1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to start what you can finish. We're 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,159 Speaker 1: often told that we should finish what we start, and 5 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: that is great advice to do that, though it also 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: helps to be thoughtful about only starting the things we 7 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: can finish given our available time, motivation, and resources. It 8 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: is so easy to start a project like cleaning out 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: a closet or reorganizing a bookshelf for painting a room, 10 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: only to need to stop part way through because it's 11 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: too late to keep going, or the weekend is over. 12 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: Or we start a project and just run out of steam, 13 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: or we have plenty of time and motivation but run 14 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: out of supplies. Nothing takes the wind out of the 15 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: sales like emptying the fridge to clean it and then 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: realizing you're out of your favorite all purpose cleaner and 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: paper towels. Rather than have to restart or live with 18 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: a half finished project for a long time, it's better 19 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: to start things only when we can finish with the 20 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: amount of time, motivation, and resources we have. So when 21 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,559 Speaker 1: you're considering a big project, think through the constituent parts 22 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: and how long each step will take. Then figure out 23 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: how much time you truly have and want to devote 24 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: to the project. Choose parts of the project that you 25 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: can do in the time available. Maybe if you're envisioning 26 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: a painting project, you decide that Friday night you'll move 27 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: the furniture, patch the walls and take Saturday you'll prime 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: and do the first coat, and Sunday you'll do the 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: second coat and clean up. Maybe you won't reorganize the 30 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: whole book case after work, You'll just remove any books 31 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: you want to give away today, and then tomorrow night 32 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: you can organize the books that remain. It's much more 33 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: satisfying to finish a smaller project or a part of 34 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: a project, than to realize you've bitten off more than 35 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: you want to chew. As is generally true with time management, 36 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: the more often you plan specific tasks for specific chunks 37 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: of time, the better you'll get at estimating how long 38 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: things truly take. And of course, after you've identified a 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: project you can tackle, make sure you have any supplies 40 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: you need. If in doubt, get more. I find it's 41 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: less of a pain to return the extra than to 42 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: run short with the time and supplies that you need 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: for your project, you'll probably be more motivated to power 44 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: through to a planned stopping point. You aren't aiming to 45 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: clean out the whole basement. You're just organizing two toy 46 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: binds that you can do in the next hour, the 47 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: hour you have before you need to pick up your 48 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: kids from their friend's house. You get a sense of 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: accomplishment and you avoid ending up with a mess while 50 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: the project is half done. Should you finish what you start, sure, 51 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: but you'll be a lot happier doing that if you're 52 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: also intentional about starting only what you can finish in 53 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: the first place. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks 54 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. 55 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: Hey everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can 56 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just 57 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before 58 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then breakfast 59 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: p O D. You can also shoot me an email 60 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. That 61 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 62 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before 63 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more 64 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 65 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.