WEBVTT - Take a pocket pause

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

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that when you find yourself with a little

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<v Speaker 1>free time, consider taking a break to just relax. You

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<v Speaker 1>don't always have to do something. Sometimes it's nice to

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<v Speaker 1>just be. You may have noticed that some cities now

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<v Speaker 1>have tiny public spaces tucked in between buildings. These green

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<v Speaker 1>spots have just enough space for some trees, a little grass,

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<v Speaker 1>and a few park benches. Occasionally there's a swing set

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<v Speaker 1>or a fountain. It's not much, but what might have

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<v Speaker 1>been an empty lot or a parking area is activated

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<v Speaker 1>as a space for relaxing and soaking in the outdoors.

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<v Speaker 1>These pocket parks, as they are sometimes called, are refreshing

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<v Speaker 1>oases for city dwellers. They are places to sit outside

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<v Speaker 1>and read a book, sip your coffee, chat with a friend,

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<v Speaker 1>or relax. While any given pocket park is small, taken together,

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<v Speaker 1>they make an urban area feel more lush and inviting.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a useful metaphor for our schedules. We

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<v Speaker 1>have lots of buildings stuck in there, meetings, deadlines, bringing

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<v Speaker 1>the kids to soccer, going to that neighborhood hearing. But

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps we can envision tiny oases in between all of that.

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<v Speaker 1>The next time you find yourself with fifteen minutes between things,

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<v Speaker 1>think about pocket parks and consider taking a pocket pause,

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<v Speaker 1>a little spot for relaxation. I like this idea because

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<v Speaker 1>no matter how busy you are, and no matter how

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<v Speaker 1>thoughtfully you plan, you will wind up with stretches of

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<v Speaker 1>time that are on spoken for. If a meeting cancels

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<v Speaker 1>and you have a whole hour that is suddenly free,

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<v Speaker 1>you may want to use it to make progress on

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<v Speaker 1>a big project. But when you have ten minutes between meetings,

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<v Speaker 1>or when you are ready twenty minutes before your friend

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<v Speaker 1>picks you up for the movies, those bits of time

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<v Speaker 1>can be harder to use. Some folks keep lists of

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<v Speaker 1>small tasks to cram into these moments, and I get it.

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<v Speaker 1>It's good to get things done and feel productive, but

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<v Speaker 1>I strongly recommend batching little tasks so they don't take

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<v Speaker 1>over your schedule. When you get a little pocket pause

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<v Speaker 1>in your day, you can just kick your feet up

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<v Speaker 1>and look out the window. You don't even need to

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<v Speaker 1>check email. You can just be I know this is

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<v Speaker 1>hard to imagine, but I think spending a few minutes

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<v Speaker 1>just relaxing has a few upsides. When we are busy,

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<v Speaker 1>this feels kind of extravagant, and that's not a bad thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Taking a pocket pause is the time equivalent of buying

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<v Speaker 1>yourself flowers. You are worth it. But just as a

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<v Speaker 1>handful of pocket parks can make an entire city seem green,

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<v Speaker 1>a handful of pocket pauses in the day can remind

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<v Speaker 1>you that you do have time. How busy can you

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<v Speaker 1>be if you take five minutes, four times a day

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<v Speaker 1>to watch the clouds? If you truly are just relaxing,

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<v Speaker 1>those five minutes stretches are going to seem quite long.

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<v Speaker 1>You will start to feel like your schedule is spacious. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>if you take a pocket pause, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>how it goes. You could reach me at Laura at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia for more podcasts from iHeartMedia, Please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.