WEBVTT - Try a finishing blitz

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to try a finishing blitz. Spend a day

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<v Speaker 1>completing all the tasks you can, even if they are

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<v Speaker 1>done imperfectly, and let that sense of accomplishment fuel you

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<v Speaker 1>for even more in the future. Today's tip, like another

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<v Speaker 1>this week, comes from Oliver Berkman's book Meditations for Mortals.

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<v Speaker 1>One of Berkman's meditations focuses on finishing things and what

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<v Speaker 1>he calls the magic of completion. Berkman points out that

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<v Speaker 1>completing a task energizes you for future tasks. You have

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<v Speaker 1>probably had this experience. After completing an important task, you

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<v Speaker 1>feel ready to conquer the world, or at least ready

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<v Speaker 1>to knock out another important task. Rather than being depleted

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<v Speaker 1>by what you have done, you are fired up for

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<v Speaker 1>the next thing. But if finishing feels so good, why

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<v Speaker 1>do we leave so many things hanging? Why is procrastination

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<v Speaker 1>so tempting? Why do we spend time deleting emails even

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<v Speaker 1>if we know there will always be emails instead of

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<v Speaker 1>making progress. Berkman points out that perfectionists tend to like

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<v Speaker 1>starting things more than finishing them. At the beginning of

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<v Speaker 1>a project, you can still imagine finishing it perfectly, as

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<v Speaker 1>Berkman writes, for as long as you haven't done any

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<v Speaker 1>work on a project, it's still possible to believe that

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<v Speaker 1>the end result might match the ideal in your mind.

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<v Speaker 1>But the problem is that if you don't finish things,

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<v Speaker 1>the only place the result exists is in your mind.

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<v Speaker 1>The result may be perfect, but it's not real. You

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<v Speaker 1>don't have any accomplishments to celebrate, you can't get feedback

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<v Speaker 1>or other's ideas about the work you've done, and you

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<v Speaker 1>don't get the energy boost of completion. You are much

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<v Speaker 1>better off achieving an imperfect result then having the perfect

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<v Speaker 1>project existing only in your head. Berkman cites advice from

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Chandler, the author of the book Time Warrior. Chandler

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<v Speaker 1>advises spending a day finishing as much unfinished business as

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<v Speaker 1>he calls it as you can, and then noticing how

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<v Speaker 1>much energy you have. You'll be amazed. He says, getting

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<v Speaker 1>stuff done doesn't wear us out. It's leaving things undone

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<v Speaker 1>that tends to sap our energy. For projects that are

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<v Speaker 1>too big to complete in one setting, Berkman advises defining

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<v Speaker 1>your next deliverable, as he puts it, clarify some outcome

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<v Speaker 1>you could attain in a single setting, he suggests, and

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<v Speaker 1>then work until you reach it. He gives the examples

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<v Speaker 1>of finishing the research for a single section of a report,

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<v Speaker 1>picking the paint color for one room, and choosing a

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<v Speaker 1>workout plan and scheduling your first GEM session. Obviously, writing

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<v Speaker 1>a full research report or redecorating your entire house and

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<v Speaker 1>getting fit are more than you can do in one setting,

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<v Speaker 1>but you can get some of the benefits of completion

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<v Speaker 1>by defining the next step toward the goal and then

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<v Speaker 1>accomplishing that step. So if you feel like you are

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<v Speaker 1>in the messy and unmotivated middle of a lot of projects,

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<v Speaker 1>having a one day finishing blitz might be just what

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<v Speaker 1>you need. You'll get a lot done, which will give

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<v Speaker 1>you a sense of accomplishment, Plus you'll get an energy

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<v Speaker 1>boost to fuel you for the next thing. If you

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<v Speaker 1>try finishing blitz, I'd love to hear about it. You

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<v Speaker 1>can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listen, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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