1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: tip is that there is nothing wrong with pressing the 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: easy button when you have the opportunity. Solutions aren't always 5 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: better just because they are hard. Figure out lots of 6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: easy buttons in life, and you just might have more 7 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 1: mental space for what really matters. Before Breakfast listeners of 8 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: a certain age may remember the ad campaign from the 9 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: office supply store Staples. A small red button labeled easy 10 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: miraculously solved all kinds of challenges, from pens that run 11 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: out of ink, to hardmouth problems to changing twin babies diapers. 12 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: At the same time. The idea, of course, was that 13 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: Staples made getting office supplies is easy pressing a button. 14 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: The fantasy of having an easy button was so powerful 15 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: that Staples even started selling an easy button desk toy. Now, 16 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that the desk toy will not solve 17 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: any problems for you, but you can find all kinds 18 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: of metaphorical easy buttons in life. Weeknight dinners can be 19 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: pasta one night Taco's, another make your own pizza breakfast 20 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: for dinner, and a store bought rotisserie chicken with a 21 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: bagged salad. Brilliant. I just mail planned for an entire 22 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: week for you. If you want variety, you can cook 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: elaborate meals on the weekends and then maybe have the 24 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 1: leftovers as a dinner in the middle of the week. 25 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: Or do you take out some night you have pressed 26 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: the easy button and still had a satisfying string of dinners. 27 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: You can choose a kind of wine you like and 28 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: always bring that as a hostess gift. Seriously, just order 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: a dozen bottles, and if you get invited to more 30 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: parties than that in a year, I'm thrilled for you, 31 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: but most of us probably won't be, so it will 32 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: all work out. Cash can be a very easy gift 33 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: for a wide variety of occasions, and for a solid 34 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: percentage of those occasions, the person will prefer cash to 35 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: whatever you might have picked out, So go ahead and 36 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: press the easy button. If it's going to be appropriate 37 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: for my female listeners. A simple black dress can be 38 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: your easy button outfit for any event. Unless you are 39 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 1: the sort of person who is frequently photographed for the tabloids, 40 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: no one is going to notice that you are wearing 41 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: the same thing on more than one occasion. If you 42 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: are supposed to bring a homemade dessert somewhere, bring slice 43 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: and baked cookies. They worked us fine. Have a go 44 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: to karaoke song Paint Walls and Benjamin Moore White Dove 45 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: have a restaurant you always suggest to visiting out of 46 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: town guests. I believe that part of adulting is knowing 47 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: about a certain number of easy buttons and availing yourself 48 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: of them whenever the situation permits. When we are young, 49 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: we often think that everyone is watching and judging us, 50 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: and so we need to impress people with our command 51 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: of a wide variety of things, places, outfits, meals. Then 52 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: you get older and realize no one is noticing. Indeed, 53 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: people tend to be happier with surefire hits than with 54 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: experimentation that can go awry. At six o'clock on Tuesday, 55 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: your crew is going to be happier with pasta than 56 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: with some elaborate new seafood dish that your gourmet magazine 57 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: said was amazing. Maybe it is, but you can find 58 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: that out when you make it on Saturday. On Tuesday, 59 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: press the easy button. I don't like the phrase taking 60 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: the easy way out because it's pejorative. In many cases, 61 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: the easy way is not only fine, it might be 62 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: preferable to something harder. Save your time and energy for 63 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: situations where it matters or might truly improve things. With 64 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: most other things, pressing the easy button is perfectly fine. 65 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: In the meantime, This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 66 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for 67 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, 68 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. 69 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts 70 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 71 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.