I used to listen, and recently returned but as much as I mostly enjoy the tips - all shows feel like 65% of the time is dedicated to ads. Too much. Sorry - I’m out .

The content is great, and I can often take something I’ve heard and put it into action. Oddly enough, that only happens with the shorter episodes. I no longer even try to listen to the longer ones because I don’t find them relevant or helpful, and the interviews are all over the place. I agree with many that Laura’s delivery is “off” but it’s clear she’s not willing to change, so I try to focus on the great content instead of the cadence and the irritating way she pronounces “converZation.”

The upward inflection on words is hard to listen to. Good content but please use your normal voice.

Please Laura use your normal speaking voice! Pretend you’re talking to an adult! This sing song librarian voice makes the podcast unlistenable. I like your content on Best of Both Worlds so I keep trying this podcast but the condescending phony voice is insufferable

There are plenty of other podcasts I can listen to for half hour episodes. The benefit of this show is its brevity. Please don’t make long episodes! Long episodes absolutely ruin my morning routine. If you insist on making them, put them in their own “Before Brunch” feed or at least on the weekends. This productivity podcast is ruining my morning routine!

The content is very good; however, it is hard to listen to due to the host. She uses a sing song inflection with awkward pauses where there shouldn’t be pauses. It’s like she is reading to a kindergarten class.

:) I’ve been listening to Laura since the early COVID days. Her calm wisdom and straightforward tips and advice are a daily blessing.

Laura Vanderkam is such an inspiration! Every episode is a must-listen. If you want to spend more time on the things that matter (and less time on the things that don't), tune in to this one!

I really enjoy the short but insightful and down to earth ideas that I can implement in my daily life.

Ads are longer than the actual show. It’s awful. They’re all the same too that now I have them memorized…Can’t listen. Save some time by not listening to all the ads

I like this podcast but too many ads made me unmotivated to keep listening to it. It is hard to stay focused and follow the topic when there are ads coming up and they feel like they never stop. I am sorry. Maybe ads finance the podcast but I unfollowed the show just cause of that… I am sorry.

I dearly love this show. I’m a listener of both pods by Laura, and especially appreciate the bite size episodes! No frills, one idea per day, simple and impactful. Thank you, Laura!

I love this podcast. Let me count the ways. In the shorter episodes, she succinctly introduces a practical idea for you to think about improving the quality of your own life. The interviews are great too. I think of it more as a happiness podcast than a time management podcast because she encourages you to reflect on using your time, and we know that it is in limited supply for all of us, to better align how you spend your time with your values.

Just wanted to say I’m enjoying the new format with the longer interviews once per week. I still appreciate Laura’s short daily episodes, but I’ve also gotten some good insights from the guests. I appreciate how Laura is open to ideas to keep the podcast fresh and relevant. Thanks!

I love listening to Laura’s podcast each morning. Always a positive start to the day.

Great little tidbits of daily wisdom and can’t wait for the longer episode once per week!

Thank you Laura! You are the first voice of my day as I get ready for work after my morning shower! I am sometimes shocked as your podcast that day often has ideas for something that happens to be on my mind at that very time. For the listener that commented that there are too many ads, it’s a simple fast forward a couple times. Not a deal breaker! Keep ‘em coming! ❤️❤️❤️

I wanted to like this podcast, but all of the ads at the beginning and end of the show had me wondering what I’d actually just listened to. You know it’s bad when half of the total playtime is just annoying ads. Nope. Not worth my time then.

Before Breakfast is my favorite podcast! I have been listening for over 5 years. Each episode is a nice reminder of one little step that can be taken to bring more order to one’s life. Laura’s tips are practical, easy to implement and the info is always presented in a non-judgemental way. Thank you Laura!

Thanks for sharing your expertise in a concise and memorable way. I really enjoy your work and find so much benefit!

These five-minute daily podcasts are like an “amuse bouche” for the brain… tasty little bits that inspire you for the day. Many times Laura’s practical words of wisdom have sparked positive change in my life, and I look forward to them each day!

Laura has some of the best time saving advice. I have benefited from her plan your week on Friday advice for a few years now. One recommendation, in your write a review pod perhaps you could have given instructions on how to find where you do that. Obviously, I kept searching until I did. But, just suggesting. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

I enjoy how these bites of information that we get on a daily can lead or reinforce positive behaviors in our lives... Rather it's something that can be used today or tomorrow you can always gain great information if you allow it from this podcast

I like Laura’s advice a lot but she delivers her insights toooooo slowly. I had to check to make sure I didn’t accidentally set the speed on .75!! Also, almost 50% add is too much.

I love your show. But think of the phrase “plan in “. Please reread your script, taking out all the ends. We just plan we don’t have to plan in. I call it preposition overload. Keep up the good work.

Love the quick program and helpful knowledge. Unfortunately seems the ads have doubled at the beginning and the end.

