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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to ask yourself whether your routines are routine.
If they are not figure out, why not and adjust as needed, or at least update your perception of your life?
I often hear from listeners about their struggles with time management.
Recently, one person said she wanted her routines to actually be routine.
I get that.
So many people have visions of their routines, but a little time tracking reveals that the Sometimes people construct whole narratives about their lives based on routines that are not actually routine.
I've written a lot about morning routines over the years and I eventually started asking people how often their beautiful routines actually happened.
Sometimes it was every day, but often it wasn't, even if the person would have told you the routine was a daily thing.
This can go in the other direction too, by the way.
A person can construct a woe-is-me narrative of always spending their Saturdays on chores and then I get a time log with a Saturday spent with friends and the person tells me this never happens.
Except it did.
I'm sure you have some of these routines that are not actually routine in your life.
You theoretically run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before work.
But the last time this happened was a couple of weeks ago.
Or maybe your weekly meal prep routine involves planning the menu, grocery shopping and chopping veggies on Sunday afternoons.
But that only happens when you don't have anything else to do on Sundays, and you almost always do have other plans.
You call your grandmother every Sunday on the way home from church, except for those Sundays when you don't go to church, which turns out to be most of them.
If you realize that some of your routines aren't routine, this doesn't need to be a gotcha moment.
I think it is simply interesting data about your life and your interests and your priorities.
It might be helpful to figure out why the routine isn't routine.
It could be that you don't truly care about the routine.
You may feel like other people meal plan, so you decide that you too should develop a Sunday meal planning routine.
But the truth is that your family likes simple meals and you can get home at 530 and easily get dinner on the table by 6.
You like to do other stuff on the weekends.
If that is the case, then feel free to let this routine go.
Or perhaps your routines aren't aligned with your priorities.
You might think it would be wise to aim for a routine of unloading the dishwasher and starting a load of laundry while your kids are eating breakfast before school.
But your top priority is being present and connected with your kids.
You may find that you consistently sit down to have a more connected conversation.
I don't think that's actually a problem.
Instead, figure out some other time when you can unload the dishwasher and start the laundry.
Sometimes the problem is that the routine is too ambitious.
You may be trying to fit more into some part of your day than can actually fit, which is why the routine isn't routine.
Perhaps you can pare down your routine to what is most important.
If you don't have time to write a full three morning pages in your journal in the morning, you could elect to just write a paragraph.
And perhaps you would find that more sustainable.
If your routines aren't routine, that is fine.
Some things don't deserve to be routine.
Sometimes routines can be simpler.
Sometimes you just need to change your story.
But it is good to be aware so we can make rational choices about life, rather than thinking something should happen more often or thinking that it does happen more often than it actually does.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
A new year doesn't ask us to become someone new.
It invites us back home to ourselves.
I'm Mike Della Rocha, host of Sacred Lessons, a space for men to pause, reflect, and heal.
This year we're talking honestly about mental health relationships and the patterns we're ready to release.
If you're looking for clarity, connection and healthier ways to show up in your life, Sacred Lessons is here for you.
Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delaroche on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is Dr. Jesse Mills, host of the Mailroom Podcast.
Each January, men promise to get stronger, work harder, and fix what's broken.
But what if the real work isn't physical at all?
I sat down with psychologist Dr. Steve Poulter to unpack shame, anxiety, and the emotional pain men were never taught how to name.
Part of the way through the valley of despair is realizing this has happened and you have to make a choice whether you're going to stay in it or move forward.
Our two-part conversation is available now.
Listen to The Mailroom on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite shows.
This is an iHeart Podcast.
Guaranteed human.
