WEBVTT - Second Cup: Schedule a pick-up

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of My Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to schedule a pickup. In life, it

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<v Speaker 1>would be great if we didn't need deadlines to force action,

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<v Speaker 1>but the truth is we often do. So when you

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<v Speaker 1>can create a deadline, that might be just the nudge

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<v Speaker 1>you need to get going. We'll be putting our house

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<v Speaker 1>on the market in the next few months, and so

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<v Speaker 1>we're trying to clear out some of the clutter that

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<v Speaker 1>inevitably builds up in ten years of living somewhere. The

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<v Speaker 1>sale itself will force some of this, but until that point,

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<v Speaker 1>it's always easy to put off cleaning for some other time.

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<v Speaker 1>But a few years ago I realized that there was

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<v Speaker 1>a good way to force myself to get going on

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<v Speaker 1>the clutter clearing. I would schedule a pickup from a

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<v Speaker 1>charity that collects donations from people's houses that would force

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<v Speaker 1>me to have the clothes, books, toys, or furniture I

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<v Speaker 1>wished to get rid of out on the porch by

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<v Speaker 1>that particular scheduled day. We schedule pickups with Green Drop,

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<v Speaker 1>whose collections benefit several different nonprofits, such as the Red Cross,

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<v Speaker 1>but there are probably organizations in your neighborhood who will

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<v Speaker 1>do the same thing. If not, you can similarly force

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<v Speaker 1>a deadline by arranging for a friend to come help

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<v Speaker 1>you at a specific time and help bring your donations

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<v Speaker 1>to a processing center. You might be willing to waste

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<v Speaker 1>your own time, but probably not hers, So this version

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<v Speaker 1>of scheduling a pickup will similarly force the issue. When

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<v Speaker 1>I schedule a pickup, I get the donations moving. If

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<v Speaker 1>I don't, I might not. The same philosophy plays out

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<v Speaker 1>in all sorts of ways. Many important things in life

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<v Speaker 1>don't come with automatic deadlines attached, so you need to

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<v Speaker 1>schedule a pickup. That is, create your own deadlines. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>it's that you want to travel somewhere or write that

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<v Speaker 1>book before an upcoming milestone birthday. If you keep meaning

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<v Speaker 1>to fix up a bathroom, planning a dinner party can

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<v Speaker 1>be a great forcing mechanism. You want the bathroom to

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<v Speaker 1>look nice for your guests, so you block off the

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<v Speaker 1>weekend for a paint job. It's scheduling a pickup in

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<v Speaker 1>a different form. Maybe you've met your yearly deductible for

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<v Speaker 1>healthcare costs, so that can force a deadline for scheduling

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<v Speaker 1>something non urgent but important before the year switches over

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<v Speaker 1>and you reset at zero. And of course we've all

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<v Speaker 1>heard of people finally changing up their wardrobes, getting a

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<v Speaker 1>new haircut, and maybe doing a little teeth whitening or

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<v Speaker 1>botox before a major high school reunion. A suddenly created

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<v Speaker 1>deadline tends to force things to be sure. This schedule

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<v Speaker 1>a pickup method isn't foolproof. I have scheduled to pick

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<v Speaker 1>up and then only gotten the minimum number of boxes

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<v Speaker 1>or bags out there, rather than using the deadline as

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<v Speaker 1>a nudge to be more thorough. Life does get busy,

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<v Speaker 1>but that's still more boxes and bags than would have

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<v Speaker 1>gone out before. So that's something deadlines really do help,

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<v Speaker 1>even if we've created them ourselves. So today, think about

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<v Speaker 1>what you've been putting off in your life. How could

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<v Speaker 1>you create a deadline that feels real enough to inspire you?

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<v Speaker 1>Think this through and you just might get a lot

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<v Speaker 1>more done in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. At Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four than breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At I Hurt Me da dot com that before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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