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Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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Speaker 2: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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Speaker 2: tip is that better tools make tasks more fun. If

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Speaker 2: there is a task you do frequently, consider upgrading your tools.

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Speaker 2: In cases where it makes sense, the whole experience just

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Speaker 2: might become more pleasant. I really like notebooks, especially ones

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Speaker 2: where the lines are small, the cover is pretty, and

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Speaker 2: the paper has some tooth to it. I take a

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Speaker 2: lot of notes on things, and make a lot of

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Speaker 2: lists and come up with various ideas. And while it

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Speaker 2: seems silly, I am marginally more likely to jot things

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Speaker 2: down if my paper is nice. So when I can,

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Speaker 2: I try to use nice notebooks and pens and just

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Speaker 2: consider it money well spent. Similarly, since I work from home,

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Speaker 2: I wind up cooking myself breakfast and lunch basically every day.

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Speaker 2: It is nice to be able.

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Speaker 1: To have a hot meal, and I have used various

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Speaker 1: pans over the years, but I finally bought a well

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Speaker 1: reviewed one that wasn't so expensive, but cooks evenly and

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Speaker 1: rents as clean with little fuss. That makes cooking my

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Speaker 1: eggs every morning feel a little bit more like a treat.

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Speaker 1: We all have tasks we do over and over again. Now,

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Speaker 1: no doubt some folks already splurge on the best of everything,

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Speaker 1: or already know what the best of everything is. But

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Speaker 1: if you are the dutiful sort who listens to this

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Speaker 1: kind of podcast, my guess is that you have a

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Speaker 1: strong tendency to make dew. That old garden hose is

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Speaker 1: perfectly fine. You can use the free pen they gave

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Speaker 1: you at the orthodontist. There is nothing wrong with making dew.

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Speaker 1: In many cases, it is a virtuous choice easier on

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Speaker 1: the earth. But if something needs to be a work

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Speaker 1: horse in your life, then consider that better tools can

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Speaker 1: make tasks feel far more enjoyable. Cleaning becomes a more

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Speaker 1: satisfying experience with good brushes and products that smell lovely.

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Speaker 1: You might take more thorough notes and refer to them

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Speaker 1: more frequently. If you use a good pen and note book.

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Speaker 1: It is easier to cook if scrubbing the pan afterwards

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Speaker 1: isn't a total pain. So take an audit of your

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Speaker 1: day and of your week and see what tools you

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Speaker 1: use frequently. For many people, that's a basic kitchen knife,

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Speaker 1: a pan, maybe scissors, dishbrushes, maybe something like a dog leash,

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Speaker 1: lunch box materials, if you pack. Maybe it's something like

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Speaker 1: a laptop for your side hustle or photo editing software.

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Speaker 2: Maybe it's a spatula, washcloths, towels, or maybe it's your

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Speaker 2: washing machine and dryer.

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Speaker 1: I know those get a hefty workout in my house.

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Speaker 1: If you've got a dog who sheds a lot and

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Speaker 1: you feel like you spend your life vacuuming, you want

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Speaker 1: a vacuum that sucks everything up and is a joy

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Speaker 1: to hold. If something subpar is a common cause of

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Speaker 1: annoyance and you are thinking of replacing it, reviews from

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Speaker 1: other users so you can find what really works. I've

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Speaker 1: had quite good luck with products recommended by Wirecutter, so

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Speaker 1: that is one place to check out. There are discussion

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Speaker 1: threads on Reddit unjust about anything, but in any case,

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Speaker 1: things we use repeatedly need to be up to the job.

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Speaker 1: The world is a big place. People are creative, so

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Speaker 1: often there are better products. As one example, when I

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Speaker 1: sing with my choir, I use a black choir folder

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Speaker 1: that has an extra chord on the bottom so it

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Speaker 1: stays open at the exact right angle. That is a

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Speaker 1: major improvement over me having to hold the folder open

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Speaker 1: at the exact right angle, and given that I spend

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Speaker 1: hours each week holding that folder open at choir practice,

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Speaker 1: that is actually a big deal. Better tools make tasks

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Speaker 1: more enjoyable, and the more time is spent enjoying things

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Speaker 1: rather than resenting them, the better off will all be.

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Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

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Speaker 1: listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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Speaker 1: you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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Speaker 1: from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite chess