Celebrating 7 years of Before Breakfast

0:00This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human. Hey listeners, as we begin a new year, it's a great opportunity to think about what your year of you could look like, especially if going back to school is one of your goals. Today's tip is powered by National University, an institution built around helping busy professionals make progress without sacrificing their priorities. National University's flexible online formats, four and eight week courses, and monthly class starts. Let you start sooner, finish faster, and learn on your schedule. And right now they're offering the year of you scholarship, providing up to $6,000 each year for eligible bachelor's and master's students who apply by March 31st. With more than 150 degrees, credentials, and certificates available, NU has a program that aligns with your next step. Start your year strong at nu.edu.

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3:10some of the best tips I have heard over the years and that have been shared on Before Breakfast. So all of us can make our days a little better. Before Breakfast launched in March of 2019. So this episode is celebrating seven years of the show. This is a daily podcast and yes, there's been a new episode every week day morning for the past seven years. That is a lot of episodes and it is a lot of mornings. It's a lot of ideas on how to do life better. For the first five or so years, this show was only short episodes, approximately four to six minutes each. Then in late 2024, I began adding one interview episode a week. So we could hear from other people about their expertise and their strategies. It's been fun for me to talk with all kinds of amazing people and to share these conversations with you. Anyway, today I'm going to be

4:16talking through some of my favorite ideas from the first year of the show. If you just joined us in the past year or so, I encourage you to go back through the archives. See what you missed. But here is some very practical advice from 2019 that I think still holds up now. For instance, on March 29th, 2019, I suggested listeners plan something fun for Sunday nights. Even people who like their jobs can often feel a sense of trepidation. Those Sunday scurries by Sunday afternoon. One way to avoid those scurries is to plan in something you can anticipate for later in the weekend. After all, if you are meeting friends for dinner on Sunday night, you will be thinking about your dinner rather than Monday morning for much of Sunday afternoon.

5:18And that is a lot more fun. Yes, Sunday night is a school night. So you might want to do something simple and not plan on being out too late. But there is no reason to lose Sunday mentally to Monday. Enjoy every second of Sunday that you can. Here is another 2019 idea that is related to weekends. On May 3rd, 2019, I did an episode saying don't grocery shop on weekends. Now I know, I know. That really feels like the time it fits for a lot of people with full-time jobs. But grocery stores are often very busy on weekends since everybody shops in. So it will take a lot of time to get in and get out and battle the crowds. Grocery shopping on weekends also reinforces

6:18the idea that weekends are four chores and errands. But are they? I think it might be wise to keep the focus on family time and rejuvenating leisure. Maybe chores and errands can be done during the week when you are already in work mode. A lot of grocery stores are open late. If you've got a family, maybe one parent does bedtime and the other goes out grocery shopping. Or if you work from home on occasion, maybe you could use what would have been the commute time someday to shop. The shopping will take less time during the week than during the madness of a Saturday afternoon. And you will be able to use the weekends for other things. On June 6, 2019, the before breakfast tip was to schedule a mental health morning. Now this was a listener suggestion. Someone noted that it was often hard to take a full day of

7:24PTO if you had various responsibilities. And when people do take PTO, they often want to use it for longer vacations. But it might be possible to take half a day off and use that time for something restorative. For instance, if you had a dentist appointment at 11 a.m., you might purposefully take the morning off until then and do something that would soothe your soul, reading, hobbies, maybe seeing a friend with some flexibility in their schedule. Even a little break can go a long way toward making life feel more sustainable. If you schedule your mental health morning and for a week or two ahead of time, then you can look forward to it. And I believe that anticipation is one of the best forms of self-care out there. In that same vein of taking small breaks on June 12, 2019, we talked about how Wednesday is the best day to work from home.

8:27Now this episode aired long before COVID, when working from home became a lot more common. Yes, before breakfast was around before the pandemic. Back in 2019, people were writing whole think pieces on the angst of negotiating to work from home just one day a week. Then, as now, the most common day people would ask for was Friday. And on some level, it makes sense as Fridays tend to be slower. People thought their managers would be most likely to approve Fridays, as well, people often work less on Fridays or maybe leave a little bit earlier. And so the perceived opportunity cost is lower. But the problem is that buys into the idea that people who are working from home aren't really working, choosing Friday just limits the damage. Now you and I both know this isn't true. Many of us work quite hard from home. So I suggested that people consider

9:28negotiating to work from home on Wednesdays. That way, if you have a long commute, you will only have to do it twice in a row. Wednesday provides a nice midweek break from the usual routines. You could use Wednesday to hunker down and work on all the deliverables coming out of the meetings on the other days. I'm not sure how many people took me up on this idea to negotiate to work from home on Wednesday, but I still think it's a good one. So we're going to take a quick ad break. And then I will be back with some more historic before breakfast ideas from the first year. Hey listeners, as you enter a new year, think about what your year of you might look like, especially if earning a degree is part of your goals. National University makes it possible, with flexible online formats, short courses, and monthly starts. From now through March 31st,

10:35you can apply for National University's Year of You Scholarship, which offers up to $6,000 each year for eligible bachelor's and master's programs. With over 150 different degrees, credentials, and certificates to choose from, they have the program that fits your career goals. Learn more today at nu.edu. Just think about the universal marketing formula. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for you.

