Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura.
Speaker 2: Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is for
Speaker 2: when you are feeling stuck, Just get going and see
Speaker 2: what happens. Maybe not much will happen, but you might
Speaker 2: be in a slightly better spot than you are in before.
Speaker 2: Today's tip comes from a guest essay in The New
Speaker 2: York Times by author and executive coach Brad Stolberg. In
Speaker 2: the article, Stollberg describes the psychological concept of behavioral activation.
Speaker 2: This is the practice of creating motivation through doing something
Speaker 2: instead of relying on motivation to get started. Sometimes we
Speaker 2: are motivated and eager to dive into a new project.
Speaker 2: Other times, times, even if we rest and give ourselves
Speaker 2: grace and patience, the momentum just doesn't come. That's when
Speaker 2: Stolberg tries for behavioral activation. He uses the pocket phrase
Speaker 2: just get going and see what happens. I love this.
Speaker 2: It is all about action and openness. Just get going
Speaker 2: and see what happens. He isn't promising that once you
Speaker 2: get going it will get easier, or that you'll feel
Speaker 2: good about what you're doing, or even that you will
Speaker 2: see results. Instead, you can just do little something and
Speaker 2: be curious about what will happen. No judgment, no expectation,
Speaker 2: but in openness to seeing if anything changes. I think
Speaker 2: there are good reasons for all of us to adopt
Speaker 2: this mindset. After two years of a pandemic with its
Speaker 2: resulting stresses and strains, not to mention natural disasters and
Speaker 2: other sources of turmoil at home and abroad, we are tired.
Speaker 2: So many people are simply worn out, and motivation is
Speaker 2: hard to come by. When you're feeling stuck and having
Speaker 2: trouble getting started, it can often help to just do something.
Speaker 2: Don't wait until you're motivated. Instead, just start do the
Speaker 2: easiest part, do something in the middle. Write one sentence,
Speaker 2: put one number on your spreadsheet, look up one statistic
Speaker 2: you know you will need. Maybe the motivation will come.
Speaker 2: Hopefully the motivation will come. As Stolberg says, just get
Speaker 2: going and see what happens. But even if not much happens,
Speaker 2: well you are one sentence closer than you were a
Speaker 2: few minutes ago. This approach can work for professional projects,
Speaker 2: home projects, self improvement efforts, and so much else. Having
Speaker 2: trouble getting motivated to start looking for a new employee,
Speaker 2: because everyone keeps saying it's a terrible time to hire.
Speaker 2: Just make a list of steps you might take to
Speaker 2: find someone wonderful. Maybe you will become optimistic about one
Speaker 2: of the strategies you identify. You'll be energized to get started,
Speaker 2: or you won't be, but at least you'll have an
Speaker 2: item for tomorrow's to do list. Overwhelmed at the thought
Speaker 2: of packing up your apartment for an upcoming move, aim
Speaker 2: to pack one box and fill one bag of things
Speaker 2: to donate this weekend. By the time you've done that,
Speaker 2: maybe you'll have a better idea of a timeline for
Speaker 2: getting everything out the door, or you will still be tired,
Speaker 2: but you are one box closer to done. By just
Speaker 2: doing something, you may overcome your inertia and generate some
Speaker 2: energy or excitement for a you've been struggling to start.
Speaker 2: Don't assume that motivation has to proceed the first step. Instead,
Speaker 2: taking that first step maybe exactly what you need to
Speaker 2: generate some momentum, and if not, well, at least you're
Speaker 2: closer than you were. So get going and get curious
Speaker 2: to see what happens next. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening and here's to making the most.
Speaker 1: Of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number four then Breakfast pod.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled
Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
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Speaker 1: favorite shows.