Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is about how to figure out if something is interesting to you or if it is just something you feel like you should do. How would you feel about doing it tonight?
this can provide some useful information about the lots of different ways that we could spend our time. So in recent episodes, I have suggested making a list of things you are into. Several people wrote me to share their lists, which is amazing.
But I also had some people tell me that they couldn't really tell if they were into something or if it was just something they felt like they should be into. They should exercise more. They should volunteer at the school more. They should hang out with that old acquaintance who keeps suggesting getting together.
So here is one way to tell if you are truly excited about something or if it just sounds good in theory. Ask yourself this. Would you be excited to do this thing tonight? Now, to be clear, I know lots of people have logistical challenges to doing various things tonight as in actually tonight. So let's put some parameters on this scenario. Your boss says you can go home early.
And actually, the office is going to be closed until 11 a.m. tomorrow. So there is no need to get up at the crack of dawn to commute in. Someone has booked a babysitter for you. Or... Your spouse says he or she has the kids tonight and will get them up and off to school or daycare tomorrow morning. Someone has arranged the details of whatever hobby or activity it is. So you just have to say yes.
With all of that squared away, would you be excited to do this thing tonight? I think that for things where you truly do want to do something, the answer is that yes, you would be excited to do it tonight.
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Chapter 2: How can you determine if something is truly interesting to you?
Yes, you would go to that improv class. Yes, you would play the piano. Yes, you would go to that artsy film with your friend Colleen. But with everything squared away, would you actually want to go to that CrossFit class that your friend keeps raving about? Or would you feel like, all things considered, you would rather go for a walk? Does thinking about the CrossFit class make you excited?
Or do you not feel energized when you think about doing it? Would you go hang out with that friend who always seems sour about everything? Or do you realize that you're constantly telling this person you are busy is because you actually find time together kind of draining? In general, I find that we draw energy from things we enjoy doing.
We feel more energized after doing these things, even though they take energy to do. We feel excited about the possibility of doing them, even tonight, if the obvious logistics are taken care of. It can be hard to know what we truly want versus just what sounds good. Figuring out our real interests is a skill like anything else.
You might think it would be obvious, and certainly when I first started writing about time, I thought it would be. My original view was that I could help people find time for their passions, because they would already know what their passions were. Then I talked to enough people to realize that this wasn't universally true.
Plenty of people just assume they are so busy that there is no point even figuring out what they like. We do whatever is right in front of us. Making a list can be helpful, but even a list can be subject to other impulses. To looking like something a good person would share with the world. To making us seem more sophisticated than we are.
For instance, I put on multiple versions of my list of 100 dreams that I wanted to see Casablanca. It is supposedly the best movie ever made, and I am the sort of person who likes great art, so I should see it, right? Well, I can tell you that since I have made that list, there have been hundreds of days where I could have watched that movie if I wanted to.
It never felt like something I wanted to do tonight, which means that I probably don't have a huge desire to do it. Good to know. You may find the same. So as you make a list of your interests, think about whether you would be excited to do these things tonight. If so, great. If not, maybe it's not a real priority in your life. And that is totally fine as well. 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 lauravanderkam.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.
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