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 a micro hobby, something engaging
Speaker 1: and meaningful you can do when you have just a
Speaker 1: few minutes of free time. Choosing something wisely can really
Speaker 1: make life a lot more satisfying. It would be nice
Speaker 1: if we routinely had long chunks of free time that
Speaker 1: we could use for oil painting or playing the flute
Speaker 1: or woodworking. And if you do, good for you. I'd
Speaker 1: also argue that many of us can get a few
Speaker 1: extended stretches of high quality leisure time each week if
Speaker 1: we plan well. However, even with great planning, not all
Speaker 1: of our leisure time will appear in this form. Often
Speaker 1: we get just a few minutes of free time here
Speaker 1: and there. Picture yourself waiting for a conference called a
Speaker 1: start door, standing in line at the grocery store, idling
Speaker 1: in the carpool line, or waiting for your teapot to boil.
Speaker 1: In total, this can be quite a bit of time,
Speaker 1: but it is fragmented time confetti. As author Bridget Shulty
Speaker 1: once put it, It's easy to scroll through social media
Speaker 1: or check email in moments like these, and your phone
Speaker 1: is almost certainly nearby. Those activities are marginally entertaining, definitely absorbing,
Speaker 1: but they are not that rewarding, and curiously enough, your
Speaker 1: inbox will end up being just as full the next
Speaker 1: time you sit down at your computer, even if you
Speaker 1: do throw time at it now, So on some level,
Speaker 1: why bother? Instead, try to find something more rewarding to
Speaker 1: do with your micro leisure time. Find a micro hobby.
Speaker 1: A hobby is an activity done regularly in one's leisure
Speaker 1: time for pleasure. Ideally there is a bit of skill involved.
Speaker 1: It is not completely passive. A micro hobby is a
Speaker 1: hobby that can be enjoyed in little bits of time. So,
Speaker 1: for instance, you might try micro writing. Start a free
Speaker 1: writing file and then when you get a few minutes,
Speaker 1: aim to write fifty words, a hundred words or so.
Speaker 1: I have read whole books of micro memoirs, so you
Speaker 1: might be able to create something of real value in
Speaker 1: those little moments. Of course, you can also read things
Speaker 1: that other people have written. Poems are quick scripture versus too.
Speaker 1: Set yourself a goal to read through some chunk of
Speaker 1: a sacred text and bits and pieces. You could even
Speaker 1: aim to memorize versus or poems as your micro hobby.
Speaker 1: Having these phrases floating around in your brain can definitely
Speaker 1: elevate your thoughts. If you enjoy art, sketching can make
Speaker 1: a great micro hobby. No need to use charcoal, drawing
Speaker 1: pencils or special papers unless you really want to, just
Speaker 1: use whatever pen or pencil and paper you have on hand.
Speaker 1: Some of my favorite art exhibits have included artists sketches
Speaker 1: on scraps of paper. I love getting the behind the
Speaker 1: scenes view of the idea for a painting as it emerges.
Speaker 1: Sketching will help you strengthen your drawing skills and perhaps
Speaker 1: get ideas for a more polished painting or drawing, and
Speaker 1: it will prompt you to truly look and pay attention
Speaker 1: to your surroundings. Taking photographs can do that too. If
Speaker 1: you are parked somewhere waiting, get out look at the
Speaker 1: plants and shadows and shapes of the world. An experiment
Speaker 1: with taking photos from different angles with our phones. You
Speaker 1: can just delete anything that doesn't work out. There is
Speaker 1: no downside to learning through trial and error. Another option
Speaker 1: for micro leisure is to use an app like dual
Speaker 1: Link Go to learn a language. You can complete a
Speaker 1: lesson or practice session in just a few minutes. See
Speaker 1: how long you can get a streak going. You'll get
Speaker 1: your brain working in new ways, which you can do
Speaker 1: with crossword puzzles as a micro hobby as well. Now,
Speaker 1: of course, your hobby doesn't actually need to be totally
Speaker 1: self contained in these bits of time. One of the
Speaker 1: most rewarding choices for micro leisure is to augment the
Speaker 1: more extended time you spend on a hobby at other points.
Speaker 1: So for instance, if you play an instrument, but you
Speaker 1: can't exactly practice your instrument while sitting in line at school,
Speaker 1: pickup watch videos of or listen to other people performing
Speaker 1: the songs you are practicing. How have six different musicians
Speaker 1: interpreted that piano solo you are learning. If you are
Speaker 1: a gardener, use these bits of time to watch tutorials
Speaker 1: or read articles with tips on plant care or garden design.
Speaker 1: If you are going to go on social media, well
Speaker 1: go with a purpose. If your hobby is building dollhouse
Speaker 1: furniture and so you have an Instagram account that is
Speaker 1: completely devoted to miniature as well, that would be a
Speaker 1: good idea. The possibilities for micro hobbies are endless. The
Speaker 1: point is to use your time in a way that
Speaker 1: is meaningful, rather than counting a few minutes here and
Speaker 1: there is worthless and blowing them off on mindless scrolling.
Speaker 1: A lot of fun can be had in tiny moments.
Speaker 1: You just need to figure out how. If you have
Speaker 1: micro hobbies you enjoy, I'd love to hear about them.
Speaker 1: You can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkan dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.