1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,639 Speaker 1: This is the fifth episode in my five part series 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: about procrastination. Today's tip is to get curious about procrastination. 5 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: You can make big breakthroughs in life if you figure 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: out what procrastination might be teaching you. We tend to 7 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: think of procrastination as a bad thing, and generally it is. 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: As we've discussed this week, the definition of procrastination is 9 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: to delay, even knowing that you'll be worse off for 10 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: the delay. It's no problem to put off work that 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: doesn't need to be done in the first place. But 12 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: studying for an exam that's critical for whether you'll get 13 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: into grad school, that's a different matter. We've discussed why 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: we procrastinate, and we've discussed strategies for making progress. But 15 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: today I want to raise a different possibility, which is 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: that some times our procrastination is teaching us something. We 17 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: can reach real insights by getting curious about why we're 18 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: putting something off. Sometimes we delay because things are boring 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: or unpleasant. Sometimes we delay because we're feeling bad about ourselves. 20 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: We don't want to try our best and risk still failing. 21 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: But sometimes we delay because we know deep down that 22 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: a particular project is not the right direction for our 23 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: careers or our lives. The reason you are resisting is 24 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: not that you have no self discipline. It's that your 25 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: wise inner mentor is saying, no, this is not what 26 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,919 Speaker 1: you are meant to be doing. There are other things 27 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: that are more worthy of your precious time. Now, I'll 28 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: admit that it's not always easy to tell the difference 29 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: between mere delay and an epiphany. I've put off writing 30 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: scripts for this show because I got sucked into something else. 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: But I truly love doing this podcast. Usually I just 32 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: need a break and a snack and I'm good to go, 33 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: But sometimes it's something else. About a year or so ago, 34 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: I was asked to take on a project, and I 35 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: tentatively agreed set about doing some work for it. Then 36 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: I kept finding other things to do. I returned to 37 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: emails promptly. I cleaned my desk, and if you know me, 38 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: you know that cleaning my desk is usually the last 39 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: thing on my priority list. Around the time I found 40 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: myself daydreaming about how I might pay someone else to 41 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: take on this project. I realized No, it wasn't a 42 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: prison sentence. I could extricate myself. Of course, I couldn't 43 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: extricate myself immediately. I still had to do the part 44 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: that I'd agreed to do. Likewise, if you realize something 45 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: isn't the right direction for your life, that doesn't mean 46 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: you can get out of doing it, but you can 47 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 1: ask yourself how you can make sure that in a 48 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,519 Speaker 1: reasonable amount of time, say the next few weeks or months, 49 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: you can make sure you're no longer doing it. Sometimes 50 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: that question can actually be the nudge you need to 51 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: stop procrastinating. You realize that all that is standing between 52 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: you and a future where you aren't doing these types 53 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: of projects is getting your immediate deliverables done. Then you 54 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: can volunteer for different things, or ask to be reassigned, 55 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: or whatever it takes. What have you learned by getting 56 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: curious about why you're procrastinating? Have you ever realized after 57 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: putting something off that there was a really good reason 58 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: you weren't doing it? If so, please let me know. 59 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: You can email me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart 60 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: media dot com, and if you have feedback on this 61 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: five part series on procrastination, you can let me know 62 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,119 Speaker 1: that too. If people are interested, I might do more 63 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: series in the future. In the meantime, this is Laura. 64 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 65 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 66 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 67 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 68 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the number four, then 69 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 70 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot 71 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 1: com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 72 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 73 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 74 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart 75 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 76 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.