WEBVTT - Second Cup: Don't get lost in the small stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to batch small tasks so they don't take

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<v Speaker 1>over your whole schedule. Like a lot of people who

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<v Speaker 1>listen to this show, I love to make to do lists,

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<v Speaker 1>and I really like crossing things off the list. I

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<v Speaker 1>have been known to put things on my to do

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<v Speaker 1>list after doing them, just so I can cross them off.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why this feels so satisfying, but I

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<v Speaker 1>know that it does. Now this might seem harmless, but

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<v Speaker 1>here's the problem. Everything on the to do list occupies

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<v Speaker 1>an equal line in terms of space. All feel equally

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<v Speaker 1>satisfying to cross off, but not all are equally important.

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<v Speaker 1>Writing the chapter abstracts for a book proposal and spending

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<v Speaker 1>an hour editing my novel, and ordering a birthday present

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<v Speaker 1>for a weekend party might all be on the list.

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<v Speaker 1>The first two are going to require a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>focused thought and work, the latter not so much. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's very easy to find myself over on Amazon feeling

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<v Speaker 1>really good that I cross that item off, and doing

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<v Speaker 1>other little things on the list, like scheduling an interview

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<v Speaker 1>or paying a bill. Now, yes, these have to get

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<v Speaker 1>done at some point, but when I spend too much

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<v Speaker 1>time on them, I take time and energy away from

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<v Speaker 1>bigger things. I can definitely order a birthday present off

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<v Speaker 1>Amazon when my energy is at a level two on

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<v Speaker 1>a ten point scale, I probably won't dream up those

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<v Speaker 1>chapter abstracts at that time. So if you truly want

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<v Speaker 1>to get things done, structure your schedule so you don't

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<v Speaker 1>get lost in the small stuff. Indeed, i'd suggest not

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<v Speaker 1>even doing this small stuff until the big stuff is done.

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<v Speaker 1>Carve out a time in the afternoon when most people's

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<v Speaker 1>energy dips, for any small tasks that might otherwise derail you.

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<v Speaker 1>If a small task occurs to you at some other point,

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<v Speaker 1>put it on the list for that two pm slump,

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<v Speaker 1>but do not do it until the big stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>crossed off. I realize some of this is just mental.

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<v Speaker 1>Like I said, on many to do lists, everything gets

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<v Speaker 1>one line, which means that calling your biggest client to

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<v Speaker 1>address a complaint looks equal to printing off the return

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<v Speaker 1>label for that package that needs to go back to

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<v Speaker 1>the retailer. So here's a little trick to get around that.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're making your list, put all of your small

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<v Speaker 1>things on one line. Just write order present, Comma, print label,

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<v Speaker 1>Comma pay vendor, Comma email Joe. That way, crossing out

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<v Speaker 1>one of the big things looks like you've done far

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<v Speaker 1>more than one of the little things. The little things

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<v Speaker 1>only get a tiny cross through a small portion of

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<v Speaker 1>a line, whereas the big stuff gets a full one.

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<v Speaker 1>Now is this silly, Yes, but putting time and energy

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<v Speaker 1>into import and stuff is serious business. Anything you can

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<v Speaker 1>do to nudge yourself in the right direction is smart.

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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 pod. You

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

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<v Speaker 1>at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast is spelled out

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<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,