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 make little moments special. Even simple
Speaker 1: substitutions can upgrade your leisure time considerably. This year, I
Speaker 1: have learned a lot about how people use and feel
Speaker 1: about their time as part of the research for my
Speaker 1: upcoming book, Tranquility by Tuesday. One theme that keeps coming
Speaker 1: up again and again is the value of being mindful
Speaker 1: about our leisure time. That is, taking time that is
Speaker 1: already pleasant and thinking about how we can make it
Speaker 1: even more awesome. Let me tell you about how some
Speaker 1: people do it. Lots of Tranquility by Tuesday participants included
Speaker 1: morning coffee on their time logs. Coffee is definitely a
Speaker 1: part of my morning routine too, But one participant recorded
Speaker 1: time spent on her morning mocha. How great is that
Speaker 1: the peaceful, solitary ritual of morning coffee, and let's be real,
Speaker 1: the much needed kick of caffeine gets taken up a
Speaker 1: notch to become morning mocha. Maybe the mocha prep takes
Speaker 1: a few more minutes than coffee prep, but it's more special.
Speaker 1: This philosophy of little upgrades can apply to all sorts
Speaker 1: of things. Other participants reported that they were deciding to
Speaker 1: watch specific TV shows or movies instead of just randomly
Speaker 1: flipping through channels or watching saved episodes of shows they've
Speaker 1: seen a dozen times. Some people upgraded their leisure by
Speaker 1: taking it to special places instead of just walking around
Speaker 1: the neighborhood. You can drive five min it's to a
Speaker 1: lake and enjoy that. A book is great anywhere, but
Speaker 1: it might be more fun to read on the hammock
Speaker 1: or in a favorite coffee shop. If your schedule or
Speaker 1: child care responsibilities mean you can't travel to a special place,
Speaker 1: you can make your home more special. To set a
Speaker 1: pretty table for a post kid's bedtime dinner at home
Speaker 1: with your partner. Put fresh flowers on the table and
Speaker 1: on your nightstand too, Light a candle in the bathroom.
Speaker 1: Why not. Sometimes the appeal of leisure is solitude if
Speaker 1: that is a rare treat for you, But other times
Speaker 1: you can make your leisure even better by adding the
Speaker 1: right companion. For instance, why not invite a friend to
Speaker 1: join you for your weekly bike ride. Browsing at your
Speaker 1: favorite boutique could be even more fun if your sister
Speaker 1: came along. Special gear is another way to upgrade your
Speaker 1: leisure time. That relaxing soak in the tub could be
Speaker 1: even nicer with scented soap. Or maybe grilling or smoking
Speaker 1: meat is your particular thing, Spring for the Bluetooth thermometer
Speaker 1: and have fun geeking out on grilling technique. Knitting is
Speaker 1: even more transporting when you are working with gorgeous yarn.
Speaker 1: So today, consider whether there is a morning Mocha makeover
Speaker 1: you can do in your own life, taking something like
Speaker 1: your morning coffee and transforming it to be a little
Speaker 1: more special. If you think of an idea, I'd love
Speaker 1: to hear about it. You can reach me at Laura
Speaker 1: at Laura Vanderkam dot com. 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 the number four, then breakfast
Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart Media dot com.
Speaker 1: 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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Speaker 1: favorite shows.