WEBVTT - Before you turn on the TV 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to consider more engaging forms of leisure

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<v Speaker 1>before you turn on the TV. Thank effortful before effortless,

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<v Speaker 1>and you'll have a lot more fun in your life.

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<v Speaker 1>Every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its American

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<v Speaker 1>Time Use Survey, a large time diary study that asks

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<v Speaker 1>thousands of Americans to recount how they spent yesterday, not

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<v Speaker 1>a typical day, yesterday and this year, just like always,

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<v Speaker 1>it turns out that yesterday people watched a ton of TV.

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<v Speaker 1>The average was almost three hours a day. That compares

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<v Speaker 1>to just twenty minutes spent participating in sports, exercise, or recreation.

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<v Speaker 1>In Even people working full time spent on average more

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<v Speaker 1>than two hours per day watching TV. I know why

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<v Speaker 1>it's easy to turn on the TV when you have

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<v Speaker 1>free time. The TV doesn't demand any planning. It doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>ask much of you. No need to get dressed, call

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<v Speaker 1>a sider, or coordinate with a friend. The trouble is

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<v Speaker 1>that watching TV isn't especially satisfying. Sure, it can be

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<v Speaker 1>fun and it passes the time, but it doesn't leave

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<v Speaker 1>us with memories to look back on. You can spend

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<v Speaker 1>a weekend in front of the TV. In on Monday,

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<v Speaker 1>wonder where the weekend went. Now. I am not here

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<v Speaker 1>to suggest that you get rid of your TV. I

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<v Speaker 1>know there are a lot of great shows on these days. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>keep it in its place. Aim for effortful fun like

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<v Speaker 1>reading or sewing or tennis before you do effortless things

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<v Speaker 1>like watching TV or scrolling through social media. That way

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<v Speaker 1>you get to do both. If you do the effortless

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<v Speaker 1>fun first, well, it's hard to pull yourself away to

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<v Speaker 1>go do those oil paintings. You'll watch TV all night

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<v Speaker 1>and wonder where the time went. Now. Of course, effortful

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<v Speaker 1>fun does take effort. In particular, it often takes planning. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>not even necessarily the type of planning that entails calling

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<v Speaker 1>a sitter or making reservations. But you do need to

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<v Speaker 1>think about what fun you'd like to have to keep

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<v Speaker 1>yourself from reaching for the obvious removed. So make a list.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe there's a book you'd like to read, maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>need to go get it. Maybe you want to join

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<v Speaker 1>in the breadmaking trend or try out some new recipes.

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<v Speaker 1>You might like to spend some time on a craft

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<v Speaker 1>like needle point or woodworking, or maybe you want to

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<v Speaker 1>spend more time connecting with people you love. Try filling

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<v Speaker 1>a sticky note with specific ideas for such effortful fun.

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<v Speaker 1>Aim for things you can do with a fairly small

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<v Speaker 1>chunk of time, like fifteen minutes, not a whole day.

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<v Speaker 1>You are probably not going to be able to get

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<v Speaker 1>a whole day for fun of any sort. Your list

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<v Speaker 1>might include call Grandpa, or make an origami swan, do

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<v Speaker 1>ten push ups, read a poem, make lemon squares. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>put that sticky note on your TV's remote control. When

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<v Speaker 1>you pick up the remote, let the sticky note inspire

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<v Speaker 1>you to have some effortful fun before you turn on

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<v Speaker 1>the TV. Once you get started in the effortful fun,

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<v Speaker 1>you may decide to continue with it. But if not,

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<v Speaker 1>that's okay too. You're still doing something special before flipping

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<v Speaker 1>on the TV. And in a full life, there is

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<v Speaker 1>space for bits in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me.

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<v Speaker 1>On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's

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<v Speaker 1>b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio. For more podcasts from i heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.