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 find five minutes in your morning
Speaker 1: to sit down with your cup of coffee. You'll start
Speaker 1: the day feeling calmer and more centered when you don't
Speaker 1: need to microwave your coffee three times. I promise it
Speaker 1: is possible if you make it a priority. In my
Speaker 1: household and perhaps in yours too. Mornings can be the
Speaker 1: most frenzied time of the day. Trying to get yourself
Speaker 1: and your kids dressed, fed, and ready feels like a lot.
Speaker 1: Never mind the bags that need to be packed, or
Speaker 1: various items like instruments and tablets that need to be remembered,
Speaker 1: the dogs that need to be walked, and the inevitable
Speaker 1: messes that those kids and dogs create. You can feel
Speaker 1: like you have put in an honest day's work by
Speaker 1: the time you get to your desk. That's true if
Speaker 1: you work from home, or even if you're a stay
Speaker 1: at home parent. The bustle is the same and there
Speaker 1: never seems to be more than a moment to do anything.
Speaker 1: For many people, a cold cup of coffee is a
Speaker 1: symbol of this business. People fantasize about being able to
Speaker 1: sit and drink most of a cup of coffee without
Speaker 1: getting up, and while the coffee is still hot. I
Speaker 1: may not have a magic cure for the madness of mornings,
Speaker 1: but I do have a few ideas for how to
Speaker 1: avoid having to hit the microwave yet again. First, if
Speaker 1: you wake up to an alarm, then you can wake
Speaker 1: up to a very slightly earlier alarm. Just an extra
Speaker 1: ten minutes will give you a chance to pour your
Speaker 1: cup and sip it. Will you do nothing else? Okay,
Speaker 1: maybe you can listen to this podcast while you're having
Speaker 1: your cup of coffee. I know it is hard to
Speaker 1: get up earlier, but ten minutes is not like waking
Speaker 1: up at four am to run a marathon. It is
Speaker 1: just ten minutes, and the promise of an uninterrupted cup
Speaker 1: might be enticing enough to make it worthwhile. If that's
Speaker 1: not going to fly because you usually wake up to
Speaker 1: the sound of a toddler screaming mommy or daddy from
Speaker 1: his crib, then maybe you can enjoy that uninterrupted cup
Speaker 1: at the end of your morning routine. If your sitter
Speaker 1: comes at eight and you're normally out the door at
Speaker 1: eight ten. Maybe you could be out the door at
Speaker 1: eight fifteen or eight twenty, having enjoyed your cup of
Speaker 1: coffee somewhere quiet in the house or even in your
Speaker 1: parked car before you leave, if you'd like. My guess
Speaker 1: is that starting the work day a few minutes later
Speaker 1: won't change much, especially if you don't even have an
Speaker 1: official start time, but you will feel completely different. If
Speaker 1: you've got older kids who don't need to be watched constantly,
Speaker 1: then you can create more space in your morning routine
Speaker 1: by eliminating tasks. Some people feel better when their bed
Speaker 1: is made every day, but if you are not one
Speaker 1: of those people, skip making the bed, enjoy your uninterrupted
Speaker 1: cup while sitting in your unmade bed, it will be great.
Speaker 1: Maybe other members of your household could do some of
Speaker 1: the tasks you are currently doing. Could your preteen walk
Speaker 1: the dog? Could your kids pack their own lunches? Could
Speaker 1: your high schooler empty the dishwasher? The elimination of any
Speaker 1: of these tasks would free up five to ten minutes
Speaker 1: for an uninterrupted cup. When you see a spot for
Speaker 1: your uninterrupted sipping, sees it and then don't distract yourself. Yes,
Speaker 1: that pillow on the couch is off kilter, and that
Speaker 1: bowl of half eaten popcorn definitely should not be where
Speaker 1: it is, but it can be moved in ten minutes.
Speaker 1: Just sit, just enjoy. Look out the window at the
Speaker 1: changing light, or look at the wall in your closet
Speaker 1: if that is where you have gone and hid so
Speaker 1: no one else can find you. I am not here
Speaker 1: to judge. I just don't want you to have to
Speaker 1: keep reheating your coffee again and again. Of course, if
Speaker 1: all else fails and a peaceful morning remains elusive, you
Speaker 1: can always get a thermis. Your coffee will still be
Speaker 1: hot no matter how long it takes you to drink it,
Speaker 1: and perhaps as you finally enjoy a hot cup, this
Speaker 1: will convince you to rework your morning to be a
Speaker 1: little less crazy. Maybe in a few years things will
Speaker 1: be different, but I am guessing that if you wanted
Speaker 1: five minutes, you could find them now. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the
Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p O D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i
Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out
Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.