WEBVTT - Second Cup: Let your mind wander

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to let your mind wander. When you give

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<v Speaker 1>yourself the space to daydream, you may boost your creativity,

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<v Speaker 1>increasing the chances that you come up with lots of

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<v Speaker 1>great ideas. And who doesn't need more great ideas these days.

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<v Speaker 1>This week, we've been talking about ways to nurture our brains.

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<v Speaker 1>If we want to take our days from great to awesome,

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<v Speaker 1>being on top of our mental games can help a lot.

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<v Speaker 1>Our brains are the most important productivity tools we have

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<v Speaker 1>now and in the future too, so we want to

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<v Speaker 1>keep these tools as sharp as possible. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>best things sharp brains can do is come up with

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<v Speaker 1>new ideas. Since many of us do need to come

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<v Speaker 1>up with lots of ideas, it's important to pay attention

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<v Speaker 1>to how this process happens. I don't know about you,

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<v Speaker 1>but I come up with a lot of great ideas

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<v Speaker 1>when I am out running. I don't listen to music,

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<v Speaker 1>so my mind can just wander as I'm running through

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<v Speaker 1>my neighborhood or the trails near my house. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it's the lack of inputs directing my conscious attention. I

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<v Speaker 1>often wind up piecing together different strands of things and

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<v Speaker 1>coming up with solutions. Some research has found that many

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<v Speaker 1>of us experience the same thing. One study that tested

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<v Speaker 1>people's ability to come up with novel uses for everyday

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<v Speaker 1>items found that when people were given an undemanding task,

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<v Speaker 1>that is, one that allowed their minds to wander, they

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<v Speaker 1>improved their performance on this creativity test. Indeed, they improved

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<v Speaker 1>more than they did if given a demanding task that

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<v Speaker 1>didn't allow their minds to wander, or if they were

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<v Speaker 1>just allowed to rest and do nothing. It seems our

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<v Speaker 1>brains do our best divergent thinking when we are just

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<v Speaker 1>a tiny bit occupied enough to take the edge off,

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<v Speaker 1>but not so occupied that we can't think about anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Let your mind wander, and it wanders to intriguing places.

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<v Speaker 1>This seems straightforward enough, and yet many of us don't

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<v Speaker 1>spend a whole lot of time in this mind wandering state. Why.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's because we can't stand boredom. You sit

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<v Speaker 1>in a chair at home meaning to stare out the

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<v Speaker 1>window at the birds, and next thing you know, the

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<v Speaker 1>phone is out and you are checking email. We listen

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<v Speaker 1>to music or yes, podcasts while running or walking or driving.

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<v Speaker 1>And while this isn't a bad thing, I'm glad you're

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<v Speaker 1>listening to before breakfast. When we fill all our time

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<v Speaker 1>this way, we don't have base for our minds to

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<v Speaker 1>wander to intriguing places. So the solution is to come

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<v Speaker 1>up with situations where you aren't really bored, you are

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<v Speaker 1>just in a mind wandering state. This is why running

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<v Speaker 1>outside is better than running on the treadmill. The treadmill

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<v Speaker 1>is boring, so you need a TV show to get

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<v Speaker 1>through it. Running on a trail through the woods, on

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<v Speaker 1>the other hand, is interesting enough that the miles pass

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<v Speaker 1>without the need for any inputs, so you can let

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<v Speaker 1>your mind wander. I had one of my best ideas

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<v Speaker 1>of recent years while jumping waves in the ocean. I

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't exactly take my phone with me there, but I

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<v Speaker 1>was engaged with the task of keeping the waves from

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<v Speaker 1>crashing over my head. That turned out to be a

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<v Speaker 1>perfect setup for capturing what had been elusive before. I've

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<v Speaker 1>been experiencing a similar feeling recently as I have been

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<v Speaker 1>playing Christmas carols on the piano. Now, learning a new

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<v Speaker 1>piece of music would engage huge chunks of my brain,

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<v Speaker 1>but something like Joy to the World, which I've played

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred times, not so much. My mind wanders. It's

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<v Speaker 1>interesting to see where it wanders too. I haven't come

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<v Speaker 1>up with any great new business ideas yet, but maybe someday.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just a matter of time. So today, try coming

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<v Speaker 1>up with a situation where you can let your mind wander.

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<v Speaker 1>Go for a walk outside without music. Try something like

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<v Speaker 1>a jigsaw puzzle or gardening that takes a little effort,

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<v Speaker 1>but not a huge amount of effort. Don't pick up

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<v Speaker 1>your phone. You might be surprised what comes to you

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<v Speaker 1>in this state, so be sure to keep a pen

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<v Speaker 1>and paper handy. The good ideas may start to flow.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got your brain working well and that is a

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<v Speaker 1>good thing. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and 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 E 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 iHeartMedia dot com that Before breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters thanks so much. Should I

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

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the

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