1
00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680
Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

2
00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:14,880
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

3
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,720
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to upgrade the background scenes on your electronics.

4
00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,079
Speaker 1: We see these home screens dozens of times per day,

5
00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:32,080
Speaker 1: if not more, so best to choose them thoughtfully. I

6
00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,559
Speaker 1: have realized over the years that there are two distinct

7
00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:40,640
Speaker 1: types of people. Some folks customize everything immediately. These folks

8
00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:43,920
Speaker 1: might even have wallpapered their rental apartments because it was

9
00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,879
Speaker 1: worth losing their deposits to wake up daily to the

10
00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,000
Speaker 1: pattern of their dreams. You would never catch them with

11
00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,520
Speaker 1: a default ring tone. Then there are the rest of us.

12
00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,440
Speaker 1: Our iPhones sound exactly alike when they ring. This is because, well,

13
00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,000
Speaker 1: it's a functional object and it's easy to just stick

14
00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:11,080
Speaker 1: with whatever is there. I am all for simplicity. I

15
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,680
Speaker 1: also like getting my rental deposits back. But for those

16
00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,440
Speaker 1: of us who fall into the ladder leave at b camp,

17
00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,680
Speaker 1: it's important to realize that we look at certain things

18
00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,119
Speaker 1: dozens of times per day or more. How many times

19
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,200
Speaker 1: do you pick up and unlock your phone each day?

20
00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,880
Speaker 1: How often do you see the home screen on your laptop?

21
00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,600
Speaker 1: How often do you open your default browser and see

22
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:40,679
Speaker 1: whatever is there. The answer is probably a lot, So

23
00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,440
Speaker 1: putting a little thought into what is there can set

24
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,360
Speaker 1: the desired tone for your day. For instance, maybe you

25
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,960
Speaker 1: would like to feel more calm. If so, how about

26
00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,279
Speaker 1: changing your backgrounds to be beautiful landscapes. There are plenty

27
00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:00,600
Speaker 1: of images in the public domain, or your apaptop might

28
00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,080
Speaker 1: even offer some good ones as alternative options if you

29
00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:07,720
Speaker 1: bother to look, or perhaps you have taken a photo

30
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,200
Speaker 1: or two of your happy place a beach at sunrise,

31
00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,640
Speaker 1: a field of wild flowers. Looking at these will feel

32
00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:21,160
Speaker 1: more meaningful than the default image. A photo of your kids, partner, pet,

33
00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,679
Speaker 1: or circle of friends can make you smile every time

34
00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,960
Speaker 1: you see it, and if we are talking dozens of

35
00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,520
Speaker 1: times per day, who wouldn't want that many more smiles.

36
00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,480
Speaker 1: While much tech is personal these days, it's not exactly hidden,

37
00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,040
Speaker 1: so you want to choose a photo you're fine with

38
00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,679
Speaker 1: other people seeing. Indeed, you might choose something that could

39
00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:47,360
Speaker 1: be a good conversation starter. Yep, that is my pet turtle,

40
00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,040
Speaker 1: or that's the place where I was born, or yes,

41
00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,040
Speaker 1: my kids are way into baseball. All of these offer

42
00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,080
Speaker 1: easy inroads for someone to chat with you. Now, my

43
00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,600
Speaker 1: laptop home screen tends to be a cluttered place. But

44
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,120
Speaker 1: if you are more minimalist, you can branch out to

45
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,400
Speaker 1: non photo options. For instance, maybe you have a favorite quote.

46
00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,320
Speaker 1: If you put Mary Oliver's famous question what do you

47
00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,360
Speaker 1: plan to do with your one, wild and precious life?

48
00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,680
Speaker 1: On your home screen, you might start each workday inspired,

49
00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,639
Speaker 1: or you might quit your job, But either way you're

50
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:31,720
Speaker 1: having a more meaningful experience than that vaguely futuristic nothingness

51
00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:36,240
Speaker 1: that comes as the default. As for your browser homepage,

52
00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,920
Speaker 1: if you are trying not to get distracted, headlines and

53
00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,760
Speaker 1: Facebook might not be the best choice. Your company's web

54
00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,480
Speaker 1: page might be required. But if not, another option is

55
00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,000
Speaker 1: to choose something calming like the Monterey Bay Aquariums mesmerizing

56
00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,960
Speaker 1: Jellyfish live cam. The San Diego Zoo also has some

57
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,560
Speaker 1: great live cams that could change your food. There's lots

58
00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:07,160
Speaker 1: of whimsy out there. Think koala's or penguins. In between

59
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,120
Speaker 1: intense meetings, who wouldn't want to see some koalas munching

60
00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,680
Speaker 1: happily on their eucalyptus leaves. The point is to spend

61
00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,280
Speaker 1: just a little bit of time thinking about something that

62
00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:23,520
Speaker 1: cumulatively we spend a lot of time seeing and since

63
00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:28,359
Speaker 1: everything becomes like wallpaper after a while, make sure to

64
00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:33,520
Speaker 1: choose a time to reevaluate your choices, maybe every six months.

65
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,400
Speaker 1: New Year's in the fourth of July. As a listener

66
00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,400
Speaker 1: pointed out to me, you swap your photos and live

67
00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,400
Speaker 1: cams out. The view stays fresh and continues to work

68
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:49,520
Speaker 1: its magic. Your work day is a little happier, and

69
00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:56,599
Speaker 1: you are two. In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks

70
00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:08,000
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

71
00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,359
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

72
00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,039
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

73
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,440
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

74
00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:23,480
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

75
00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,200
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

76
00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,640
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

77
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,440
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

78
00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:41,640
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

79
00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,880
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

80
00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,880
Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

81
00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,080
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.