WEBVTT - Second Cup: Celebrate your golden hours

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

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<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 2>tip is to celebrate your golden hours, that is the

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<v Speaker 2>hours after work and before bed. These evening hours can

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<v Speaker 2>be hard to use well, but time is time, and

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<v Speaker 2>with a little intention, these hours can be a favorite

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<v Speaker 2>part of the week. So I hear from many people

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<v Speaker 2>about their time, and I know that the hours after

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<v Speaker 2>work and before bed can be a particular pain point.

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<v Speaker 2>For many parents of young kids, this second shift can feel.

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<v Speaker 1>Like a slog of feeding and bathing people and trying

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<v Speaker 1>to convince them to go to bed so you can

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<v Speaker 1>do it all over again the next day. For other folks,

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<v Speaker 1>the evening can fill with mindless screen time and nothing

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<v Speaker 1>more memorable than the knowledge that the day ended eventually.

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<v Speaker 1>Not all time can be bliss, of course, but these

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<v Speaker 1>post work hours comprise a reasonable proportion of people's leisure

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<v Speaker 1>and family time. If you are home from work at

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<v Speaker 1>five thirty pm and in bed at ten thirty pm,

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<v Speaker 1>that is twenty hours spread over Monday to Thursday. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of time to spend unintentionally or worse, wishing

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<v Speaker 1>it away. But what if we reimagine this time as

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<v Speaker 1>our golden hours, What if we saw them as a

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<v Speaker 1>potential source of pleasure, not in some future time, but now.

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<v Speaker 1>I do think it is possible, and even a little

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<v Speaker 1>planning can go a long way toward changing the experience

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<v Speaker 1>of time. The phrase golden hour is often used in

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<v Speaker 1>photography to describe that hour around sunset when the light

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<v Speaker 1>makes everyone look good. But I also like the connotations

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<v Speaker 1>of golden years, a phrase describing an era of active

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<v Speaker 1>leisure in family time after a period of hard work.

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<v Speaker 1>Golden years come in retirement, but golden hours could happen

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<v Speaker 1>every day. I think this potential rebranding can be helpful

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<v Speaker 1>for switching up our mindset. The Monday to Thursday golden

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<v Speaker 1>hours can be made a lot more pleasurable by doing

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<v Speaker 1>a few things. First, take a night off. If the

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<v Speaker 1>second shift is feeling like a slog, make plans to

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<v Speaker 1>skip it one night. I think all busy people should

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<v Speaker 1>take one night for you and commit to something apart

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<v Speaker 1>from work and family responsibilities. I sing and acquire most

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<v Speaker 1>Thursday nights. You could take a salsa dancing class, or

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<v Speaker 1>join a spiritual small group, or play pickleball. Figure out

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<v Speaker 1>what would make you excited about life. Figure out the

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<v Speaker 1>logistics and spend your golden hours doing that one night

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<v Speaker 1>per week. Second plan little adventures. We start counting the

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<v Speaker 1>hours toward bedtime when we're bored, so at least one

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<v Speaker 1>night a week, why not bust the routine a little

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<v Speaker 1>and do something more memorable. It can be a family

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<v Speaker 1>walk or trip to a different playground, or a picnic,

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<v Speaker 1>or a trip to a library branch. With evening hours,

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<v Speaker 1>think about what family activities you might find enjoyable and

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<v Speaker 1>pick a night to try. If you are not caring

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<v Speaker 1>for small kids or aren't on some nights, you could

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<v Speaker 1>try different adventures, meeting friends, trying a different workout class,

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<v Speaker 1>they're going for an evening run, maybe cooking something elaborate.

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<v Speaker 1>Evening hours often feel forgettable, but golden hours don't need

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<v Speaker 1>to be. Third easier pain points. Part of honoring the

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<v Speaker 1>golden hours is figuring out when you are most miserable

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<v Speaker 1>and doing what you can to make those moments better.

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<v Speaker 1>If you hate cooking while a toddler is pulling at

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<v Speaker 1>your leg, why not get some easy to prepare foods

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<v Speaker 1>that you are excited about. Lots of grocery stores sell

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<v Speaker 1>reasonably healthy meals, like a piece of salmon with some

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<v Speaker 1>veggies and a sauce that you just have to stick

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<v Speaker 1>in the oven. If you dread bathtime, maybe kids don't

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<v Speaker 1>need to bathe so often. Find bedtime stories you want

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<v Speaker 1>to read. If you are stuck in a child's room

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for them to go to sleep, feel free to

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<v Speaker 1>read something lowbrow on the kindle lap. Set a timer,

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<v Speaker 1>and refuse to spend more time on chores than that

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<v Speaker 1>limited time so you don't feel like you are wasting

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<v Speaker 1>your night. Fourth, upgrade your leisure. Some people have more

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<v Speaker 1>leisure time during their golden hours than others, but everyone

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<v Speaker 1>can make the most of the time they have. Stock

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<v Speaker 1>up on easy reading material and indulge in some supplies

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<v Speaker 1>for a favorite hobby. Make a list of favorite accessible

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<v Speaker 1>activities like sitting outside by a fire pit or taking

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<v Speaker 1>a bath, and make sure to do at least one

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<v Speaker 1>of these during your golden hours each week. Finally, end well.

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<v Speaker 1>One reason I recommend people set a bedtime, especially during

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<v Speaker 1>the work week, is that an endpoint give structure to

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<v Speaker 1>a day. You can be a bit more mindful of

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<v Speaker 1>your golden hours if you know how many you have

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<v Speaker 1>Verse viewing them as amorphous and un certain. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also create a bedtime ritual that helps you feel cozy, calm,

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<v Speaker 1>satisfied with your day. Drifting off to sleep early enough

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<v Speaker 1>that you will feel well rested in the morning can

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<v Speaker 1>make any day feel more golden. In the meantime, This

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, look forward to staying in touch. Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

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