WEBVTT - Second Cup: Start anywhere

0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:09.569
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning.

0:00:11.110 --> 0:00:16.650
<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

0:00:16.710 --> 0:00:19.739
<v Speaker 1>tip is that if you are working on something big,

0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:23.720
<v Speaker 1>just get going with whatever part you feel you can do.

0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:27.880
<v Speaker 1>We often start at the very beginning because, in the

0:00:27.900 --> 0:00:30.880
<v Speaker 1>words of the famous song, that is a very good

0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.290
<v Speaker 1>place to start. but it is not the only place

0:00:34.330 --> 0:00:40.620
<v Speaker 1>to start. You can begin anywhere. Today's tip comes from

0:00:40.659 --> 0:00:44.000
<v Speaker 1>the field of design thinking, an approach that focuses on

0:00:44.060 --> 0:00:49.000
<v Speaker 1>developing ideas for possible solutions, testing them out, and refining

0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:53.040
<v Speaker 1>them based on what you learn. According to author Warren Berger,

0:00:53.100 --> 0:00:57.420
<v Speaker 1>begin anywhere is an important principle of design thinking. He

0:00:57.480 --> 0:01:00.700
<v Speaker 1>explains that the principle was borrowed from the composer John Cage.

0:01:01.610 --> 0:01:05.330
<v Speaker 1>who thought you could begin a musical composition anywhere within

0:01:05.350 --> 0:01:09.209
<v Speaker 1>the composition. In other words, you don't necessarily have to

0:01:09.270 --> 0:01:13.540
<v Speaker 1>compose the opening bars first. If you've got a good

0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:17.220
<v Speaker 1>idea for a musical moment in the middle, go ahead

0:01:17.260 --> 0:01:20.740
<v Speaker 1>and start there. You can figure out what's around it

0:01:21.180 --> 0:01:25.720
<v Speaker 1>based on what you have created. With big projects in general,

0:01:26.050 --> 0:01:29.840
<v Speaker 1>almost any starting point will do. What you learn will

0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.179
<v Speaker 1>help you figure out what aspect of the work to

0:01:32.220 --> 0:01:35.760
<v Speaker 1>work on next. I definitely do this with my books.

0:01:36.900 --> 0:01:39.500
<v Speaker 1>If I am working on a chapter, I might not

0:01:39.620 --> 0:01:43.319
<v Speaker 1>know exactly how I plan to start the chapter. And

0:01:43.340 --> 0:01:46.680
<v Speaker 1>the opening might change in any case. But if I've

0:01:46.700 --> 0:01:49.110
<v Speaker 1>got a good example I know I'm going to include,

0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:53.730
<v Speaker 1>I can write that portion first. I don't always write

0:01:53.750 --> 0:01:57.650
<v Speaker 1>the chapters in order, either. If I have all the

0:01:57.690 --> 0:02:00.710
<v Speaker 1>material for Chapter 5 before I have the material for

0:02:00.730 --> 0:02:05.360
<v Speaker 1>Chapter 3, I can write Chapter 5 first. That's fine.

0:02:06.620 --> 0:02:09.859
<v Speaker 1>It all needs to get written eventually. So best not

0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:13.640
<v Speaker 1>to sit around waiting for Chapter 3 to pull itself together.

0:02:15.419 --> 0:02:19.079
<v Speaker 1>So it goes for many things. If you are overwhelmed

0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:21.600
<v Speaker 1>at the sight of your attic, just pick one box.

0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.810
<v Speaker 1>Figure out what to do with everything in it. Or,

0:02:25.930 --> 0:02:28.590
<v Speaker 1>as some people have advised, grab a garbage bag and

0:02:28.630 --> 0:02:31.210
<v Speaker 1>start identifying things in your attic you know you can

0:02:31.230 --> 0:02:36.690
<v Speaker 1>throw away. You can begin anywhere. If you want to

0:02:36.710 --> 0:02:39.940
<v Speaker 1>start a blog, just write a post. It doesn't have

0:02:39.970 --> 0:02:43.560
<v Speaker 1>to be your introductory post or, heaven forbid, your lifetime manifesto.

0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:46.660
<v Speaker 1>And you don't have to know what sections you want

0:02:46.780 --> 0:02:52.500
<v Speaker 1>on the site. Just start writing. That first post and

0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.300
<v Speaker 1>the one after that will help you figure out your purpose.

0:02:56.180 --> 0:03:00.720
<v Speaker 1>your website organization, and your voice. If you want to

0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:03.859
<v Speaker 1>cook more, make dinner tonight. Start with the rice you

0:03:03.900 --> 0:03:06.700
<v Speaker 1>know you're going to be making. No need to meal

0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:09.200
<v Speaker 1>plan for the week or order a stack of cookbooks

0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:13.820
<v Speaker 1>or reorganize your pantry. That can come later. For now,

0:03:14.580 --> 0:03:18.470
<v Speaker 1>just cook a meal. See how it goes. Iterate from there.

0:03:20.130 --> 0:03:24.169
<v Speaker 1>Don't waste time feeling stuck or figuring out the very

0:03:24.230 --> 0:03:29.270
<v Speaker 1>beginning of something. Instead, dive in with what you know

0:03:29.290 --> 0:03:33.570
<v Speaker 1>you can do. Then, with what you learn from your experience,

0:03:34.500 --> 0:03:38.780
<v Speaker 1>you can adjust and refine your plans. You can keep

0:03:38.860 --> 0:03:43.080
<v Speaker 1>on going until you have taken your project to completion.

0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:50.180
<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening. And

0:03:50.240 --> 0:04:00.280
<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

0:04:00.310 --> 0:04:05.020
<v Speaker 1>listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:15.650
<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast

0:04:15.710 --> 0:04:19.850
<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,

0:04:20.150 --> 0:04:24.160
<v Speaker 1>please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:04:24.180 --> 0:04:30.780
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows. Thank you.