1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: Today's tip is that when you have a little spot 4 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: of time open up, you don't need to spend all 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: of it checking email. Take a minute to look out 6 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: the window first, and you just might start feeling a 7 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: little differently about life. I am writing this episode on 8 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: a lovely fall day, when the colors out my office 9 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: window are brilliant and rich. There's a bright red maple 10 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: staring back at me, and the little yellow oak leaves 11 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: scattered on the bushes look like celebratory confetti. With scenery 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: like this, I do find myself looking up more than usual. 13 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: I know in a few weeks it will all be 14 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: gray and brown for winter, but even so, on any day, 15 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: looking at the sky and the trees can provide a 16 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: little mental lift, a soothing sense that whatever problems I'm 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: dealing with our transient against the slowly changing seasons. I 18 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: also realized that I don't avail myself of this opportunity 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: to look out on a calming scene nearly as much 20 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: as I could. When a spot of time appears in 21 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: my schedule, I do what I suspect. Many people do 22 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: check my inbox. Sometimes there's something I need to deal 23 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: with there, but often it's something that could have waited 24 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: for one minute. Well, I looked out at the loveliness 25 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: for sixty seconds. If you'd like more tranquility in your life, 26 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: it might be worth trying to look out the window first. 27 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: In my new book, Tranquility by Tuesday, one of the 28 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: time management rules I explore is to do effortful fun 29 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: before effortless fun. When you've got the potential for leisure time, 30 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: do a few minutes of reading or hobbies are connecting 31 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: with friends before switching over to screen time. When people 32 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: made this one little habit switch, they were far more 33 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: likely to agree with the statement yesterday, I didn't waste 34 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: time on things that weren't important to me. We don't 35 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: necessarily think of leisure during the work day, though I 36 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,079 Speaker 1: am pretty sure that traffic on many websites is higher 37 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: during the work day than afterwards. But in many cases, 38 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 1: quick email checks are the same sort of thing as 39 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: checking social media, if maybe even more insidious, because they 40 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: look like work. We want to see what's in there, 41 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: even if all we wind up doing with those moments 42 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: of time is deleting email newsletters we can't remember subscribing to. 43 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: It's often just the sort of effortless activity that doesn't 44 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: do much beyond provide a quick hit of feeling like 45 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: something has been done. So here's an idea. Before you 46 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: get to all that deleting, take just one minute to 47 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: look out the window first. Yes, staring at the clouds 48 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: can be a form of effortful fun in our distracted world. 49 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: If you've got a window in your office, wonderful get 50 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: to know the world outside it. If you work at 51 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: a home office, you can curate this view, making it 52 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: a little more pleasant and intriguing over time. But even 53 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: if you are in an office park, there is probably 54 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: something of interest, a patch of sky, a tree, that 55 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: sort of thing. If you are working in a window 56 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: this cubicle, just get up and walk to a window. 57 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: Most buildings are required to have them somewhere not too 58 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: far away from you. It will be good to stretch 59 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: your legs in addition to taking in the outside world. Again, 60 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: this doesn't have to take long, sixty seconds would be fine. 61 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: Then go delete email as much as you want. The 62 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: point is simply to change up the automatic flow of 63 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: activities and to build little spots for renewal into your day. 64 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,119 Speaker 1: I just looked up to watch a handful of bright 65 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: yellow leaves float to the ground. The email deletion can 66 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: wait a few seconds. The falling leaves are a lot 67 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: more tranquil in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, 68 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. M Hey, everybody, 69 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 70 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 71 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 72 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 73 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 74 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast 75 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 76 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast 77 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts 78 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 79 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.