Never waste a transition

Any fresh start is a chance to rethink routines

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good Morning.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to never waste a transition. When there is
a change happening in your life, consider whether there are
any other changes you'd like.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
To bundle with it. So I heard this story about
advice given to a couple preparing for marriage. They were
anticipating several moves in the early years of their life together.
Rather than wasting these transitions, they were advised to be
intentional about how they wanted to shape their life together

(00:53):
by reflecting on their norms and routines with each move.
I think that is great advice, not just for newlyweds,
but in lots of contexts. Transitions create fresh starts, and
that makes it easier to start new habits. For instance,

(01:14):
the start of a new school year or the first
day of a new job can both be great times
to take on a new morning routine. Maybe you're getting
up at a different time now and the morning is
already ordered differently, so it might not be quite so
strange to add five minutes of yoga to the mix.
Transitions also create natural opportunities for ending routines or breaking

(01:38):
habits that aren't serving you any more. Maybe a weekly
coffee shop date with your aunt was life giving when
your daughter was a new born, but feels stressful now
that your daughter is an active toddler. If you're moving
to a new apartment in a different neighborhood, this could
be a natural time to find a new way to

(02:00):
connect with your aunt. Or perhaps this snooze button has
been an ingrained habit for years, even if you know
it doesn't do you much good. The transition to a
new job, with its new morning routines could create a
great occasion to swear off the snooze button too. In
addition to being great times to start, stop, or change habits,

(02:25):
transitions create ideal occasions for reflection. What do you want
your life to be like? What are your hopes and goals?
Maybe when you start going into an office three days
a week, you become more intentional about taking breaks with
colleagues in order to build in social time because you

(02:46):
have reflected on the importance of professional relationships. The truth is,
transitions don't even need to be huge to nudge some
sort of changes. If you buy a new kitchen tape
that can be a reason to rethink your family dinner routine.

(03:07):
So try to recognize any sort of transition when it
is happening, then decide not to waste it. Anything can
be an occasion for building good habits or changing something
that isn't working. Making the most of transitions can help
us build the lives we want In the meantime, This

(03:32):
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our times. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(04:02):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.