WEBVTT - When you're too tired to read

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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 to think about how you might spend time

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<v Speaker 1>when you are too tired to read more. Mindless screen

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<v Speaker 1>time isn't the only option for filling low energy hours,

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<v Speaker 1>and a little preparation means you can spend those hours

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<v Speaker 1>in happier ways. We often start the day with good intentions.

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<v Speaker 1>Few of us would consciously declare that, given that I

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<v Speaker 1>only have a few hours of discretionary time each day,

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<v Speaker 1>I would like to spend the bulk of those hours

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<v Speaker 1>looking at sponsored posts on Instagram. But as the day

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<v Speaker 1>wins on, we run out of energy. Even if in

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<v Speaker 1>the abstract we would like to read in our spare time,

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<v Speaker 1>that can feel hard in the moment amid exhaustion or

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<v Speaker 1>irritation and all those end of day emotions. Before you

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<v Speaker 1>spend that hour before bed scrolling through tweets, though, think

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<v Speaker 1>about some other options. For instance, you might lower the

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<v Speaker 1>difficulty level of what you are reading. I like using

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<v Speaker 1>the Libby app to check out digital copies of magazines.

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<v Speaker 1>I can look at a few from my library without

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<v Speaker 1>adding clutter or expense. To my life. Some folks tell

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<v Speaker 1>me that switching to audiobooks later in the day has

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<v Speaker 1>been a game changer. Often our eyes can feel more

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<v Speaker 1>tired than our ears, so you might be to listen

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<v Speaker 1>to that book you've been reading, even if you keep

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<v Speaker 1>jumping away while trying to train your eyes on the words.

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<v Speaker 1>If you can listen to audio books, you can listen

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<v Speaker 1>to podcasts. Of course, try something funny or soothing to

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<v Speaker 1>help you wind down. I will even put in a

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<v Speaker 1>plug here for conscious TV watching. Just turning on the

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<v Speaker 1>TV to see what is there isn't a great use

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<v Speaker 1>of time. But if you have one particularly relaxing or

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyable show, and you know exactly how long it will

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<v Speaker 1>take and budget that time in before bed, that can

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<v Speaker 1>be better than the random surfing or scrolling that gets

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<v Speaker 1>people agitated or makes time feel wasted. I like relaxing

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<v Speaker 1>over a puzzle, but here's the thing, when I am

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<v Speaker 1>tired at night, it has to be the right kind

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<v Speaker 1>of puzzle. I recently decided not to finish a puzzle

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<v Speaker 1>version of Starry Night because Van Gogh's masterpiece has too

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<v Speaker 1>much blue and yellow in the sky in somewhat indistinguishable

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<v Speaker 1>combinations I switched over to a much more kitchy picture

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<v Speaker 1>of a wintry ski village, where you know immediately when

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<v Speaker 1>you look at a piece where it goes. Likewise, if

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<v Speaker 1>you have a hobby, see if you can find the

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<v Speaker 1>most brainless version of it. Maybe you like art, but

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<v Speaker 1>later at night you go for coloring one of those

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<v Speaker 1>whimsical coloring books. You have a complicated cross stitch pattern

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<v Speaker 1>you work on when you have lots of energy, but

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<v Speaker 1>at night you knit a scarf that is all one color.

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<v Speaker 1>That sort of thing. In any case, one reason we

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<v Speaker 1>pull out our phones, apart from anything addicting about them,

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<v Speaker 1>it's just that they are always there and always available.

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<v Speaker 1>When we have no energy, we don't need to go

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<v Speaker 1>looking for something to do. Whatever low energy activity of

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<v Speaker 1>choice you would like to engage in. See if you

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<v Speaker 1>can make it just as easy. Keep your coloring books

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<v Speaker 1>and colored pencils somewhere you can see them. Put that

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<v Speaker 1>knitting project right by your bed or wherever you relax

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<v Speaker 1>at night. Don't worry about it being clutter. Clutter as

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<v Speaker 1>things you don't use. You really want to use these things,

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<v Speaker 1>So make it easy, and even if you have very

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<v Speaker 1>little energy, you will be more inclined to make good

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<v Speaker 1>things happen? What do you do when you are too

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<v Speaker 1>tired to read? You can let me know at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura Vanderkam 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. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod that's b E the number four, then

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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