedule

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<v Speaker 1>and map out your lunch breaks. Maybe on Monday you

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<v Speaker 1>want a friend who works nearby meet for lunch. On Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 1>you go to a thirty minute yoga class. On Wednesday,

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<v Speaker 1>and Thursday you read. On Friday, you go for a

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<v Speaker 1>walk with a favorite colleague. Each day is a vacation

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<v Speaker 1>in its own way. It's possible that all these planned

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<v Speaker 1>lunch breaks won't happen. Work and personal emergencies might come up.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you've planned cool stuff every day, it's okay.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll still get to do most of them, and it

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<v Speaker 1>will be pretty hard to have a bad week. If

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<v Speaker 1>that's the case. If you use your lunch break for

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<v Speaker 1>something fun, I'd love to hear about it. You can

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<v Speaker 1>let me know your lunch break plans at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,

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<v Speaker 1>then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

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