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 that when you have decided to do something,
Speaker 1: invite a friend to join you. That way, you'll get
Speaker 1: more social time without adding another commitment to your calendar.
Speaker 1: I hear from lots of people that they wish they
Speaker 1: spent more time with friends. This sentiment is especially common
Speaker 1: among thirty and forty somethings with demanding jobs, active families,
Speaker 1: or both. And it makes sense. We have to do
Speaker 1: our jobs, and we have to take care of our kids.
Speaker 1: Sometimes we even manage to see our spouses or exercise
Speaker 1: to maintain some semblance of health. But friendships are the
Speaker 1: easiest thing to let drop. And that's too bad, because
Speaker 1: friendships can make life a lot more fun. When it
Speaker 1: comes to friends, the game is all about frequency. The
Speaker 1: more contact, the more close you will feel. So one
Speaker 1: of the easiest ways to increase frequency without adding more
Speaker 1: to your calendar is to add friends to any plans
Speaker 1: you already have. For instance, if you wanted to take
Speaker 1: your daughter to see a ballet performance, invite a friend
Speaker 1: who has a kid the same age to join you.
Speaker 1: Your kids can enjoy the show, and you'll get some
Speaker 1: social time. If you plan to go shop for a
Speaker 1: new work outfit at a boutique that just opened, invite
Speaker 1: a friend who also has a similar job to join you.
Speaker 1: Maybe that person will find something stunning, but even if not,
Speaker 1: you'll get some catch up time while you brows. Going
Speaker 1: to watch your son's play, you and your partner could
Speaker 1: arranged to sit with the parents of another cast member
Speaker 1: so you can chat during scene changes. These might take
Speaker 1: a little bit longer than those on Broadway, so perhaps
Speaker 1: you'll have some time even for mundane tasks. Taking along
Speaker 1: a friend can add fun. This is especially true if
Speaker 1: there's a lot of driving or waiting involved. If you
Speaker 1: live in a remote area, perhaps you and a neighbor
Speaker 1: could coordinate your monthly trips to the Big Buck store
Speaker 1: that's an hour away. Even if you split up when
Speaker 1: you arrive to work your way through your individual shopping
Speaker 1: lists efficiently, you can talk without interruption during the travel time. Likewise,
Speaker 1: if you and a friend both want to go to
Speaker 1: an outlet mall or the ikea half an hour away,
Speaker 1: riding together can add social time without adding yet another
Speaker 1: commitment to your calendar. Plus, you will save on gas.
Speaker 1: Long time listeners know that I advocate planning your up
Speaker 1: coming weeks on Fridays. So this Friday, as you are
Speaker 1: reviewing the week ahead, see whether there is anything on
Speaker 1: your calendar that would lend itself to taking a friend along.
Speaker 1: Are you doing anything fun that a friend could join
Speaker 1: in on, or is there anything necessary that might be
Speaker 1: more enjoyable with a friend you've been dying to see.
Speaker 1: If you're planning on doing something with your family, would
Speaker 1: it makes sense to invite another family. If your family
Speaker 1: adventure for the weekend is trying a new playground, it
Speaker 1: is very easy to text a few other families that
Speaker 1: you will be there and invite them to stop by.
Speaker 1: There is zero commitment or fuss, but you just might
Speaker 1: increase the frequency. Adding a friend or two to an
Speaker 1: activity you are planning to do builds in more time
Speaker 1: with people you care about without adding another event to
Speaker 1: your calendar. And that sounds like pretty magical addition to me.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our task. 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 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: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple
Speaker 1: podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yeahmhm,