This is an iHeart Podcast.
Hey, listeners.
Today's tip is powered by National University.
As a listener of Before Breakfast, you know my goal is to help you make the most of your day without sacrificing work or family time.
That's why I'm so happy to introduce an institution that shares the same values.
If you are thinking about going back to school, you're probably wondering how to fit it all in.
National's flexible online formats, four- and eight-week courses and monthly class starts help you begin your degree sooner, finish faster and do it all on your own schedule.
So you have more options for managing work, family, and school.
With over 150 degrees, credentials and certificates to choose from, they have a program that fits your career goals.
Learn more today at nu.edu.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to go on a lunchtime adventure.
Particularly as it starts getting darker earlier adventures might be harder to have after work than say, during the summer.
But if you have a little bit of autonomous time in the middle of the day, you might be able to use it for all kinds of interesting things.
So in some kinds of jobs, breaks are formalized.
In many others, they aren't.
But most people take some breaks if for no other reason than that people need to use the restroom or procure things to eat.
Handled right, breaks can make you more energized for the work ahead.
So there are big productivity breakthroughs to be had by taking breaks intentionally and actively choosing activities for those breaks that boost mood and energy levels.
If you aren't taking regular lunch breaks, commit this week to doing so.
Then, once you are regularly stepping away from your workspace for at least a few minutes in the middle of the day, see if you can increase the fun factor by going on at least one lunchtime adventure a week.
A lunchtime adventure is obviously going to be short.
Most people aren't going to take more than 30 to 45 minutes or so away from their desks.
But if you have your food ready to go, then you don't need to spend time standing in line to buy it and you can do something else with these minutes.
Perhaps you can do something really interesting.
It's worth a shot.
Doing so could make a random workday far more memorable.
So, wherever you work, look around at places you could get to in a very short walk or, if it's that sort of place, a quick drive.
Make a list of potential options.
Maybe there are some interesting stores a few blocks away that would be fun to peruse.
Maybe there's an indoor garden in the lobby of a nearby office building.
Maybe there are a few food trucks parked in a parking lot.
That's a three-minute drive from your office.
If you hauled yourself over there, you'd get something more interesting than your cafeteria fare.
Maybe there's a trail nearby you can walk.
Maybe there's an actual destination, like a museum.
Most people won't go to a history museum for just 20 minutes.
But if you get a membership, you could come back once every week or so and see a lot of it.
If you have more control of your time, then there are lots of other options.
One of my favorite lunchtime adventures is to go over to Chanticleer, a botanical garden that is about a 20-minute drive from my house.
I have to plan this out since I'm usually gone about an hour and 15 minutes on days I do that.
But once every two to three weeks during the spring, summer and fall is good for seeing something beautiful.
If I check the traffic sometimes, it's only about 20 minutes to the Philadelphia Art Museum in the middle of the day.
If I go for less than an hour, my parking is free.
I can't do that every day, but can I do it once a month?
Absolutely.
The point here is to shift a few mindsets.
First, there is the story that you can't do anything that is not work during work hours.
The truth is that people do things that aren't work during work hours all the time.
We eat, we go to the bathroom.
Often people read headlines or answer texts that are not required for their work.
The breakthrough is to decide that, since there is going to be time spent not working during work hours, it's best to use this time intentionally to rejuvenate.
This actually allows you to get more done.
Here's another mindset shift.
You can do something occasionally and have it be a fun part of your life without trying to do things every day.
Will you go on a lunchtime adventure daily?
Probably not.
If you look at your schedule, could you try to do something fun and interesting at lunch once a week?
You probably can.
These things are not either or.
And finally, I think a lot of us are walking around with the story that we can't do things, so we don't do things.
But what if you told yourself the story that you could get outside and see the fall color and see the sunshine in the middle of the day?
Probably at least one day during the next week or two, you'll be just puttering around during a 30-minute chunk in the middle of your workday.
Probably one day in the next week or two, you could make something interesting happen.
And then you have an entirely different story.
I am not starved for time.
I am not put upon.
I am the kind of person who can go browse that cool comic book shop in the middle of the workday.
It opens up all sorts of possibilities.
So look at your schedule.
Look at when you take breaks.
Think about what sort of lunchtime adventures might be possible for you.
Choose a day over the next week to try one.
Choose a backup slot in case the first time is taken away from you.
I'm guessing if you do all that, you can make it happen.
And that workday won't be forgotten.
We don't ask, where did the time go?
When we remember where the time went.
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 lauravanderkam.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.
Today's tip is powered by National University.
As a listener of Before Breakfast, you know my goal is to help you make the most of your day without sacrificing work or family time.
That's why I'm so happy to introduce an institution that shares the same values.
If you are thinking about going back to school, you're probably wondering how to fit it all in.
National's flexible online formats, four- and eight-week courses and monthly class starts help you begin your degree sooner, finish faster and do it all on your own schedule.
So you have more options for managing work, family, and school.
With over 150 degrees, credentials and certificates to choose from, they have a program that fits your career goals.
Learn more today at nu.edu.
Hey, listeners.
The biggest day in cleaning is here. eCloth Day, November 7th through 10th.
Get 30% off site-wide and experience a clean you can see with just water.
No sprays, no added chemicals, no refills, just results.
Each cloth lasts for years, saving you money long after the sale ends.
Don't miss out. eCloth Day is only available at e-cloth.com.
Are you ready to upgrade your cleaning?
Save now at e-cloth.com. eCloth.
Real cleaning.
This is an iHeart Podcast.
