Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to pave the desire paths. In other words,
Speaker 1: recognize how you actually live and set up your life
Speaker 1: to embrace your customary choices. So, desire paths, as I
Speaker 1: recently learned, are the unofficial footpaths worn by people walking them,
Speaker 1: that is, by taking the route they desire rather than
Speaker 1: a formal paved path. You know the look of these
Speaker 1: desire paths, the warren spots and the grass, showing how
Speaker 1: people actually get from the street corner to a building's entrance,
Speaker 1: or how they might cross a university quad. Sometimes after
Speaker 1: a building is built, wise urban or university planners will
Speaker 1: wait to construct paths until they see where the desire
Speaker 1: paths are, where do people actually walk. Once these desire
Speaker 1: paths have been worn, the developers may lay bricks or
Speaker 1: build sidewalks to formalize these choices. By paving the desire paths,
Speaker 1: planners guide people on two paths that already feel attractive
Speaker 1: and natural, and they avoid having official paths that people
Speaker 1: reject in favor of walking on the grass or through
Speaker 1: flower beds. Where their steps are kind of unwelcome. Just
Speaker 1: as planners can pave the desire paths that pedestrians create,
Speaker 1: we can pave the metaphorical desire paths in our own
Speaker 1: lives too, by recognizing and honoring the ways of being
Speaker 1: that suit us. This way, we can optimize our circumstances
Speaker 1: for how we actually live. For instance, if you always
Speaker 1: find yourself in front of the fireplace in the winter,
Speaker 1: arrange the space so it's conducive to everything you do there.
Speaker 1: Perhaps the couch is great for curling up with or
Speaker 1: a book or having family time, but you may want
Speaker 1: to add a table so you can use the space
Speaker 1: for remote work during the day or for doing puzzles
Speaker 1: in the evenings. Pave this desire path so you are
Speaker 1: not hunched awkwardly on the sofa trying to work scrolling
Speaker 1: instead of doing puzzles because you don't want to leave
Speaker 1: the fire We can pave the desire paths with our
Speaker 1: wardrobes too. If you live in jeans and sneakers, then
Speaker 1: that is what you should buy, not dressy pants and heels.
Speaker 1: Invest the time and money in finding good genes that
Speaker 1: you really like to honor this wardrobe reality in terms
Speaker 1: of time. If you have always been a night owl
Speaker 1: your whole life, don't try to convince yourself that you
Speaker 1: need to build an elaborate early morning routine. Instead, pave
Speaker 1: the desire paths by recognizing that you will feel fine
Speaker 1: exercising after work, having a later dinner, and reading into
Speaker 1: the evening. Instead, build an evening routine schedule that makes
Speaker 1: space for all those things that other people aim to
Speaker 1: find space for in the morning. Let go of your
Speaker 1: assumptions and ideas about what you ought to do. That
Speaker 1: is where the official paths are supposed to be. It
Speaker 1: is a waste of time and resources to pave a
Speaker 1: path that no one takes. Instead, make your life conducive
Speaker 1: to what you actually do, and you will create smooth
Speaker 1: paths wherever you tread in the meantime. This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then
Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media dot
Speaker 1: Com that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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