WEBVTT - Use a smaller bowl 

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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 use a smaller bowl. By literally

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<v Speaker 1>or metaphorically reducing container size, you're able to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>you have the right amount of something you don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to consume too much of. When people are trying to

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<v Speaker 1>eat healthier diets, they often hear the classic advice to

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<v Speaker 1>use a smaller bowl or plate. This is supported by

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<v Speaker 1>some research and is particularly helpful for foods we'd like

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<v Speaker 1>to eat in moderation but prove sometimes challenging, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>things like buttered popcorn or ice cream. When you have

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<v Speaker 1>a bigger bowl or plate, or the original container from

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<v Speaker 1>the store, you can keep eating without noticing just how

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<v Speaker 1>much you consumed, because you keep on eating mindlessly until

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<v Speaker 1>the food is gone. If you've ever had a bag

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<v Speaker 1>of chips or a jar of Eminem's on your desk,

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<v Speaker 1>or jumbo bucket of popcorn at the movies, you probably

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<v Speaker 1>know what I mean. It feels like these can be

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<v Speaker 1>gone in no time. But if you start with a

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<v Speaker 1>smaller bowl, once you've eaten everything in it, the empty

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<v Speaker 1>bowl itself is a cue that it's time to evaluate.

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<v Speaker 1>You could certainly choose to get more popcorn or ice

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<v Speaker 1>cream if you'd like to, but it also feels reasonable

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<v Speaker 1>to stop because you've finished what you have in front

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<v Speaker 1>of you, so you make a choice. You can use

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<v Speaker 1>a smaller bowl, so to speak, to manage your time too.

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<v Speaker 1>How designate a fairly small chunk of time for activities

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<v Speaker 1>that aren't worth more time you know what I mean.

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<v Speaker 1>Social media and online shopping in particular, are the time

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<v Speaker 1>equivalents of a giant bucket of popcorn. They aren't particularly gratifying,

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<v Speaker 1>but they are absorbing and hard to stop. So, just

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<v Speaker 1>as with using a smaller bowl for the popcorn, you

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<v Speaker 1>can set a timer and scroll for twenty minutes. Then

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<v Speaker 1>when the timer goes off, just like when the bowl

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<v Speaker 1>of chips or popcorn is empty, you know it's time

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<v Speaker 1>to make a decision, and probably you'll move on. You

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<v Speaker 1>can also use a smaller bowl for activities that are

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<v Speaker 1>necessary but can expand to consume all available space. For example, email.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll talk more about email in a later episode this week,

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<v Speaker 1>but you could decide that you'll process email while your

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<v Speaker 1>kids are doing gymnastics and you are working in your

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<v Speaker 1>parked car. Then when gymnastics class is done, you will

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<v Speaker 1>be done. When there's a limited amount of time available,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll work at a pace that lets you finish the task,

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<v Speaker 1>or at least do what actually has to get done.

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<v Speaker 1>When you don't build in a time limit. On the

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<v Speaker 1>other hand, you can look up and realize that you've

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<v Speaker 1>spent hours dealing with your inbox, and that feels about

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<v Speaker 1>as good as when you realize you've eaten a whole

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<v Speaker 1>pint of Ben and Jerry's. Well, possibly even worse, because

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<v Speaker 1>ice cream is delicious, email is emphatically not so. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>try identifying which activities deserve a smaller bowl in your life.

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<v Speaker 1>What would you like to spend less time on. How

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<v Speaker 1>can you put in a stopping point so you can

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<v Speaker 1>evaluate whether you want to do more. Figure this out

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<v Speaker 1>and you'll spend time better and probably be happier too.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b The number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. I