1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 2: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 2: Today's tip is to finish the job. Once you have 4 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,639 Speaker 2: already picked something up, it often just takes a few 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 2: extra seconds to completely deal with it. While in general 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: it is good to batch the little things. If you 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: have already taken the first few steps toward action, you 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: might as well get to done. Today's tip is inspired 9 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 2: by listener jac who wrote in with a suggestion about 10 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 2: that common adage touch it once. She notes that early 11 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 2: in my career I learned the touch it once rule 12 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 2: when it came to filing in paperwork. That is, you 13 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 2: should deal with a document once and be done with it. 14 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 2: That's all fine for but JC noted that I found 15 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: that it can apply to a variety of quick tasks 16 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 2: at work and at home. The idea is that once 17 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,040 Speaker 2: you touch a dirty dish or an object out of place, 18 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 2: deal with it so you don't have to come back 19 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 2: to it now. As with everything, there is a caveat here. 20 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 2: In general, I believe in batching the little things. That 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: is actually tranquility by Tuesday rule number eight. For my 22 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: most recent book, don't pay bills as you get them, 23 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 2: pay them in one fell swoop at a low energy time. 24 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 2: Respond to all your low priority emails at once rather 25 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 2: than as you get them, because if you respond to 26 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: them as you get them, you will basically never do 27 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: anything else. That said, once you've engaged in a process halfway, 28 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 2: say you have pulled out your checkbook to start paying 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: a paper bill, it would make no sense to stop 30 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 2: after writing the check before putting it in the envelope. 31 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 2: You'll just have to take another minute later to finish 32 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: the job. So better get it stamped and ready to 33 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 2: go out the door. Now it seems obvious, but we 34 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: often make more work for ourselves by not following through 35 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: the Other day, I found some art supplies in the 36 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 2: wrong place in the house. I carried them all the 37 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 2: way up the stairs to the closet where we keep 38 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 2: such things. Then I put them down outside the closet door. 39 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 2: As I look back on this, now, this doesn't make 40 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 2: a whole lot of sense. It would have taken maybe 41 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 2: ten seconds maybe less to open the door and chuck 42 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 2: the supplies in there. But instead of doing that ten 43 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 2: second task, I left the supplies out in the hallway. 44 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 2: Even though that risked some little person in my household 45 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 2: moving them to the wrong place again, or somebody tripping 46 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 2: over them, or who knows what. Maybe I was hoping 47 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 2: that someone else would take the ten seconds to put 48 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: them away so I wouldn't have had to devote the 49 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 2: ten seconds to moving them. But sadly, the most likely 50 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 2: outcome is that this wasn't going to happen, and so 51 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 2: when I was next up there, I would eventually have 52 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 2: to get around to putting them in the closet. Better 53 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 2: to finish the job the first time, So the next 54 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: time you start a job, think about how you can 55 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 2: finish it. I recently read a decluttering book where the 56 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 2: author pointed out that disorganized people create all sorts of 57 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 2: piles while decluttering, and so the room never winds up 58 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 2: looking much better. The author recommended actually carrying misplaced objects 59 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 2: to where they go immediately. Is this efficient? Well? Probably not. 60 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 2: There may be six toys in the kitchen that have 61 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: to go to a kid's bedroom, and if you do 62 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 2: see a handful, grab them all before you go. But 63 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: the problem with making a pile to go up is 64 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: that the pile may still be sitting there a week later, 65 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 2: and it feels like you are making no progress. Better 66 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 2: to make two to three trips to the room and 67 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 2: actually have the kitchen start to look better. Most of 68 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: us need more steps in activity these days. Anyway, finish 69 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 2: the job and you can in fact be finished. That 70 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 2: is better than constantly living somewhere around halfway done. In 71 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 2: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 72 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 2: to making the most of our time. 73 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can 74 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just 75 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before 76 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: Breakfast that's b E the number four, then breakfast pod. 77 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 78 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. 79 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 2: That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 80 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,679 Speaker 1: Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch. 81 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 82 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 83 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.