Don't contaminate your leisure time
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You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Hey, listeners. Have you heard about Hill House Home? I absolutely love them. They created the viral nap dress, and it is the most flattering and comfy fit ever, with their signature smocking. Celebrities like Taylor Swift and Mindy Kaling are fans, too. What I adore about Hill House dresses is their versatility. Wear one for errands by day and parties by night.

Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.

Good morning, this is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to try to keep your leisure time free of little to-dos. Yes, the to-dos need to get done, but by separating the two, you can feel productive and more relaxed. So I am sure that you, like me, have a lengthy list of small tasks that you need to tackle. For instance, I found myself on a Saturday recently with a list that included buying a train ticket,

Getting a new microphone, updating the week's child care schedule with some new information, buying a birthday present, and so forth. These things do need to get done, and for many people, weekends and evenings are when they tend to happen. But weekends and evenings are also the time one generally hopes to relax, and so this can create a conflict. You might feel guilty if you are not purchasing that train ticket, so then you are not totally relaxed.

Or you do it, and then 15 minutes later you remember something else you were supposed to do. And this continues for hours, and you feel like you are always doing something. So a better approach is to identify some spot of your evening or weekend that would be hard to use for anything fun. If you've got kids, this might be time you are sitting on the sideline of a practice waiting for them.

Or maybe you have gone to a drop-off birthday party, but it's not worth it to go home after dropping the kid off just to turn right back around. Find a coffee shop or get the Wi-Fi code for the gymnastics gym, bring your laptop, and use this time to get to work. If this doesn't describe your weekends, then maybe designate a time that you probably won't be using for anything exciting. Say when your other half is off exercising or the two of you wouldn't be doing anything together.

or maybe earlier in the day before you're likely to meet up with friends. Then use this time to plow through your list. The upside is that now you've used time that you wouldn't have been using for particularly great leisure, and you have cleared the decks, so it will be easier to just focus on having fun the rest of the time. You don't have some little part of your brain thinking, train ticket, which can contaminate your leisure time.

Now, to be clear, I am perfectly fine with you enjoying yourself even if you haven't purchased that train ticket yet. Sometimes if my younger kids are otherwise occupied, I actually tell myself, okay, I am not going to do any have to do's for the next hour. Then I set a timer, sit and relax, and then get to the to do's later. But I know this is challenging for some people.

just as some people find it challenging to relax in a messy house. So if that is the case for you, figure out how to confine your to-dos to a small period of time so they don't contaminate everything else. Pure leisure is really great if you can get it, and I absolutely want that for you. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. ♪

Thanks 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 iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hey, listeners.

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Hey listeners, I need to tell you about Hill House Home. I love this brand. They invented the viral nap dress. And let me tell you, it is so flattering and comfortable with their signature smocking. I'm not the only one who loves Hill House dresses. Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Anne Hathaway, and Mindy Kaling have all been spotted in the Hill House nap dress. One of my favorite things about Hill House dresses is how versatile they are.

I can wear the same dress during the day and then head out for dinner at night without missing a beat. Hill House Homes' commitment to comfort and style doesn't stop at their dresses. They started with bedding back in 2016, and their prints are just gorgeous. Their bathrobes and pajamas are so soft because guess what? The PJs are made with the same cotton fabric as their baby onesies. So when I wear them, I literally sleep like a baby.

Hill House is perfect for all ages. They have the cutest baby and kids items like tiny robes, onesies, and PJs you can monogram. All just adorable. So get 15% off your order of $100 or more at hillhousehome.com with code BREAKFAST15. Again, that's code BREAKFAST15 for 15% off your order at hillhousehome.com.