Second Cup: Don't waste your life on your phone

Mindless minutes still matter

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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 your life on your phone.
Use your phone when you need to, of course, but

(00:26):
beyond the basics, I am guessing you have much more
meaningful ways to spend your time. So you may remember
that in January I led a group of thousands of
people through a challenge where we all tracked our time
for a week. Some of these time trackers told me
about their experiences and let me know what they discovered.

(00:51):
For instance, one person who felt she spent too much
time scrolling through headlines and social media told me that
I can do better. Time is so valuable and I
won't waste my life on my phone. I really appreciated
that statement. I mean, of course, time is a valuable

(01:13):
but you will note that she didn't say she didn't
want to waste time on her phone. She said she
wouldn't waste her life on her phone. Focusing on life
rather than time raises the stakes. What you do with
five minutes here and there just doesn't seem like a
big deal. But your life, I mean, life is all

(01:37):
we have of course, our lives are made up of time,
and how we spend our time is how we spend
our lives. Wasting time is wasting life, but we don't
usually acknowledge that. Maybe we should. If you are trying
to reduce your phone use, you too might consider how

(01:59):
you want to spen your life instead of just how
you want to spend the next forty five minutes. You
might start with my time tracker's mantra, I won't waste
my life on my phone. Then you can add in
an intention about how you do want to spend your life,

(02:19):
like my life is about spending time with the people
I love, or my life is about bringing joy to others,
or my life is about making the world a more
just place. Then when you find yourself scrolling around on
social media or reading alarming headlines, cleaning out your podcast

(02:42):
queue playing snood, remind yourself what you want to do
with your life is what you are doing right now,
helping to make the world a more just place, or
bringing joy to others, or increasing the chances that you
spend time with the people you love. Maybe it is

(03:03):
always possible that it is, but maybe not. And if
that is the case, then maybe that reminder will help
you decide to spend the next few minutes on activities
beyond simply passing time until the next thing. You could
even change the wallpaper on your phone to remind yourself

(03:26):
of your intention for your life. That way, every time
you are about to check in on that argument on
Twitter and maybe even fan the flames a little, you
are reminded that you want to bring joy to others.
In any case, time is precious. Little bits of time

(03:47):
might not seem like much, but they do add up,
just like change in the couch cushions adds up. Each
bit isn't much, but in the end it doesn't feel
right just to burn it all. Best to harness that
time for something else rather than waste your life on

(04:10):
your phone. You live your life with the phone just
as a tool to help you along in the meantime.
This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our times. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:36):
hear from you. 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 the number
four then breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me an
email at before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that

(04:57):
Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letter 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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