1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to ramp up the amount of time 4 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: you spend on something that matters to you. Add one 5 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: more hour. You will become better at just about anything 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: by doing more of it. Not perfect by any means, 7 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:39,840 Speaker 1: but better, and in many cases the improvement won't be small. 8 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: So when I first started blogging many years ago, it 9 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: wasn't always easy to come up with an idea and 10 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: write a few hundred words about it in a short 11 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: period of time. But I kept doing it. I kept 12 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: doing a lot of it. Instead of doing the bare 13 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: minimum one to two posts per week that people suggested 14 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: at the time, I spent another hour or so per 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: week on it and posted about four times per week. Then, 16 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: at some point a few years later, I took a 17 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: gig that involved writing quick pieces about newsy topics. I 18 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: was amazed at how quickly I could crank out a 19 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: few hundred words. It seems that writing two hundred five 20 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: hundred word posts per year makes it easy to write 21 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: five hundred words on command. Seems straightforward, right, And yet 22 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: much of the time when we are trying to get 23 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: better at something, we overlook an obvious tactic, which is 24 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: to start doing more of whatever it is we are 25 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: aiming to improve at. Even just an extra hour a 26 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: week can make a big difference. If you are a 27 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: normal speed runner and you want to be a faster runner, 28 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: there are various types of speed work you can do, 29 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: and probably some strength training and such that will help. 30 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: But if you were running fifteen miles a week and 31 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 1: you work up to running twenty one miles a week 32 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 1: by running six more ten minute miles, so that's another hour, 33 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: you will probably start to get faster just through sheer repetition. 34 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: Your body will figure out ways to move more efficiently, 35 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: and your aerobic capacity will increase. I would like to 36 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: improve as a singer. I have thought about taking voice lessons, 37 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: and I know that would be helpful because I've done 38 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: it in the past. But I have also realized that 39 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: if I practice various vocal exercises and breathing exercises and 40 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: simple songs for another hour each week beyond my choir practices, 41 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: that will help too. I can add an extra hour 42 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: of practice. Whether I find the right teacher and work 43 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 1: that into my schedule or not. Now, none of this 44 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: is meant to diminish the importance of smart practice or 45 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: seeking the advice of professionals. But volume itself is a 46 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: pretty efficient teacher, and given that most of us aren't 47 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: devoting forty hours a week to our various hobbies or 48 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: even to the professional skills we'd like to improve at, 49 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: an extra hour can be a lot. One hour out 50 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: of the eight hours we all have each week isn't much, 51 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: but spending an extra hour each week learning a foreign 52 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: language would get you to fluency much faster. Spending an 53 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: hour a week speaking in front of people would make 54 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: you a good public speaker pretty quickly. O Spending an 55 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: extra hour practicing a musical instrument would likewise make learning 56 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: difficult music feel far more doable. We often have grand 57 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: designs for getting better at things, and those are fine, 58 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: but if it is taking a long time to bring 59 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: those plans to fruition, start with just adding an hour 60 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: to your schedule. See how it goes. My guess is 61 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: that the improvements won't be small, and that just might 62 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: motivate you to take the next step. In the meantime, 63 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:47,239 Speaker 1: this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making 64 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to 65 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your 66 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: question sins, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 67 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the 68 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: number four, then breakfast p o D. You can also 69 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at i 70 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out 71 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look 72 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:30,799 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 73 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 74 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 75 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.