1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to figure out which problem to solve first. 4 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: Sometimes your efforts will be a lot less efficient if 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: you don't do things in the right order. Long time 6 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: listeners know that my family moved a few weeks ago. 7 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: Unpacking boxes for a family of seven takes a long time. 8 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: While we decluttered before moving. There is always just a 9 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: lot of stuff and it is not always clear where 10 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: it can go in a new space. This has led 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: to some unpacking impasses. For instance, my daughter has a 12 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: huge pile of boxes still in her bedroom. Most of 13 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: these have toys in them. She had a shelf with 14 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,559 Speaker 1: cubbies in the old house, but it wasn't pretty rough shape, 15 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: so we had to get rid of it. We ordered 16 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: a new one, but it turns out that it needs 17 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: to be assembled, so now her room has a big 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: box with unassembled furniture in it and big boxes with 19 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: toys in him. I tried to start unpacking the toys, 20 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: but realized I would go nowhere until the cubby was built, 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: so I switched my focus. I am finding a home 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: for all the stuff that is currently sitting where the 23 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: cubby shelves will go. Then I'm going to enlist the 24 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 1: child who is an ace with Ikea style furniture assembly 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: to build his sister's shelves over the weekend, and then 26 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: we will be able to unpack the toy boxes quite quickly. 27 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: Trying to solve this problem in any other order is 28 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: just going to result in frustration. Maybe you too, our 29 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: face sing a bit of an impasse. These can happen 30 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: in all sorts of situations. You want to get a 31 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: different job, but you think you'll need new skills. The 32 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: problem is that you don't have the time to learn 33 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: those skills because you are so busy at your current job. 34 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: Or your team is missing deadlines because you are understaffed. 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: But because you are understaffed, no one has the time 36 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: to look at resumes, so you just keep floundering around. 37 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: Or maybe you got so far as to bring on 38 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: somebody new, but no one has had the time to 39 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: train her, and so she is not nearly as helpful 40 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: as you suspect she could be. It is so easy 41 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: to get stuck, But when you find yourself in one 42 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: of these situations, take a few minutes to pause and think, 43 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking five minutes here. This isn't going 44 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: to be endless. List out the various issues, then look 45 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: at them which should happen first. It is quite possible 46 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: that the other problems will continue to deteriorate a bit 47 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: as you focus on the first problem. Maybe they will 48 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: deteriorate at a faster rate than they were before. But 49 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: which one problem would then allow you to solve the 50 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: others quicker? I am not sure what the answer will be, though, generally, 51 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: taking an hour to train someone will pay back that 52 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: investment pretty quickly. That's going to be a better use 53 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: of an hour than tromping to another status meeting to 54 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: report that everyone is still behind on doing their jobs. 55 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: When you are stuck on writing something, Figuring out the 56 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: thesis statement tends to help a lot solve that problem, 57 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: and the question of which examples you need and whose 58 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: expertise you need to draw upon tends to become more 59 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: clear as we unpack and do renovations. I have realized 60 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: that sometimes rooms will become messier as I solve the 61 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: primary problem. But once the primary problem is solved, the 62 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: other things go fast. So figure out which problem to 63 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: solve first, you will still have a mess for a while, 64 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: but things will be better than they were in the meantime. 65 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making 66 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 67 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 68 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 69 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four, 70 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me 71 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,239 Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com 72 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 73 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 74 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 75 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i heart 76 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 77 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: favorite shows.