1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: For the next five episodes, I'll be talking about the 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: topic of procrastination. Today, we're talking about what procrastination is 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 1: and why we put things off. Over the next few days, 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: we'll look at strategies for making progress even if we 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: do feel resistance. Finally, we'll talk about when that resistance 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: is a good thing, because procrastination is actually our intuition's 9 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: way of teaching us something important. But first, a definition, 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: procrastination means putting something off, even knowing will be worse 11 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: off because of the delay. Sometimes delays don't matter or 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: are even wise. If you put off checking email because 13 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: you need to help a colleague who's really struggling with 14 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: a project, you are choosing well. If put off writing 15 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: a self evaluation that will help your manager argue for 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: your promotion, that's procrastination. The first thing to know is 17 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: that everyone procrastinates to some degree. In the past few weeks, 18 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: I've put off a number of things that I definitely 19 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: had time to do but chose not to, such as 20 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: getting my car's oil changed and making an update that 21 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: my marketing person keeps telling me to do with my 22 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: Instagram account. People are most likely to procrastinate things that 23 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: seem complicated or unpleasant, and I know this is true 24 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: for me too. If something doesn't have a definite deadline, 25 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: then it's particularly easy to put off to tomorrow what 26 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: could be done today. People sometimes ask me if procrastination 27 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: means they're lazy. I guess it could. But in a 28 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: recent article for The New York Times, writer Charlotte Lieberman 29 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: explored a different angle. Sometimes, she wrote, procrastination is about 30 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: self doubt, low self esteem, anxiety, or insecurity. Staring at 31 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: a blank document might be thinking, I'm not smart enough 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: to write this. Even if I am, what will people 33 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: think of it? Writing is so hard? What if I 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: do a bad job. All of this can lead us 35 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: to think that putting the document aside and cleaning that 36 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: spice straw instead is a pretty good idea. I think 37 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: Charlotte is onto something. There's some research finding that procrastination 38 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: is about protecting our egos from the bruising nature of reality. 39 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 1: One study found that when students were told that a 40 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: test was an important judge of their abilities, they put 41 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: off studying. When these students were told that the test 42 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: didn't matter, well, then they felt no such procrastination urge. 43 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: What's happening is that it's really scary to think that 44 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: we might try our hardest, throwing our hearts into things, 45 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: and still fail. So sometimes we try to protect ourselves 46 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: by putting things off. If you put off studying until 47 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: an hour before the test, well, of course you won't 48 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: do well. That kind of failure feels more psychologically acceptable, 49 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: but it's kind of a sad way to go through life. 50 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: Developing the courage to risk failure is far more rewarding. 51 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: We get better at things by doing our best, seeing 52 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: where we come up short, and trying again. It also 53 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 1: helps to realize that failure is generally not that big 54 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: a deal. I like to think of the word failure 55 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: in the context of weight training. Weightlifters will sometimes do 56 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: reps to the point of muscle failure, and that's the 57 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: word they use, failure. It's not a judgment. You're not 58 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,399 Speaker 1: a bad person because you can't lift those weights indefinitely. 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: It's just a reality that we have limits. Weightlifters view 60 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: failure as part of the process. You go to your limit, 61 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: then rest a bit, then try again. And over time 62 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: that limit moves. In Charlotte Lieberman's article, she recommended countering 63 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: the procrastination cycle with self compassion. One study found that 64 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: students who could forgive themselves for procrastinating on a test 65 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: or less likely to procrastinate on a future one. So 66 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: when you find yourself putting something off, rather than getting 67 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: into a cycle of self loathing, simply say it's okay. 68 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: Treat yourself just like you treat a friend. If she 69 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: put off applying for a new job, you wouldn't tell 70 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: her she's a miserable excuse for a human being. You'd 71 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: encourage her and point out that this application is just 72 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: a small thing standing between her and a great future. 73 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: She's totally got this and you do too. So think 74 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: about something big that you've been putting off. Would it 75 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: change anything to recognize that failure isn't that big a deal? 76 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: Would it change anything to tell yourself that you're still 77 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 1: a great person whether you do this thing or not. 78 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: But if you choose to do it, it might be awesome. 79 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe not, but it might. Please. Tune 80 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: in for the rest of the week for more on 81 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,239 Speaker 1: procrastination and ways we can get going on the things 82 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: that matter to us in the meantime. This is Laura. 83 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of 84 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 85 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,239 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 86 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 87 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast 88 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 89 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com 90 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 91 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 92 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 93 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I heart 94 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 95 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: favorite shows.