Make an old adventure new again

How to introduce novelty into something you've done before

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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 about how to make an old adventure new again.
Even if you are doing something you have done many

(00:24):
times before, you can make it slightly different if you try,
and hence make it more memorable. Long time listeners know
that one of my favorite time management rules is to
have one big adventure and one little adventure each week.
A big adventure could take three to four hours, so

(00:46):
think half a weekend day, and a little adventure could
be an hour or less, as long as it is
something out of the ordinary. Routines are great, but too
much sameness means that time seems to disappear. Two adventures
a week won't exhaust or bankrupt anyone, but they can

(01:07):
change the experience of time anyway. When I suggest this
rule to people, people sometimes note that there aren't that
many new places to try in their communities. Even if
you draw a radius of an hour or so around
your home. After a while, you may have tried most
of the major's destinations. But even so, you can make

(01:31):
an old adventure new again by doing things a little
bit differently. First, if you are trying to revive an
old adventure, can you take someone else with you? A
museum is different with a companion who might like different
things than you do and who has a different perspective

(01:51):
they bring to the experience. If you are a regular
at the aquarium or the children's museum, asking another family
to join you will have your kids and you interacting
with the exhibits in a different way. Second, check the
calendars and get tickets for new exhibits or events. The

(02:14):
zoo is a different experience during let's say a food
truck festival, then it would be otherwise. Most museums have
special exhibits that change over every few months, or they
might host performers whose shows will definitely make a repeat
visit into a new adventure. You can even challenge yourself

(02:37):
to see something differently. Many of us have our usual
roots through our usual places, but if you go to
the left rather than to the right in a museum,
you will see different things. You might give yourself a
challenge of sorts, like taking twenty pictures of depictions of flowers,

(02:57):
or deciding to watch a single animal exhibit at the
zoo for longer than you usually would. If you visit
someplace during different seasons, you can experience it differently, sledding
in your favorite park in winter, but having a picnic
there in summer. The point of this rule to have

(03:19):
one big adventure and one little adventure each week is
to encourage people to spend leisure time mindfully. Often we
think we spend all our time at work because work
is structured and mindful. We plan out our time, we
have intentions. Leisure time tends to be more amorphous, and

(03:43):
so it can feel like it isn't really happening. Planned
adventures let us anticipate our fun and be more aware
during our fun, so the time feels more expansive. Plus,
we create memories which let us hold onto the time
far longer. It doesn't disappear into the wash of the past.

(04:11):
So if you are going somewhere that you have gone before,
see if you can turn it into a new adventure
by doing something a little bit different. You might be
surprised how surprising the experience can be. In the meantime,
this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making

(04:33):
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E then

(04:55):
number four, then Breakfast p O D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia
dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward to
staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

(05:18):
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