1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to create your own momentum. When you 4 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: are feeling stuck on a challenging project, do whatever small 5 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: steps you know you can do. A clever fellow once 6 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: noted that a body in motion tends to stay in motion. 7 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 1: So create some motion. Chances are you'll be able to 8 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: keep going. We all get stuck sometimes when we are 9 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: doing challenging work. We're staring at an empty document when 10 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: the words won't come, or scrolling through a huge set 11 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: of data with no evident starting point for making sense 12 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: of it. Sound familiar. At moments like these, it's easy 13 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: to start to leading emails, anything seemingly productive to distract 14 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: yourself from feeling stuck. But by the time the email 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: is deleted, where your office is fully organized, you will 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: still be just as stuck, and time you could have 17 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: devoted to your important project has passed with little to 18 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: show for. It much better to figure out a way 19 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: to make progress rather than avoid the project altogether. As 20 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: the familiar saying goes, just start by starting. There is 21 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: surely some small step you know you need to take, 22 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: So take that step and another one. Once you find 23 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: a way to create some momentum on the project, you 24 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: will almost certainly see many more little steps you can 25 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: take to keep moving forward until eventually you are well 26 00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: on your way getting something done. Anything done well unlock 27 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: the door to making real progress. So if you need 28 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: to write a report but can't craft an opening sentence, 29 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 1: just type the headings for each section. Then type ideas 30 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: you have for any section. No need to start from 31 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: the beginning. Write down bullet points or an outline with 32 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: information to include phrases to use that one paragraph you 33 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: know you will need. Whatever comes to mind, anything is 34 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: fair game. Then see whether you can transform some bullet 35 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: points into sentences. String some sentences together step by step, 36 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: you will get unstuck. If you are stuck on a 37 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: slide deck, create titles for each slide. Then you will 38 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: surely think of something that needs to go on some slide, 39 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: which will spark your thinking about something else that belongs 40 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: on another slide. Just like that, you are in motion. 41 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: If you are feeling stuck on planning a big event 42 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: at work, go ahead and set up those meetings you 43 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: know you will need with the facilities manager and the 44 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: catering manager. The questions they ask will point you towards 45 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: specific plans you need to make. Review your notes from 46 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: previous year's events. Does that trigger any memories of next 47 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: steps you can take? Ask yourself, is there one little 48 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: thing I know I can do? Of course, the answer 49 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: is yes. It is always yes, So do that thing. 50 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: Ask yourself the same question again, and do that next 51 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: little thing you come up with. It doesn't really matter 52 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: what your first step is as long as it builds 53 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: your momentum. Once you are moving, it is pretty easy 54 00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: to stay moving. So make some progress, no matter how small, 55 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 1: and before long you will find yourself unstuck and headed 56 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: in the right direction. In the meantime, this is Laura. 57 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 58 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 59 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 60 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 61 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod that's B the number four, then Breakfast 62 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 63 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast Podcast at i heeart media dot com 64 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 65 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: Thanks so much. I look forward to staying in touch. 66 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For 67 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart 68 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 69 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: favorite shows. Yeah.