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 a reminder that the day isn't over after dinner.
Speaker 1: Remembering this can help you find a fair amount of
Speaker 1: time even in what feels like a really busy life.
Speaker 1: So I know many people's mornings are a frantic dash
Speaker 1: to get everyone out the door. The workday is go, go, go,
Speaker 1: and then everyone needs to be collected. Afterwards there might
Speaker 1: be activities, and getting everyone fed can be its own
Speaker 1: daily struggle. You clean up the kitchen after dinner and
Speaker 1: finally think, phew, we are done. And certainly most people
Speaker 1: don't have a ton of energy by the late evening.
Speaker 1: But the day isn't over after dinner. There might still
Speaker 1: be several hours left. For instance, if you are done
Speaker 1: with dinner and clean up by seven thirty pm and
Speaker 1: you go to bed at ten thirty pm, that is
Speaker 1: three hours. You probably don't view the nine am to
Speaker 1: noon shift at work as not existing or as being
Speaker 1: too small to use. That time after dinner is the
Speaker 1: exact same amount, even if you are getting kids to
Speaker 1: bed and aren't done with that until let's say eight thirty,
Speaker 1: there are two hours until ten thirty. If you are
Speaker 1: awake for sixteen hours a day, then two hours is
Speaker 1: one eighth of that, or twelve and a half percent.
Speaker 1: If you work eight hours, then two hours is a
Speaker 1: full twenty five percent of your non working time, and
Speaker 1: it might be the bulk of your actual weekday discretionary time.
Speaker 1: If you think of the day as being done after dinner,
Speaker 1: and you won't think about this discretionary time. But if
Speaker 1: you remind yourself that the day isn't done after dinner,
Speaker 1: you might think about what you'd like to do with it,
Speaker 1: and that opens up a lot of possibility. Now, to
Speaker 1: be sure, most people have very limited energy after dinner.
Speaker 1: There are certainly higher energy options for this time, like
Speaker 1: joining a pickleball league or going to the gym, or
Speaker 1: singing in a choir or volunteering somewhere. But if all
Speaker 1: of that sounds like it isn't going to happen, you
Speaker 1: can still figure out some lower energy intentions. Deciding you'd
Speaker 1: like to read for thirty minutes is great. Deciding you'd
Speaker 1: like to do a twenty minute yoga video is also amazing.
Speaker 1: Calling a friend is good, as is doing a puzzle
Speaker 1: or working on another hobby. As I often say on
Speaker 1: this show, leisure time is too precious to be totally
Speaker 1: leisurely about leisure. When you remind yourself that the day
Speaker 1: isn't over after dinner, then you can take advantage of
Speaker 1: more potential leisure time. If you don't think about this time,
Speaker 1: it won't happen. But a little intentionality makes more enjoyment
Speaker 1: possible in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,
Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.