Make time for you a habit

Create the space for figuring out your passions

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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 make time for you a habit. Even
if you are not entirely sure what hobbies or passions

(00:26):
you'd like to pursue, carving out time for yourself can
help you start to figure this out. In my most
recent book, Tranquility by Tuesday, I talk about my nine
favorite time management rules that can help people calm the
chaos and make time for what matters. One of those rules,

(00:51):
rule number seven, to be exact, is to take one
night for you. I challenge busy people to spend a
few hours a week on something that is not work
and is not caring for family. It is just for you.
Doing so can make life feel more sustainable and joyful. Ideally,

(01:15):
this night for you involves a commitment to something you
find energizing. I sing an a choir on Thursday nights.
Some people have a regular tennis game with a partner,
or play on a softball team, or attend a painting class,
or volunteer at a food bank every Wednesday after work.
These are all great ideas, but sometimes people tell me

(01:39):
that they are not sure what they would do with
their night off. They don't have a particular passion or
hobby that seems to lend itself to this, or if
they do, there might not be great opportunities for that
thing in their community. I do think that in this
wide world, and especially we consider all the virtual options

(02:02):
out there, people can come up with something. But even
if you are not sure what you would do, I'd
strongly suggest committing to take a few hours a week
to explore your interests in the hopes of figuring it out.
Time for you can be a habit even if you're

(02:23):
not totally sure what you will do with it. If
you've got young kids, there are obvious logistical challenges with this,
so if you've got a co parent, one great idea
is just to trade off. Each of you gets one
night off each week and you cover for each other.
On your night off. Just go do something. Visit a friend,

(02:47):
go to a bookstore, sit in a coffee shop, take
a walk, go to the gym, maybe go to a
movie or anything along those lines. It doesn't have to
be perfect, it just has to be reasonably enjoyable. The
next week, during your time off, do the same thing.
Or do something else see what you enjoy. If you

(03:11):
keep finding yourself doing something similar, that might be a
clue to your interests. If you always wind up in
your town's museum or galleries, you might enjoy an art class.
If you find you really enjoy a particular class at
your gym, you can start thinking of yourself as a
regular and get to know the other attendees. Or you

(03:32):
can use this time to sit in a coffee shop
and think about what you enjoyed as a kid and
brainstorm ways to do this now. If you don't have
someone who can easily cover for your kids, this is
obviously more complicated. I do think that having one night
off a week might be a reasonable use of babysitting

(03:52):
funds over the long run. Getting one night off each
week can make you a more present and how person.
But if that is not going to fly, you might
also be able to build up a community of other
folks in similar circumstances who can cover for each other.
A friend gets Tuesday night off and you take her kids,

(04:16):
and she takes your kids on Thursday nights. But by
figuring out a way to build this time into your life,
you will start thinking about what you'd like to do
with it. You will start approaching your leisure time with
more intention. You will start thinking about possibilities rather than

(04:36):
assuming that there is no time. You do have time
that one night a week you take for you. After
a few weeks of trying different things, you might have
more insight into what you enjoy. Or you can start
following the clues. You find your aerobics class at the
GEM reasonably interesting, but a fellow attendee mentions that she

(05:00):
start at a tap dancing class at a nearby studio
and loves it. You go try that out and just
like that, you find a new passion that will have
you looking forward to Tuesday nights. Make time for you
a habit, and you will start to figure out what

(05:20):
you like to do. It really is as simple as that.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our times. Hey, everybody,

(05:43):
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 the number four then Breakfast po D. You
can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcasts
at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled out

(06:06):
with all the letters, thanks so much, should I look
forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.