When you're too tired to read

Have a plan for low-energy hours

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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 think about how you might spend time
when you are too tired to read more. Mindless screen

(00:27):
time isn't the only option for filling low energy hours,
and a little preparation means you can spend those hours
in happier ways. We often start the day with good intentions.
Few of us would consciously declare that, given that I

(00:49):
only have a few hours of discretionary time each day,
I would like to spend the bulk of those hours
looking at sponsored posts on Instagram. But as the day
wins on, we run out of energy. Even if in
the abstract we would like to read in our spare time,

(01:10):
that can feel hard in the moment amid exhaustion or
irritation and all those end of day emotions. Before you
spend that hour before bed scrolling through tweets, though, think
about some other options. For instance, you might lower the
difficulty level of what you are reading. I like using

(01:33):
the Libby app to check out digital copies of magazines.
I can look at a few from my library without
adding clutter or expense. To my life. Some folks tell
me that switching to audiobooks later in the day has
been a game changer. Often our eyes can feel more

(01:56):
tired than our ears, so you might be to listen
to that book you've been reading, even if you keep
jumping away while trying to train your eyes on the words.
If you can listen to audio books, you can listen
to podcasts. Of course, try something funny or soothing to
help you wind down. I will even put in a

(02:18):
plug here for conscious TV watching. Just turning on the
TV to see what is there isn't a great use
of time. But if you have one particularly relaxing or
enjoyable show, and you know exactly how long it will
take and budget that time in before bed, that can

(02:40):
be better than the random surfing or scrolling that gets
people agitated or makes time feel wasted. I like relaxing
over a puzzle, but here's the thing, when I am
tired at night, it has to be the right kind
of puzzle. I recently decided not to finish a puzzle

(03:01):
version of Starry Night because Van Gogh's masterpiece has too
much blue and yellow in the sky in somewhat indistinguishable
combinations I switched over to a much more kitchy picture
of a wintry ski village, where you know immediately when

(03:21):
you look at a piece where it goes. Likewise, if
you have a hobby, see if you can find the
most brainless version of it. Maybe you like art, but
later at night you go for coloring one of those
whimsical coloring books. You have a complicated cross stitch pattern
you work on when you have lots of energy, but

(03:43):
at night you knit a scarf that is all one color.
That sort of thing. In any case, one reason we
pull out our phones, apart from anything addicting about them,
it's just that they are always there and always available.
When we have no energy, we don't need to go

(04:05):
looking for something to do. Whatever low energy activity of
choice you would like to engage in. See if you
can make it just as easy. Keep your coloring books
and colored pencils somewhere you can see them. Put that
knitting project right by your bed or wherever you relax
at night. Don't worry about it being clutter. Clutter as

(04:31):
things you don't use. You really want to use these things,
So make it easy, and even if you have very
little energy, you will be more inclined to make good
things happen? What do you do when you are too
tired to read? You can let me know at Laura

(04:52):
at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

(05:13):
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 the number four, then
breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That

(05:33):
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. For more podcasts
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