1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 1: tip is to focus your leisure time. If you have 4 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: something you like to do for fun, you will find 5 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: life more satisfying if you go deep, committing enough time 6 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: and resources to make your fun as meaningful as possible. 7 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: Today's tip, like some others this week, comes from my 8 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: book One hundred sixty eight Hours. That book was first 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: published in late May of twenty ten, which means that 10 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: it is fifteen years old this month. A lot has 11 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: changed in the world since then, but we do, in 12 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: fact still have one hundred sixty eight hours in a week, 13 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: and so I am revisiting some of the tips in 14 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: that book that I think can still be helpful. One 15 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: of these is to focus your leisure time. In one 16 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty eight Hours, I tell the tale of 17 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 1: a man with a corporate job who got into writing 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: country music. He enjoyed it, but rather than just dabbling 19 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: it a bit here and there, he decided to commit 20 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: the time to really get into it. He took voice lessons, 21 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: he hired a music producer to help him hone his 22 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: ideas into more singable songs, and then he recorded them 23 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: and sold his album online, with some tracks getting a 24 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: bit of local airplay. Now, he was not exactly going 25 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: to quit his job to attempt to become the next 26 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: George Strait, but having a real project of creating a 27 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: not terrible country music album gave his leisure time more 28 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:02,639 Speaker 1: direction and therefore made it more meaning. This is certainly 29 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: something I have tried to do over the last few years. 30 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: I love to sing, but I know that if I 31 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: just tell myself I'm going to sing when I can, 32 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: it probably won't happen. So instead, I now sing in 33 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: two choirs. The weekly rehearsals and performances mean I learn 34 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: a lot of new works and I improve more swiftly 35 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: than I would otherwise. Plus it's really fun to be 36 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: part of a musical community, two musical communities. It gives 37 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: my leisure time more focus. As my kids get a 38 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: little older and I start to have more space in 39 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: my life and in my schedule, I am taking that 40 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: approach to other hobbies too. I love miniatures, so now 41 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: I am creating miniature scenes in my office. I signed 42 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: up for a webinar on the Thorn Rooms, and I 43 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: have a date on my calendar to attend the Philadelphia 44 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: Miniature Show in the fall. I've also talked to some 45 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: people in the field to get the names of artisans 46 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: to follow and some of the good places to shop. 47 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: I want to get really into this. What about you? 48 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: How could you focus your leisure time going all in 49 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: to make this time more meaningful. You could decide to 50 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: just play an instrument here and there, but my guess 51 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: is that you will have more fun joining or starting 52 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: a string quartette with some other musicians, or playing in 53 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: the pit for a local musical theater troupe. You could 54 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: decide to do some watercolor work at night when you can, 55 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: or you could sign up for classes at a local 56 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: arts studio, plus go to the open studio hours every weekend, 57 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: and commit to exhibiting a few works at a student 58 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: show in a few months. My guess is you will 59 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: do more painting in the latter case, and you will 60 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: probably have more fun too. If you have listened to 61 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast for a while, you have heard me say 62 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: over and over again that leisure time is too precious 63 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: to be totally leisurely about leisure. This time deserves to 64 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: be taken seriously, but beyond that, When you go all 65 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: in and commit enough time and resources to make a 66 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 1: hobby meaningful, you change your story. We often tell ourselves 67 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: that we have no time. But if you are going 68 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: to a quilting bee twice a week, traveling around to 69 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: quilting shows, and exhibiting your own work at a local 70 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: community center too, well, you can't be starved for time 71 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: because you are doing all these things, and that can 72 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,559 Speaker 1: motivate you to take a more expansive attitude toward time. 73 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 1: In general, you have time to do big and important 74 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: things when we are intentional. That is the message we 75 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: send ourselves in the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening, 76 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks 77 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 78 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 79 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 80 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 81 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.