11:35Think podcasting can help your business. Think iHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Let us show you at iHeartAdvertising.com. That's iHeartAdvertising.com. Or call 844-844-iHeart. One more time. Call 844-844-iHeart and get podcasting working for you. Running a business is hard enough. So lie make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales. Another for inventory. A separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you're drowning in software instead of growing your business. This is where Odo comes in. Odo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, HR, and more. No more app overload. No more juggling log ins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odo replaces multiple expensive platforms or a fraction

12:35of the cost. It's built to grow with your business. Whether you are just starting out or already scaling up, plus it's easy to use, customizable, and designed to streamline every process. So you can focus on what really matters. Running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odo for free at odo.com. That's odo.com. Well we are back. I am sharing some of my favorite tips from the first year of Before Breakfast. As we celebrate the show's seventh anniversary. So speaking of dealing with long commutes, as we were talking about before the break, on July 10th of 2019, I suggested people try to commute with a friend. Not every day of course, but given how much people hate their commutes. And how many people say they wish they could see their friends more. I am surprised at how little

13:38this actually happens. For a lot of people, commuting time is almost entirely wasted. Turning it into relationship building time would massively upgrade the experience. Now I know that carpooling involves a fair amount of planning and coordination. Not everyone lives near each other or works in similar places. Even for people who do live near each other or even live with each other and who work near each other, it might be a little inconvenient. It might add a few minutes onto the trip. You might lose a sense of absolute flexibility on when you can leave. But what an upside. If a friend or family member or partner works anywhere near you, it would be worth trying even just one day a week or one day every two weeks as a way to reclaim a few minutes and make something that is not fun, feel a lot more fun.

14:46On July 25th of 2019, our before breakfast episodes suggested that people read at lunch. When people take a lunch break, the temptation is often to read headlines or scroll around on social media if they're not with somebody else. And it feels kind of relaxing. But reading a real book would feel even more indulgent. And this reading time does add up. If you read for 15 minutes at lunch, five times a week, that's another 1.25 hours of reading per week. A lot of books take about three to four hours to read. So if you do the math, that's like adding another book every three to four weeks right there. That gives you an extra 14 to 17 extra books per year without really giving anything up. That certainly sounds like a win to me. Instead of losing time in general to small things,

15:50collecting these bits of time of femura and focusing them on one thing can make life feel a lot more fulfilling. On August 12th of 2019, a listener suggested a hack which became an episode called create a better to-do list. The idea was to give all tasks on your to-do list an actual time. The basic idea here is that tasks take time. So if there is not a designated time to do the tasks, they are probably not going to happen. This is a very simple idea, but it is so true. And so many people try to ignore it. They put things on the to-do list with no available time to do them. And then get frustrated when they don't make it through their to-do list. Now, some of us have reasonably flexible jobs, and so we don't have to be quite as rigid

16:51about exact times for everything on our to-do lists. But if you do happen to have a job or a situation where time is tight, as you are making your to-do list for the next day, figure out when you will do each task. Where on your calendar will it go? Maybe you will need to move things around, or maybe you will need to limit your to-do list. You might have to make some hard choices, but you know, that is not a bad thing. Choices lead to a to-do list that is actually doable. On September 23, 2019, I suggested something that could make email more fun. Reach out to someone you admire. If someone has done something cool in the world, send them an email, and let them know that you thought it was cool, or if it had an impact on you.

17:51Now, if the particular person is really well-known or famous, they might not respond. But a lot of these emails do, in fact, get read. You will feel good sending it, and most likely, the person will feel good reading it. Or at least someone on the person's team will feel good, knowing that they are doing good in the world. There's really no downside. This is true for sending positive emails in general. Let an old friend or colleague know you're thinking about them. I'm guessing that you wouldn't mind getting a similar email from someone else. So that can be your guiding principle for whether to send these things. On September 26, 2019, I shared one of my favorite suggestions for how people with young kids can have more real leisure time. Give each parent one night off.

18:52The idea is that if you are in a two-parent family, or at least your co-parenting with someone, each of you gets one night off from caregiving duties to go do something that is not work and is not taking care of family members, but is fun for you. For instance, maybe one of you sings and acquire on Tuesdays, and the other person plays in a pickleball league on Thursdays. The kids are still with a parent on each of these nights, but each parent gets to feel like a full person. Maybe even keeping up with interests they had from before kids. A lot of parents feel like they have no time for fun, but I find that many times people aren't using all the resources that are available to them. Your co-parent is a resource, and you have a joint pool of hours. Each of you can take some time for you, as long as you trade off, and keep it fair.

