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!

I’ve been listening to this podcast for over a year and really like the tips and the conciseness of the material. However, it’s late September of 2023, and I’m still hearing about how we are “6 months into a pandemic” or in the midst of one. Please produce some new material for post-pandemic or that at least no longer mentions it.

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.

Great show with some great and actionable ideas! Some episodes are more relevant than others, but it’s great because they are super short and to the point AND released so regularly that I’m constantly getting new inspiration :) Thank you!!

Listen to “put a price tag in it” episode - its 7 minutes and you’ll see how this podcast provides insights, thoughts, suggestions that are simple but wow … packs a punch on seeing another angle on how using your time can make a huge impact on your life. Thank you Laura for sharing this information - has helped me greatly.

I am so happy I came across this podcast. It is a permanent part of my morning routine now. Laura has such a calm and comforting voice and manner of speaking. Every episode is inspiring. I find myself taking notes and implementing so many of her suggestions regarding time management! My favorite recent episode was about finding a “quest” daily! I love this way of making your normal humdrum daily routine take on an adventure feeling! I would give this podcast 10 stars if possible. It is so well done and professional!

Greta tips for time management in short segments. Curiously, Laura talks quite slowly, with lots of pauses between words. Here’s a time-saving tip: listen at 1.5x speed. Laura’s cadence then comes across as closer to a normal cadence and you just saved at least a minute, maybe two, for the same information.

I’ve been listening since the beginning and I can’t believe the variety of topics Laura manages to cover. Not every single tip is something I can implement but most of them give me something helpful to think about and I think it’s a great resource.

I appreciate the content mostly and the optimistic outlook. I just cannot get past the robotic speaking. It just negatively outweighs the content for me.

I listened to this for a good year before I gave up. Laura would benefit from trying to put herself in someone else’s shoes who doesn’t have her life, instead of just giving advice based on her own life. We don’t care about how to remodel is going on your house for your new baby, as a rich white woman who can afford to choose to have 5 kids. What about single moms renting and doing shift work? What about millennials choosing to be childless because we can never afford a house much less a child? Where are your tips for anyone who you can’t see yourself in?

Look forward to this podcast. Gives me something to focus on for the day. Her voice is fantastic!

Enjoy listening to these each day and find them inspiring. If you’re looking for a couple of minutes to be encouraged this is a great one.

I used to enjoy this show, and totally good with the sponsorships that need to occur to help pay for content. But when the Folgers commercials started, it turned me off. Unsubscribed.

Really enjoying Laura’s short tips and suggestions for living a better life. Thank you for this podcast!

I generally like all of Laura's work, but these episodes feel a little contrived. I realize they're scripted, and that makes sense, but the cadence is a little rough. I agree with the other reviews who say she's really speaking to upper middle class women. I think these episodes would be better served as daily short essays.

‘Be a little *deaf* sometimes’ is a pretty disgustingly ableist and extremely thoughtless phrase to use. Normally absolutely love this podcast but I’m so disappointed in this latest episode’s title.

Laura's podcasts are the only ones I'm regularly listening to. Main reason it's easy to keep coming back is because her episodes are short and cover varying topics.

Laura is a gem! I listened to this podcast, then heard about her books and bought a couple, listened to a ton of the audiobooks and downloaded the eBooks. She has great tips!

I agree with the review writers who commented on how much Laura focuses on upper middle-class women who don’t need time management help nearly as much as women who can’t afford to throw money at their problems. Where is the advice for shift workers, retail workers, the unemployed? I have been listening on stitcher and came over here on purpose to find out if other listeners were ok with this. I think this could be resolved if Laura would get guests. But I worry that she might not be able to empathize with a guest, so maybe not. The thing is, Laura talks about the corporate woman but the truth is she is a writer and podcaster who works from home. She’s not in the corporate world!!! It would make as much sense if she talked about time management for astronauts. Come to think of it that would be more fun to listen to than this. I find her really grating. She talks like she is perfect. If you need time management advice and you’d line to get it from someone who isn’t full of herself try the happiness lab or lazy genius.