Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip, just like yesterday's, comes from my friend Charlie Gilki.
Speaker 1: His new book, Start Finishing, shares tips on how to
Speaker 1: go from idea to done. The message you wanted to
Speaker 1: share with Before Breakfast listeners is that we should be
Speaker 1: strategic about choosing which ideas to work on. That's the
Speaker 1: secret to finishing what we start. This can be challenging
Speaker 1: because if you're the sort of productive person who's listening
Speaker 1: to this podcast, you probably have all sorts of ideas
Speaker 1: you'd like to try out. As Charlie writes in his book,
Speaker 1: to get some headway with your best work, you have
Speaker 1: to fight the natural inclination to work on all the
Speaker 1: things you've hidden away in that closet. You know how
Speaker 1: this goes. You have a long list of two dus,
Speaker 1: and when you start pondering a big project, all those
Speaker 1: little to do is start calling out for attention. As
Speaker 1: Charlie writes, the stuff that's currently on our list is
Speaker 1: there for a reason, and if it were so easy
Speaker 1: to let go of, we would have done it already.
Speaker 1: So instead you must decide from the get go that
Speaker 1: you're just going to let some of those ideas go.
Speaker 1: And let's not pretend as if the choice of letting
Speaker 1: some of those projects and ideas go is primarily a
Speaker 1: mental activity. It's an emotional activity. Your soul, emotions, and
Speaker 1: creative energy are all tied up in those ideas. To
Speaker 1: help with this emotional work of letting go, Charlie suggests
Speaker 1: an exercise. He says, list all of the ideas and
Speaker 1: projects you want to do, including personal, household and work projects, travel,
Speaker 1: sorting your finances, are getting a puppy all count. Once
Speaker 1: you have the list, start asking yourself the following questions.
Speaker 1: One which of the items wouldn't actually hurt at all
Speaker 1: if you cut them? Two? Which of the items would
Speaker 1: you feel relieved to no longer be carrying? Three? Which
Speaker 1: of the items are shoulds or items that are related
Speaker 1: to O p P. That is, other people's priorities, but
Speaker 1: you don't see how they'll directly lead to your thriving
Speaker 1: Four Which of the items are good ideas but don't
Speaker 1: relate to something that frustrates, annoys, angers, inspires, nourishes, or
Speaker 1: calls to you. Once you've ruthlessly gone through this list,
Speaker 1: Charlie suggests, being honest with yourself, we can always say, well,
Speaker 1: I'll work on that video series when things calm down
Speaker 1: early next year. But come on, when have things ever
Speaker 1: calmed down? You will always be busy, you will always
Speaker 1: have new ideas, and you will always have new opportunities.
Speaker 1: You are not going to discover some magical font of
Speaker 1: inspiration that is inaccessible to you now, So instead, do
Speaker 1: something radical, Charlie writes, eliminate those items rather than differ
Speaker 1: and put them back in the closet later. Better to
Speaker 1: be focused than to flail now or in the future.
Speaker 1: Release the less important items and prepare to feel mentally
Speaker 1: free in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
Speaker 1: that's B the number four then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Yeah Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts
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