1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:16,160 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: tip is that we tend to stick with things that 4 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: are easy, pleasant, and fit in our lives. If you 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: are trying to stick with any project long term, it 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: helps to structure it to satisfy those conditions. I know 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: that a great many people set goals and resolutions for 8 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: the new year. By the end of the year, many 9 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,279 Speaker 1: of these have been forgotten or at least abandoned. It 10 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: may be true that some people are more oriented towards 11 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: sticking with random, self imposed goals than others, but I 12 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: also think that in many cases, people abandon their projects 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: because they aren't structured in a way that makes success likely. 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: I set a few long term goals this year, and 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: I am happy to report that they have mostly happened. 16 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: For instance, I wanted to listen to all the works 17 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: of Beethoven. I wanted to read Anna Karnina, and I 18 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: wanted to write fifty two sonnets. Those are fourteen line 19 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: poems that follow a certain rhyming scheme. Coming into December, 20 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: I have indeed listened to almost all of Beethoven. I 21 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: finished Tolstoy's epic a while ago, and I have written 22 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: forty eight sonnets and will hit fifty two by January. 23 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: I will not credit any deep well of discipline for 24 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: any of this. Anyone thinking that should see how much 25 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: time I waste scrolling on social media. But I did 26 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: structure all of these projects very carefully. For instance, when 27 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: I decided I wanted to listen to Beethoven, I became 28 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: aware of a site called the Complete Beethoven, which breaks 29 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: his work into three hundred and sixty six daily assignments 30 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: with links to the best recordings of each piece. I 31 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: understand this isn't truly complete, as we skipped some of 32 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: his less exciting folk songs, but it is pretty comprehensive. 33 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: Each day I simply listened to the day's performances as 34 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: I was driving people around in the car. It was easy. 35 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: All I had to do was click on the links 36 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: and pleasant. Beethoven is kind of known for being a 37 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: good composer. This elevated time in the car considerably. It 38 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: also fit into my life, since I spend a lot 39 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: of time in the car. Same with reading Tolstoy. Anna 40 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: Karna is about nine hundred pages long, but it consists 41 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: of around two hundred and forty very short chapters. I 42 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: just read one chapter a day through to September, and voila, 43 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: I had finished the book. It took just a few 44 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: minutes a day, and since Anna Karinyna is one of 45 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: the best novels ever written, this was pleasant enough. No 46 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: huge will of discipline required. I kept the book on 47 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: my nightstand and just read through it, reading a little 48 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: ahead or making up a little time afterward when I traveled. 49 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: As for the sonnets, writing fourteen lines a week requires 50 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: writing two lines a day. Each of these lines is 51 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: just ten syllables, so the requirement was simply twenty syllables 52 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: a day, not that hard at all. I could usually 53 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: do that in a minute or two, and now I 54 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: have a lot of poems. If you are trying to 55 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: stick with anything long term, it might help to follow 56 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: this same rubric. How can you make each step toward 57 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: your goal as easy as possible? We won't do anything 58 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: for two hours a day. Twenty minutes might be more 59 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: possible or even less. As for pleasure, to be successful, 60 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: you generally need to choose goals you actually want to 61 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: do and find it least semi enjoyable for their own sake. 62 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: If you hate running, it's going to be hard to 63 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: stick with running. Maybe you need to find another form 64 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: of exercise that you hate less. There are all sorts 65 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: of longer projects I haven't done. I don't really want 66 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: to read all of Dickens, for instance. It also helps 67 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: to think through your life and think about when you 68 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: can do whatever these small steps are. If you want 69 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: to journal, maybe you should do that for five minutes 70 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: in the morning, or maybe for you it would work 71 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: better as a short break during the workday. Maybe you 72 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: plan to do five minutes of push ups and sit 73 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 1: ups each day while watching TV. Maybe you have something 74 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: you could listen to in the car each day, and 75 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: you know you spend a lot of time in the car. 76 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: Don't assume a perfect life. Don't assume your life will 77 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: change dramatically. Look at life as it is or as 78 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: it reasonably could be, and see what fits with that. 79 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 1: If you do those things, though, then you won't need 80 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: huge supplies of discipline to stick with things. Even big 81 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: goals can be achieved through very small steps. This becomes 82 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: less a matter of discipline and more just a matter 83 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 1: of remembering, and that is easy enough. Put your goal 84 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: on your to do list each day and cross it 85 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: off when you do it, and then just keep going. 86 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 1: That is the secret to sticking with things, and I 87 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: do think sticking with things can be a superpower in 88 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: this world where people often get distracted. Anyone can start something. 89 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:57,040 Speaker 1: Finishing things is incredibly satisfying. In the meantime, This is Laura. 90 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening years to making the most of our time. 91 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, 92 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,280 Speaker 1: or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura 93 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. 94 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, 95 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.