The format & content are A++ !! This may just be me as a high auditory "senser," but I find the rhythm & length of phrases a bit challenging to listen to. It reminds me of second language learning lessons (v. short clauses & pauses of very uniform length). I'm not recommending an increase in speed, just to balance the short phrases with some longer more conversational-toned ones. Sorry, I promise i'm not trying to be a negative nancy, & I acknowledge I may be one of a small minority that have this experience. I'm still grateful for the high level of expertise and effort put into this podcast, keep up the good work!

I’m a regular listener. These daily short clips start my day.

Great tips I just listen on 2x to speed up the pace.

I love how accessible this podcast makes efficiency and productivity. However, I have to listen in at least 1.5x speed and skip through 4 minutes of ads every episode. I am so glad that I found this podcast, which helps motivate me every day with almost no time commitment.

0 stars. Why discuss Plan B in a podcast about tops to make day more productive? Disgusting.

This is crazy that a 5 minute podcast has 1-2 min of ads at the beginning and 1-2 min at the end.

This is perhaps my favorite podcast and I have become something of a super fan of Laura’s; I’m giving her book, Tranquility by Tuesday, to several people for Christmas this year (and loved it myself). I really love listening to this podcast. But I am always frustrated by what a huge percentage of these very short episodes turns out to be ads. I wish there were fewer!

Laura Vanderkam is a wonderful host. I love her deliberate way of speaking, beautifully weaving a story. I love the short episodes that are chock full of great ideas. She’s never pushy about what you “should” do, rather simply offers strategies to “try”. I listen to this podcast almost daily and find inspiration to make minor improvements in daily activities. Thank you for all you do Laura!

Motivates me to get going and be productive every morning. Love it and everything Laura Vanderkam.

I listen to Laura almost every morning before I start my day. Her tips are useful and informative - I’ve adopted many of them into my life. I highly recommend this podcast.

I love the idea of this podcast and the content. I have to agree with other reviewers that the pauses while reading are not quite natural and it would be more pleasant to hear the script read naturally.

This show is great for productivity and inspiration.

I have been listening to this podcast for years and am sort of ashamed I am just now coming to rate and review it. I purchased several of Laura’s books and while some podcasters recycle their books into podcast episodes and vice versa, Before Breakfast is different. Sure there is some crossover, but there is always a new flavor I had not considered. A bonus is that this podcast is brief, concise and comes out daily. It is easy to batch, but also is good for a quick run to the grocery store too. Check this podcast out for relatable tips and stories to make life productive.

I was excited to follow her podcast as I’ve read her books but her stilted delivery just kills it for me. I’ve heard you interviewed on other podcasts and you are so relatable and conversational so I don’t understand why you’re reading your material and why you sound so weirdly halting?

With the podcasts being short, I like the quick doses of insights and information. Some topics I’d never considered and enjoy seeing what Laura will think of next.

Love the content, but can’t get over the rhythm and pauses in the speech delivery of the host.

The way the host is reading her script is super annoying. A relaxed, casual voice would be much more enjoyable. I listen to another podcast that she’s on, and it’s more like a real conversation between two people. I just can’t stomach this one even though I like the short episodes and topics she covers.

I am a Laura fan from the first time I read 168 hours. Even if her specific advice doesn’t apply to you I believe the qualities are universal. Coming up with ideas to do things in new ways, looking at time differently, making the best use of the time and resources that you have, and being creative. I don’t have or need a nanny but I do swap kids with another mom on a regular schedule giving us both a lot of fun with kids and time to work on projects. Love the short format too!

I used to enjoy this podcast and I do like the short format (which would be much more effective without all the ads). But recently the good tips have been few and far between. It feels like Laura is stretching to find content, maybe because she has such a narrow focus and cannot see beyond her privileged life as a white, upper-class woman. Not everyone can just throw money at a problem to make it go away, which is often the tip she offers. It can also be hard to get past her speaking cadence. Obviously the show is scripted, which is fine, but her speaking is stilted, with odd pauses that are hard to get past.

It’s funny this is called “before breakfast” because I listen to it everyday while eating breakfast. I love the bite-sized daily tip, which Laura shares in a way that it can fit any person with just about any lifestyle. I’ve listened almost everyday for several months and there’s never been a topic that wasn’t helpful! I also noticed some reviews mention an issue with her voice (soft & slower). I find it incredibly calming, especially in a word where people and things are almost always rushed!

Lots of great tips about productivity here, and I like the focused, bite-sized format. But like many people have mentioned, the host's slow, deliberate cadence is an acquired taste, and Laura does sound like an android at times. I listen to this at 1.25 or 1.5x speed and it helps! The other criticism is that some of the advice really can only be implemented by the privileged, and often the very privileged. Not everyone can simply hire and afford extra help for childcare or housework very easily, for example. In that sense, this podcast is curiously tone-deaf and oblivious to many other realities outside well-off white folks. I stick around for the mindset and perspective tips that work for me, but I'd love to find a more socially aware podcast on similar topics.

I’ve gotten so much useful advice in this bite-sized podcast.

Unsubscribing since may episodes have been repeats of past episodes and there are too many ads at the beginning

The slow, choppy cadence of the host is really off-putting to an otherwise practical and informative podcast. Thank you for the great advice, but please for the love of all things holy, stop. pausing. after. each. word.