Second Cup: Don't waste the daylight

In winter, consider changing your schedule so you can see the sun

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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 not waste limited daylight, especially when the
days are short. It is worth prioritizing a little time

(00:24):
outside over other things that could be done in the dark.
So this episode is airing around what is the winter solstice.
For my listeners in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the
day of the year when the sun is up for
the least amount of time. Of course, that means my

(00:45):
Southern Hemisphere listeners are enjoying the longest day of the year.
But winter will come for them too eventually, and this
advice can be applied whenever that happens. When resources are
limiteds tells us that we should consider the opportunity cost
of using that resource versus other resources. When it is

(01:08):
light until nine pm, maybe it wouldn't feel so bad
to be in meetings that didn't have to happen in
windowless conference rooms from nine am to four pm. But
when the sun is going down a little after four pm,
well that is a different matter entirely. So don't waste

(01:29):
the daylight. Maybe by working through lunch you might be
able to get out of work at five instead of
five thirty. But here where I live, it is dark
at five and it is dark at five thirty. If
you don't have anything in particular you are going to
do between five and five thirty. Given how important seeing

(01:49):
daylight is for mood and energy, the opportunity cost of
working from twelve to twelve thirty when you could have
seen the light is much higher than the opportunity cost
of working from five to five thirty. Now, if you're
meeting your best friend for an early dinner or you
need to pick up your kids, that is a different matter.
But if you are just going to watch TV, well,

(02:12):
you can watch TV in the dark. Don't waste the daylight.
This is true on weekends as well. While there is
nothing wrong with watching TV on a Sunday afternoon, you
can in fact watch TV when it is dark out.
It's going to be harder, though, to go for a
hike in the dark, so it is worth prioritizing the

(02:36):
afternoon time for that hike and then go for the
screens when there is less competing for those hours. Now.
I know not everyone plans out entire days in advance,
but this idea to not waste the daylight might inspire
you to check in with yourself an hour or two
before sunset each day. In my part of the world,

(02:58):
that happens around for twenty pm. Yep, goes down early
around here. Maybe for you it's a little later or
a little earlier. Either way, set some sort of alarm
when it goes off. Ask yourself, have I seen the daylight?
Have I gotten outside for at least a few minutes?

(03:19):
If so, excellent, But if not, maybe you should take
a pause from whatever you are doing and stick your
head outside for five to ten minutes. I am guessing
that whatever you are doing could be done in a
few minutes later too, But the sun will go down,
probably sooner than you want it to. A little awareness

(03:41):
can lead to better choices in the meantime. This is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Thanks for listening to for Breakfast. If you've

(04:01):
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to

(04:23):
your favorite shows.