1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to try car schooling, that is, designing 4 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: a curriculum to help you become an expert in a 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: topic or just a more interesting person while you're getting 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: to work. Despite the frequent news about the rise of 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: bicycle commuting or new public transportation or work from home options, 8 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,879 Speaker 1: the vast majority of people still drive themselves to and 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: from work. The average commute in the US has about 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: twenty seven minutes each way, though this varies by location. 11 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 1: A half hour commute isn't a huge chunk of time 12 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: by itself, but the issue is that people do it 13 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: over and over again about ten times per week, adding 14 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: up to approximately five hours. This five hour chunk of 15 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: time is incredibly easy to waste, and few people like 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: to waste time. One of the reasons podcasts have become 17 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: so popular is that you can listen to something interesting 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: during time you're basically doing nothing else. Of consequence, podcasts 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: are certainly a great option, and so is commuting with 20 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: a friend or colleague to turn this into social time. 21 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: But if you do have a reasonable commute, and you 22 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: have big goals. One of the best options for these 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: five hours is to turn them into learning time. It's 24 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: like homeschooling on the road, or to use a better word, 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: car schooling. There are lots of options for learning with 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: some intention. Audio books are great. If you like listening 27 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: to me, you could go listen to some of my books, 28 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: such as Off the Clock and Juliette's School of Possibilities. 29 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: But there are so many options out there. Google Modern, 30 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: Mrs Darcy dot com and fifteen terrific audio books you 31 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: can listen to in six ish hours or much less. 32 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: For some recommendations of really short books to ease you 33 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: into the process and then start reading. That is, listening 34 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: to audio of books with a theme. For instance, you 35 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: could listen to a slew of books on the Civil War, 36 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: Team of Rivals, Battle Cry of Freedom, the personal memoirs 37 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: of Ulysses S. Grant. In any case, studying any topic 38 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: in depth will help you see things that you didn't before. 39 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: You can also study topics that naturally lend themselves to listening. 40 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: Many years ago, I had a job that involved a 41 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: lot of filing and copying. My manager was fine with 42 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: me listening to music while I worked, so I wound 43 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: up borrowing CDs from the library with performances of a 44 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: great many of the works of Shakespeare. Listening to these 45 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: plays was a lot more accessible than reading the old English, 46 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: and I learned a lot about the structure of comedies 47 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,519 Speaker 1: and tragedies. Someone driving to work could likewise listen to 48 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: all Shakespeare's plays, or say all of beethoven symphonies or 49 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: Wagner's operas. You might listen to lectures from an opera 50 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: scholar and then listen to those operas again to see 51 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: what you pick up on. Or you could just start 52 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: with the lectures if you find yourself missing college, or 53 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: you can get to take all the classes he wanted 54 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: back in your student days. You can car school by 55 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: listening to lectures from some of the greatest professors out 56 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: there over at the Great Courses. For instance, you can 57 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: get the audio of Professor John mcquarter teaching the story 58 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: of the human language without anything approaching the Columbia University 59 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,519 Speaker 1: price tag. CAR time can also be great for learning 60 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: a language. You can repeat phrases as necessary because no 61 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: one can hear you. When it comes to language. Putting 62 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: in the practice time really pays off. And a commute 63 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: can mean a lot of time. Study Spanish for five 64 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: hours a week in the car fifty weeks a year, 65 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: and you'll be speaking it pretty decently in two years 66 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: or so. I think of it this way, one way 67 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: or another. The next two years are going to pass 68 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: one way or another. You will be spending those five 69 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: hours in the car getting to and from your job. 70 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: You could speak Spanish at the end of it, or 71 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: you could not. My guess is that at the end 72 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: of two years you'll be happy you put in the time. 73 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: Given how easy and how fruitful car schooling can be, 74 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: you may be wondering why more people don't use this 75 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: time for self improvement. I think the answer is that 76 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: because commutes are boring and often unpleasant, we tend to 77 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: just not think about them. We view them as a 78 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: necessary part of the day that we're just trying to 79 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: get over with, so we do whatever is easiest. This 80 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: is the reason that shock jocks still exists. I mean, 81 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: you really don't have to think about it other than 82 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: turning on the radio, But wouldn't you rather speak Spanish 83 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: than listen to yet another stunt? The key is planning ahead. 84 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: At some point before each week and long time Before 85 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: Breakfast listeners know that my recommendation is going to be 86 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: Friday afternoon. Think through what you're going to listen to 87 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: during the next week's commutes. Map out each day based 88 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: on the time you have in the car. Then figure 89 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: out anything you need to do logistically, down loading audiobooks, 90 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: purchasing lectures, whatever it is. You're not going to wake 91 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: up Monday morning hunting for something to listen to. You'll 92 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: just trudge out to the car with your travel mug 93 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 1: of coffee and then kick yourself when you've got nothing 94 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: to fill the time. So do your future self a 95 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: favor and make this more automatic, and you will very 96 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: quickly become a much more interesting person. What have you 97 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,600 Speaker 1: learned while driving to work? Let me know at Before 98 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media dot com. In the meantime, 99 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 100 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 101 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 102 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 103 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the 104 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: number four. Then Breakfast p O d you and also 105 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at before Breakfast podcast at i 106 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out 107 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 108 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 109 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 110 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 111 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.