19:57Now, I know all families don't look like this, but maybe you could swap nights with someone else in your life to take a night for you, a friend, a neighbor, an extended family member. I'm betting that it can still work. We're going to take one more quick ad break, and then I will be back with some more historic before breakfast advice. Hey listeners, as we begin a new year, it's a great opportunity to think about what your year of you could look like, especially if going back to school is one of your goals. Today's tip is powered by National University, an institution built around helping busy professionals make progress without sacrificing their priorities. National University's flexible online formats, four and eight week courses, and monthly class starts. Let you start sooner, finish faster, and learn on your schedule. And right now, they're offering the year of you scholarship, providing up to $6,000 each year

21:03for eligible bachelor's and master's students who apply by March 31st. With more than 150 degrees, credentials, and certificates available, NU has a program that aligns with your next step. Start your year strong at nu.edu. Run a business and not thinking about radio? Think again, because more people are listening to the radio and iHeart today than they were 20 years ago, and only iHeart broadcast radio connects with more Americans than TV, digital, social, and other media, even twice as many teens than TikTok. And that reach means everything. Just think about the universal marketing formula. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for your business. Radio's here now more than ever, and iHeart's leading the way. Think radio can help your business? Think iHeart. Streaming, podcasting, and radio, where the reach is real. Let us show you at iHeartAdvertising.com.

22:06That's iHeartAdvertising.com. Or call 844-844-iHeart. One more time. Just call 844-844-iHeart. And get radio working for you. Running a business is hard enough. So why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you're drowning in software instead of growing your business. This is where Odo comes in. Odo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all-in-one, fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, e-commerce, HR, and more. No more app overload, no more juggling log ins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odo replaces multiple expensive platforms or a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable, and designed to streamline every process.

23:09So you can focus on what really matters, running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch. So why not you? Try Odo for free at odu.com. That's odo.com. Well, I am back, talking ideas from the first year of Before Breakfast. As we celebrate this show's seventh anniversary. On October 8th, 2019, I suggested that listeners become a regular somewhere. A lot of people feel disconnected these days. Maybe even a little bit lonely. It's good to go somewhere, where everybody knows your name, as they sang in the theme song for cheers. If you and your family like to go out to eat twice a month, maybe you make a point of going to the same restaurant for one of those times. So you eat at the same place 12 times a year, and you get to know the establishment.

24:12Or maybe you always go to the same bar with your pickleball league after your games. Maybe you and your running buddy stop at the same coffee shop for coffee after your run every Saturday morning. And so you get to know the people who work there at that time. And the regulars who are also getting their coffee. You can learn people's names. You can say hello. And even though you don't have a close relationship with these people, you'll feel like someone in the universe knows about you and knows you exist. Plus, you develop favorites that you can start to tell others about and have some knowledge here. Everyone likes the guacamole at that particular Mexican place. You know, that sort of thing. On December 6th, 2019, we talked about the wisdom of trying 40-minute meetings. There is no real reason that meetings have to default to 30 or 60 minutes.

25:14If you might be tempted to schedule something for an hour, see if you can construct the agenda to be done in 40 minutes instead. This leaves time for making sure everyone is clear on all the next steps and maybe even doing some of those next steps. You can send those emails right then. This also lets people go to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee and get to their next meeting on time. One of the reasons people often feel frantic or so behind during the work day. Is that we often don't build in time for transitions. But even if you are meeting virtually and not in person, transitions don't take zero time. They do take some time. Build them in and everyone will be a lot more calm and a lot happier. Finally on December 16th, I suggested that busy people make mornings

26:17into family time. Sometimes the time after work can be hard to use well. People are tired. Young kids might need to go to bed on the early side which limits how much you can see them then. But for my experience, many young kids also wake up at the crack of dawn. If your kid is up at let's say 5.30am and you don't need to leave for work until 8.30am, this is three hours you could potentially be spending together. And my guess is you don't need all of it for getting ready. With a few exceptions, whatever playing you would have done in the evening can be done in the morning. Yep, you can go to a playground at 7.30am in the morning if you like. Even if you don't have little kids, trying a family breakfast or building in enough time into a morning to talk with your partner or talk with your teenage children can make mornings

27:17feel a lot more satisfying. They don't just need to be about racing out the door. We can take our days from great to awesome by being more mindful of the time that already exists and moving our mindset from surviving to thriving. Anyway, those are some of my favorite tips from the first year of the show. Thank you so much for listening to Before Breakfast. It has been a great 7 years since March of 2019 and I hope you will continue to tune in every morning for more tips on taking days from great to awesome. What have been your favorite episodes of Before Breakfast? You can let me know or let me know any feedback in what you'd like to see more of at Laura at LauraVandercam.com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of our time.

28:22Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at LauraVandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media. For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hey listeners, as we begin a new year, it's a great opportunity to think about what your year of you could look like. Especially if going back to school is one of your goals. Today's tip is powered by National University, an institution built around helping busy professionals make progress without sacrificing their priorities. National University's flexible

29:28online formats, four and eight-week courses, and monthly class starts. Let you start sooner, finish faster, and learn on your schedule. And right now, they're offering the year-of-you scholarship, providing up to $6,000 each year for eligible bachelors and master students who apply by March 31st. With more than 150 degrees, credentials, and certificates available, NU has a program that aligns with your next step. Start your year strong at nu.edu. For just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at minemobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 per three month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required, introrate for three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra,

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