Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is that you probably don't need more time in
Speaker 1: order to do the things you want to do. Instead
Speaker 1: of looking for more time, change up how you're spending
Speaker 1: your time Now you might be surprised at what can fit. So.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is inspired by the fact that this episode
Speaker 1: is first airing on leap Day. Every four years, we
Speaker 1: get an extra day in the calendar in order to
Speaker 1: make the calendar match up more closely with the Earth's
Speaker 1: trip around the Sun. Six hours a year may not
Speaker 1: seem like much, but in one hundred years, that is
Speaker 1: twenty five days, and in four hundred years the seasons
Speaker 1: would be completely shift. Did so smart move calendar authorities
Speaker 1: In any case, every four years. After I pause to
Speaker 1: note this astronomical wisdom, I also have a different thought,
Speaker 1: which is that I have lost track of how many
Speaker 1: folks have expressed the wish for more time if only
Speaker 1: I had an extra hour in the day. Well, if
Speaker 1: you are awake for sixteen hours on leap Day, that
Speaker 1: is the equivalent of scoring an extra hour in the
Speaker 1: day for more than half of a month. Your wish
Speaker 1: is granted for a little over two weeks. But do
Speaker 1: people do anything amazing with late February or early March
Speaker 1: as a result, As you have probably ascertained looking at
Speaker 1: yourself and everyone around you, the answer is no. We
Speaker 1: just fold the day into our usual routines and fill
Speaker 1: it with the usual stuff, do what we have to do.
Speaker 1: What people mean when they say they wish they had
Speaker 1: an extra hour in the day is an extra hour
Speaker 1: that is both discretionary, no boss, no family responsibilities, and
Speaker 1: that involves a high level of energy and, to be honest,
Speaker 1: shows us at our best. During that extra hour in
Speaker 1: the day. We are not going to watch videos on
Speaker 1: TikTok oh no. During that hour, we are reading quality literature,
Speaker 1: or writing a novel, or meditating, or completing those personal
Speaker 1: projects that we keep claiming we really want to do.
Speaker 1: I am not sure I could make anyone be their
Speaker 1: best self, but if you do want more discretionary time,
Speaker 1: then there are probably ways to get it. If you
Speaker 1: have some paid time off at work, or even unpaid time.
Speaker 1: If you've got savings, then maybe you can build that
Speaker 1: into your work calendar and spend a day while the
Speaker 1: kids are at school doing whatever you want. If you
Speaker 1: spend a lot of your non work time on only responsibilities,
Speaker 1: then maybe you can take a little break from this.
Speaker 1: On occasion, trade off a Saturday each month with your
Speaker 1: partner so each of you gets a full day for
Speaker 1: solar pursuits, or swap with a friend or relative to
Speaker 1: achieve the same thing, or maybe the time could appear
Speaker 1: other places these days. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, my
Speaker 1: big kids are out of the house with my husband
Speaker 1: around seven o'clock. My little guys often aren't up until
Speaker 1: close to eight. I could use this time to work,
Speaker 1: but often I don't. I sit with my coffee and
Speaker 1: enjoy looking out the window during this quiet morning time.
Speaker 1: I read what I feel like reading. None of this
Speaker 1: requires extra time. It requires using the time that we have.
Speaker 1: Getting an extra day in the year does not by
Speaker 1: itself change much For most people. Time is about choices,
Speaker 1: So if you'd like to spend time differently, figure that
Speaker 1: out and make it happen. In the meantime. This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to before breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback. You can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.