1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about what to do when you're faced 4 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: with suboptimal working conditions. Give yourself a chance to accomplish 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: something important before you decide it's not duable. I hear 6 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: all the time from people who wake up early, stay 7 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: at work late, or work at home after their families 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: are in bed, because they say that is the only 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: time they have for focused work, and I definitely sympathize. 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: Whether you work in an office or remotely, you can 11 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: encounter all sorts of suboptimal working conditions. Maybe it's tree 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: work in your neighbor's yard or elevator work in your 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: office building. Maybe it's children running and screaming through your 14 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: home when they have a random half day off from school, 15 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 1: or a colleague in a cube near yours whose sighs 16 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: and hums whenever she's not yelling into the phone. Even 17 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: if you've got quiet, your space might feel suboptimal. A 18 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: four hour flight with no kids or colleagues asking questions 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: seems ideal for getting a lot done, until you feel 20 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: frustrated by the lack of elbow room on the plane. 21 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: And then there are the moments when your energy and 22 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: mood aren't conducive to deep work. Maybe you're exhausted after 23 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: a sleepless night, or consumed with anxiety about a family issue. 24 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: It's tempting to assume that all you'll be able to 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: do is delete email, but the truth is that we 26 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: seldom get perfect conditions. So even if conditions aren't ideal, 27 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: give yourself a chance to do something meaningful before you 28 00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: decide it's impossible. A chance doesn't need to me forever. 29 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: It just means that a chance. Maybe you commit to 30 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: working for fifteen minutes on your computer on the plane 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: before you give up and read a magazine. Or you 32 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: might commit to twenty minutes of creative writing while you're 33 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: at your daughter's basketball practice before peeking at Instagram. You 34 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: might put in ear plugs and do your best to 35 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: get absorbed in a graphic design project while roadwork is 36 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: happening outside your window, before you call it a day 37 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: for deep work and start preparing invoices. When you commit 38 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: to a few minutes of honestly trying to do something deep, 39 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: even in less than ideal conditions, you'll sometimes find it's 40 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: more doable than you assumed. Often getting started is the 41 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: hardest part. Once you're in the flow, you may decide 42 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: to continue with what you're doing even after the committed 43 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: time is over. What could have been mindlessly past time 44 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: ends up being productive or even enjoyable. And if, after 45 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 1: a real attempt, you decide that it's just not happening, 46 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: then you can shift to something less intense, guilt free, 47 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: without wondering what else you could have been doing. You've 48 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: given yourself a chance and sometimes that's good enough. In 49 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:23,959 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 50 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd 51 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 52 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 53 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E 54 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can 55 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at 56 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled 57 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 58 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: forward to staying in te Uch. Before Breakfast is a 59 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I 60 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 61 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yeah.