WEBVTT - Not too easy, not too hard

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I 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 seek out that sweet spot where

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<v Speaker 1>your projects are not too easy and not too hard.

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<v Speaker 1>No one likes to be frustrated, but no one likes

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<v Speaker 1>to be bored either, and working to get this right

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<v Speaker 1>can make a life a little more satisfying. I recently

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<v Speaker 1>completed a one thousand piece puzzle that was a bit,

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<v Speaker 1>well hard, and not in a good way. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>mind so much if two hundred pieces are black night Sky.

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<v Speaker 1>When I get to that part of a puzzle, I

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<v Speaker 1>sort by shape and work by process of illumination. The

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<v Speaker 1>problem with this particular puzzle was that the pieces were

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<v Speaker 1>quite small and could plausibly fit in multiple play uses.

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<v Speaker 1>The cuts weren't exact enough that you could be sure

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<v Speaker 1>if you were right or wrong. As I neared the end,

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<v Speaker 1>it became clear that there was an error in another

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<v Speaker 1>part of that night Sky that needed to be unwound.

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<v Speaker 1>This was difficult, and not really a good difficult. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I am working on another puzzle and it's a very

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<v Speaker 1>different experience. There are still a thousand pieces, so it's

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<v Speaker 1>going to take a while. There are big patches of

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<v Speaker 1>single colors or patterns. However, when you see a piece,

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<v Speaker 1>you know immediately which section of the puzzle it goes in.

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<v Speaker 1>I am seeing progress much faster than I did with

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<v Speaker 1>the other puzzle. It is feeling a lot more fun

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<v Speaker 1>and incidentally also more fun than I would probably find

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<v Speaker 1>a piece puzzle that is a half hour project and

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<v Speaker 1>not exactly going to keep me entertained for long. That

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<v Speaker 1>magical place where things are difficult but doable can put

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<v Speaker 1>us in a state of flow, that feeling where time

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<v Speaker 1>seems to stand still. I can look at the clock

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<v Speaker 1>and realize I've been working on that puzzle for forty

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<v Speaker 1>five minutes without realizing it. Hopefully you have some activities

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<v Speaker 1>that put you in that state as well. I love

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<v Speaker 1>that point in writing where I'm working on a book

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<v Speaker 1>chapter or an article and the hard first draft is done.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm editing and I can see that each round of

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<v Speaker 1>edits makes it better. There are problems, but those are

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<v Speaker 1>problems that are within my capacity to solve. I am

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<v Speaker 1>making progress bit by bit. What makes you feel like that,

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe it's singing with a group that is a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit better than you you're working hard to keep up,

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<v Speaker 1>but the group sounds amazing. Maybe it's following a challenging

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<v Speaker 1>set of instructions to build furniture or a lego set.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe it's learning new music for an instrument you play

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<v Speaker 1>that third time playing through a piece can be where

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<v Speaker 1>the magic happens. Maybe you're reading a novel that's a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit more opaque than your usual fines, but because

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<v Speaker 1>you have to pay attention, you are seeing all kinds

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<v Speaker 1>of symbolism and connections woven into the plot. Pay attention

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<v Speaker 1>to these things. If something is unpleasant or you find

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<v Speaker 1>yourself putting it off, maybe the frustration level is a

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<v Speaker 1>bit too much. But if you're breezing through and finding

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<v Speaker 1>yourself thinking of other things, well that's not really ideal either.

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<v Speaker 1>You want to be fully absorbed. Being fully absorbed means

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have space to think about all those things that, frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>aren't that fun to think about. We can be completely

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<v Speaker 1>in the moment. When you know where that sweet spot is,

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<v Speaker 1>you can seek it out. I know I'll likely be

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<v Speaker 1>buying more of this particular kind of puzzle. I love

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<v Speaker 1>a challenge, but it has to be the right kind

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<v Speaker 1>of challenge. After all, fun, It's supposed to be fun.

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

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<v Speaker 1>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, then breakfast p o D.

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

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media 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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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H m

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<v Speaker 1>hm