Daydreaming is productive

Thinking of the future helps shape the present

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to spend some time purposefully imagining happy
future activities. It's easy to spend time worrying, but daydreaming

(00:23):
is a more productive use of time. If you're like
a lot of people my age, as a teenager, you
may have spent hours poring over those thick, glossy brochures
that college is sent in the mail. I remember imagining
myself on various grassy quads, always engaged in deep conversations.
My life could go in so many directions. I imagine

(00:45):
during my babysitting years what my own family would look like.
I imagine the book side right. Does life look exactly
like I thought it would? Well, of course not. But
picturing a positive future gave me something to look forward to.
And it turns out that daydreaming hits the spot now too,
Even though I have a lot less of life to
go than I did in tenth grade. Some things are

(01:08):
less in the realm of possibility, but some things still are.
I'm picturing the trips I'll take when travel restrictions are
lifted and I'm picturing the quiet in my house during
the day when my kids are all back in school.
If life happens to feel challenging in a moment, daydreaming
raises the possibility of enjoyment. So today, if you find

(01:30):
yourself daydreaming, embrace it. If you find yourself sitting in
your backyard and thinking about how much you'd like to
have a garden, well really indulge this thought. Get out
a sketch pad and a tape measure and draw what
your garden would look like. Peruse a coffee table home
design book and dream up ways of redecorating your home.

(01:50):
You could plan guest lists and try out recipes for
casual get togethers you'd like to host some day. Or
maybe you want to plan a dream vacation. Get a
Lonely Planet ey'd for your favorite destination and go online
to read about sites you'd like to see. If there's
a restaurant you're dying to try or to return to
after so long away, view the menu online and imagine

(02:11):
what you'll order. You might consider who will accompany you,
and even what you'll wear. Dreaming about our futures takes
us out of the sometimes disappointing present. It also nudges
us to start planning, which makes it more possible to
put these dreams into action. And here's a little secret.
There's some research finding that anticipation accounts for the lion's

(02:33):
share of the happiness associated with any event. The dream
vacation will be great, but at some point during it,
you'll be jet lagged, you'll desperately need a restroom in
a museum without one, and you won't be able to
understand the conductor on your train so you'll miss your stop.
Day dreams feature none of this, so we may as

(02:53):
well enjoy these rare spots of perfect blitz in the meantime.
This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

(03:14):
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media
dot com That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying

(03:37):
in touch Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.
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