February 6, 2021 • 4 mins
Look backward to give your leisure time focus
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Episode Transcript
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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 ask yourself what you loved doing
as a child. The point is not so much to
find your next career move, though that could be an option,
(00:25):
but mostly it's to make your leisure time feel more fulfilling.
Adults love to ask children what they want to be
when they grow up, and many kids have a ready answer.
They proudly announced that they plan to be writers, or
doctors or princesses without any self consciousness. Then we grow
older and we discover that there aren't so many job
(00:45):
openings for princesses, and we find ourselves pursuing completely different
career paths. There's nothing wrong with this. Kids have no
idea about the scope of careers in the world, or
about how to find the intersection between skills, interests and
what is economically viable. But leisure time pursuits have no
such constraints. As the past few months of lockdowns have
(01:07):
forced people to reconsider how they spend their time, there's
something to be said for looking to the past for ideas.
Chances are that at least some of the activities who
loved as a kid might bring a smile to your
face now, So set aside a few minutes this week,
maybe during a break at work, to think about how
you used to spend your time when you had a
(01:28):
free saturday as a child. What did you do with it?
What kind of books did you read, or toys or
games did you enjoy. You might look at old photos
to conjure up memories, talk to parents, siblings, or childhood
friends to surface other ideas. Maybe certain objects brought you
great happiness or certain pursuits. Jot down words and phrases
(01:50):
that come to mind. Now look at what you've written down,
and consider how some of the interests or activities could
be pivoted into your adult life. If you're actually looking
to figure out your next career move, this can take
a good deal of creativity. No one is likely to
pay you to play in a sandbox unless you work
at a daycare, but there may be other ways to
(02:11):
incorporate your interests, either as side hustles or just for
the fun of it. If you have happy memories of
playing school with your friends, you might enjoy teaching an
online course or volunteering in a literacy program. If you
loved exploring on your bike but haven't done this in
a while, it might be worth buying a bike from
a neighbor and building some rides into your life. I've
(02:33):
realized that one reason I like occasionally writing articles on
random topics is that I loved earning Girl Scout badges
as a kid. I learned just enough about a topic
to feel a sense of accomplishment, and then I'd move on.
Thinking about your childhood joys can be a helpful exercise
even if you aren't looking to do anything particularly productive.
(02:55):
Maybe you have fond memories of waking up early on
Saturday mornings to watch cartoons all by yourself. You might
enjoy building a version of this into your life now
by waking up an hour before the rest of your
family to do something totally for you, whether that's watching
cartoons or reading a book or doing a puzzle. So
(03:15):
if you're feeling stuck board or just in search of
a way to enjoy time more, take some time to
consider what brought you happiness as a child. Then think
flexibly and with an open mind about how these joys
could fit into your adult life. You'll probably start to
smile just thinking about it. In the meantime, This is Laura.
(03:39):
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, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast to pod that's B the number four, then
(04:03):
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 in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
(04:25):
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
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 ask yourself what you loved doing
as a child. The point is not so much to
find your next career move, though that could be an option,
(00:25):
but mostly it's to make your leisure time feel more fulfilling.
Adults love to ask children what they want to be
when they grow up, and many kids have a ready answer.
They proudly announced that they plan to be writers, or
doctors or princesses without any self consciousness. Then we grow
older and we discover that there aren't so many job
(00:45):
openings for princesses, and we find ourselves pursuing completely different
career paths. There's nothing wrong with this. Kids have no
idea about the scope of careers in the world, or
about how to find the intersection between skills, interests and
what is economically viable. But leisure time pursuits have no
such constraints. As the past few months of lockdowns have
(01:07):
forced people to reconsider how they spend their time, there's
something to be said for looking to the past for ideas.
Chances are that at least some of the activities who
loved as a kid might bring a smile to your
face now, So set aside a few minutes this week,
maybe during a break at work, to think about how
you used to spend your time when you had a
(01:28):
free saturday as a child. What did you do with it?
What kind of books did you read, or toys or
games did you enjoy. You might look at old photos
to conjure up memories, talk to parents, siblings, or childhood
friends to surface other ideas. Maybe certain objects brought you
great happiness or certain pursuits. Jot down words and phrases
(01:50):
that come to mind. Now look at what you've written down,
and consider how some of the interests or activities could
be pivoted into your adult life. If you're actually looking
to figure out your next career move, this can take
a good deal of creativity. No one is likely to
pay you to play in a sandbox unless you work
at a daycare, but there may be other ways to
(02:11):
incorporate your interests, either as side hustles or just for
the fun of it. If you have happy memories of
playing school with your friends, you might enjoy teaching an
online course or volunteering in a literacy program. If you
loved exploring on your bike but haven't done this in
a while, it might be worth buying a bike from
a neighbor and building some rides into your life. I've
(02:33):
realized that one reason I like occasionally writing articles on
random topics is that I loved earning Girl Scout badges
as a kid. I learned just enough about a topic
to feel a sense of accomplishment, and then I'd move on.
Thinking about your childhood joys can be a helpful exercise
even if you aren't looking to do anything particularly productive.
(02:55):
Maybe you have fond memories of waking up early on
Saturday mornings to watch cartoons all by yourself. You might
enjoy building a version of this into your life now
by waking up an hour before the rest of your
family to do something totally for you, whether that's watching
cartoons or reading a book or doing a puzzle. So
(03:15):
if you're feeling stuck board or just in search of
a way to enjoy time more, take some time to
consider what brought you happiness as a child. Then think
flexibly and with an open mind about how these joys
could fit into your adult life. You'll probably start to
smile just thinking about it. In the meantime, This is Laura.
(03:39):
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, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast to pod that's B the number four, then
(04:03):
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 in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For
(04:25):
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
Show Links
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