Know what you're into

List what you enjoy to make your leisure time better

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to know what you're into. Reminding yourself what
you find intrinsically enjoyable is the key to spending leisure

(00:27):
time better. So every kid I have met could reel
off dozens of things that they are into, playing Minecraft,
earning Girl Scout badges, doing gymnastics, playing with Golden Retrievers,
listening to Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter, and so forth.
But somehow, as we take on adult responsibilities, it can

(00:50):
be easy to lose sight of what we are into
and focus only on what we are committed to. Now,
don't get me wrong, focusing on our commitments is good,
but that doesn't have to mean giving up on our interests.

(01:10):
My Best of Both World's co host Sarah hart Unger
recently wrote about what she was into on her blog
The shoebox dot Com, after being inspired by Jody Wellman
on her blog four thousand Mondays. I love these posts
where the authors listed various things that they truly enjoy.

(01:32):
Following their leads, I would challenge you to try to
list ten activities you are into, not ten things you
spend your time doing or have to do. Ten activities
you are truly into, as in you would look forward
to them and genuinely enjoy them while doing them. It

(01:54):
doesn't matter if you are currently doing any of these
activities in your life or not. The first step is
to know what you're into, because once you know what
you're into, finding time for the activities will come more naturally.
Are there hobbies you enjoy, perhaps something athletic, artistic, or musical.

(02:18):
Are there authors you love to read, or musical groups
you like to listen to, or sports teams that you
like to watch. Do you love dining out? And is
there a restaurant that delights you every time you're there,
or perhaps a coffee shop or a particular drink that
feels like a total treat. Is there a niece or

(02:39):
nephew or godchild who brings you joy whenever you spend
time together, or maybe you are devoted to a community
cause or to a learning goal like learning Spanish fluently.
If you are having trouble listing activities you are into,
try brainstorming with a friend. You could take turns, come

(03:00):
up with ideas and you'll each have your thinking inspired
by the other person. It can also be helpful to
think about what you were into when you were a kid.
Our childhood passions can often point us toward pursuits we
would enjoy an adulthood as well. When you know what

(03:20):
you are into, you may find that you are ready
to make the most of any unexpected free time. An
hour at night after the kids go to bed would
be perfect for needle point reading, a book of poetry
you just bought, or yoga if you have ready ideas

(03:41):
for spending the time. But if you have forgotten that
you are into poetry, well that poetry book won't magically appear.
I will also add that knowing what you're into can
help with conversations in small talk in general. When people
ask what you're up to these days, you will be
able to talk about that new needle point project you

(04:03):
are working on. If what you are into is well
known among your friends and relations. For instance, if you
love to travel, people will routinely ask if you've got
any cool trips coming up. Makes it easier for them
to make conversation. If you're into painting, your friends will
ask about your art and so on. But they can't

(04:24):
know these things if you don't know these things, So
today list ten things you're into, and tomorrow you'll be
ready to enjoy your leisure time more. If you come
up with a list of ten things you are into,
I would love to see that list. You can send
it to me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

(04:48):
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,

(05:09):
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
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