List low energy intentions

Plan what to do when you want to do nothing

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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 identify satisfying ways to spend leisure time
when you are worn out. If you make a list

(00:24):
of low energy intentions, you can choose one of these
ways to spend your time, and you may spend a
little less time scrolling or otherwise defaulting to screen time
that you might not actively choose. Longtime listeners know that
I believe the hours between the end of your work

(00:44):
day and bedtime can be the best hours of the day,
your golden hours, as I like to call them. But
many people find this time hard to use well because
they are exhausted. When all you want to do is
veg on the couch in front of the TV or
scroll while lying in bed, your past self suggestion that

(01:05):
you read War and Peace, write a letter to your grandmother,
or play one of Mozart's Sonatas on the piano may
seem a little far fetched. This is where low energy
intentions come in. I am all for deciding to use
your leisure time for Tolstoy and your grandma and Mozart,
but it is also wise to come up with ideas

(01:25):
for making the most of your leisure time when you
are tired. These could be things like flipping through a
photo album or a coffee table book, going for a
leisurely walk, or maybe even baking a recipe you know
by heart. As one of my listeners pointed out, to
low energy intention sometimes gives you a little energy boost.

(01:47):
If you succumb to the urge to curl up on
the couch in front of the TV, it is quite
possible that you will spend the whole evening there like
a zombie. But if you manage to shovel yourself out
the door and go for a slow walk around the block,
you will probably come home feeling just a little peppier
than when you left. You also may feel happier when

(02:10):
you look back on your evening and remember the pleasant walk.
So make a list of things you can do when
you feel like you want to do nothing. It is
impossible to do nothing. You will do something, but you
can choose which low energy activities you find most worth while.

(02:31):
Reading tends to be my go too. This may not
be the time for great literature or technical nonfiction, but
it could be perfect for a light book or magazine,
or just flipping through a coffee table book or a
cook book. An audiobook can be appealing too. All you
have to do is listen. You don't even have to
turn pages. You could listen to a podcast while walking

(02:55):
outside or on a treadmill if it's dark or if
the weather is bad. Simple craft projects can sometimes hit
the spot. Sketching, doodling, or coloring doesn't take much energy.
If you are a knitter, Knitting something uncomplicated, like a
scarf for a dishcloth could feel pretty brainless. Walking, stretch shaking,
or yoga can also feel good. Some cooking projects might

(03:19):
be appealing. I'm imagining something like baking a cookie recipe
that you know really well. You will feel satisfied by
having done something. In bonus, you and your family will
have something tasty as a result. Or maybe you choose
something modestly more substantial, like banana bread or muffins, and
then you get to eat those for breakfast the next morning.

(03:40):
What a win. If you are sure that all you
want to do is sit and zone out, you can
still choose a focal point besides the TV or your phone,
a fire pit or fireplace, or your backyard can be
a calming place to rest your eyes, watch the birds
if it's light, look up at the stars if it

(04:01):
is not. In any case, try identifying five to ten
low energy intentions to give shape to leisure time when
you might think you want to do nothing. Make this
list somewhere you can reference, like on an index card
or the notes app of your phone as you were
going into some downtime like a weekday evening, or maybe

(04:23):
post kid activities on a weekend day. Choose one. That way,
you will be prepared to enjoy your leisure time even
if you don't have any energy to spare in the meantime.
This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making

(04:44):
the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at l Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before

(05:08):
Breakfast 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.