WEBVTT - Beware “procrasti-clearing”

0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.400
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.360 --> 0:00:13.920
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:17.520
<v Speaker 1>This week we've been talking about tips from Gretchen Reuben,

0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.480
<v Speaker 1>a friend of this podcast who's also the co host

0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:24.919
<v Speaker 1>of the podcast Happier. Her most recent book, Outer Order

0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.440
<v Speaker 1>inter Calm, has all kinds of tips for creating a

0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:33.360
<v Speaker 1>more tranquil space, schedule, and life. Today's tip from Gretchen

0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:39.920
<v Speaker 1>is to beware that little gremlin known as procrastic clearing. Sometimes,

0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:42.680
<v Speaker 1>Gretchen tells us, I get the very strong urge to

0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:46.160
<v Speaker 1>clear clutter, not from the true desire for outer order,

0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:50.320
<v Speaker 1>but from the desire to delay work on some unpleasant task.

0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:53.920
<v Speaker 1>Those crowded shelves in my office had never bothered me,

0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:56.880
<v Speaker 1>but now that it's time to face a tough assignment,

0:00:57.280 --> 0:01:01.279
<v Speaker 1>I'm convinced that nothing can possibly get accomplished until I've

0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:05.880
<v Speaker 1>dealt with those shelves. So she procrastinates meaningful work by

0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:10.039
<v Speaker 1>doing something that seems productive but isn't necessarily in the

0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:14.240
<v Speaker 1>grand scheme of things. Yes, she says, creating order can

0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.480
<v Speaker 1>clear our minds, release energy, and help us prepare to

0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.440
<v Speaker 1>tackle big tasks. But we need to be sure that

0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.839
<v Speaker 1>clutter clearing isn't an excuse to postpone work on something

0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:28.440
<v Speaker 1>that's more important. There's a real difference between helpful preparation

0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:35.679
<v Speaker 1>and unhelpful procrastination. It's a secret of adulthood. Working such

0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:39.279
<v Speaker 1>as clutter clearing is one of the most dangerous forms

0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:44.039
<v Speaker 1>of procrastination. Of course, the real devil isn't knowing the difference.

0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.960
<v Speaker 1>So this is Laura here. If you're wondering if you're

0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:51.440
<v Speaker 1>indulging in procrastic clearing, try assigning yourself an hour or

0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:55.000
<v Speaker 1>two on your main project. First. Yes, of course you'll

0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:58.000
<v Speaker 1>get to those cluttered shelves, but first you can make

0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:00.560
<v Speaker 1>two phone calls and write an outline related to your

0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.640
<v Speaker 1>big project. The shelves will still be there and will

0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.520
<v Speaker 1>still benefit from the cleanup. You're just moving it two

0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:10.120
<v Speaker 1>hours into the future, then two hours later. See how

0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.320
<v Speaker 1>you feel. If the urge to clean passes once you

0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:16.760
<v Speaker 1>realize you're making serious progress on your project, you can

0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:19.400
<v Speaker 1>either abandon the shelf clearing project or do it at

0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:22.320
<v Speaker 1>some low energy time when you need a break. I

0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:24.160
<v Speaker 1>find the five to ten minutes while I'm waiting for

0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:26.560
<v Speaker 1>a conference call to start are great for that sort

0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.760
<v Speaker 1>of thing. But if after a solid hour or two,

0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:31.800
<v Speaker 1>you feel like it would help matters if you clean

0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:35.680
<v Speaker 1>the shelves, then go for it. Still, do yourself a

0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:38.400
<v Speaker 1>favor and set a timer for however long you think

0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:43.080
<v Speaker 1>would be reasonable. Limiting the time available for cleaning forces

0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:45.920
<v Speaker 1>you to prioritize and keeps you from putting off the

0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:50.160
<v Speaker 1>rest of your work indefinitely. Do you engage in what

0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:54.399
<v Speaker 1>Gretchen calls procrest to clearing. Maybe you have a very

0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.960
<v Speaker 1>well organized spice rack because of it, or maybe you're

0:02:58.000 --> 0:02:59.959
<v Speaker 1>the sort of person who really can't get anything done

0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.200
<v Speaker 1>about cleaning your shelves. If so, you can let me

0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:06.519
<v Speaker 1>know at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.

0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.480
<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:18.880
<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:21.200
<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:24.880
<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions or anything else. Just connect with

0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:29.320
<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:34.360
<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then breakfast p o D.

0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:38.040
<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:41.520
<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast

0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:44.200
<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much.

0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:52.520
<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:55.800
<v Speaker 1>a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from

0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:59.760
<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.360
<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H