Beware “procrasti-clearing”

Outer Order, Inner Calm author Gretchen Rubin warns that sometimes even productive tasks waste time

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
This week we've been talking about tips from Gretchen Reuben,
a friend of this podcast who's also the co host
of the podcast Happier. Her most recent book, Outer Order

(00:25):
inter Calm, has all kinds of tips for creating a
more tranquil space, schedule, and life. Today's tip from Gretchen
is to beware that little gremlin known as procrastic clearing. Sometimes,
Gretchen tells us, I get the very strong urge to
clear clutter, not from the true desire for outer order,

(00:46):
but from the desire to delay work on some unpleasant task.
Those crowded shelves in my office had never bothered me,
but now that it's time to face a tough assignment,
I'm convinced that nothing can possibly get accomplished until I've
dealt with those shelves. So she procrastinates meaningful work by
doing something that seems productive but isn't necessarily in the

(01:10):
grand scheme of things. Yes, she says, creating order can
clear our minds, release energy, and help us prepare to
tackle big tasks. But we need to be sure that
clutter clearing isn't an excuse to postpone work on something
that's more important. There's a real difference between helpful preparation
and unhelpful procrastination. It's a secret of adulthood. Working such

(01:35):
as clutter clearing is one of the most dangerous forms
of procrastination. Of course, the real devil isn't knowing the difference.
So this is Laura here. If you're wondering if you're
indulging in procrastic clearing, try assigning yourself an hour or
two on your main project. First. Yes, of course you'll
get to those cluttered shelves, but first you can make

(01:58):
two phone calls and write an outline related to your
big project. The shelves will still be there and will
still benefit from the cleanup. You're just moving it two
hours into the future, then two hours later. See how
you feel. If the urge to clean passes once you
realize you're making serious progress on your project, you can
either abandon the shelf clearing project or do it at

(02:19):
some low energy time when you need a break. I
find the five to ten minutes while I'm waiting for
a conference call to start are great for that sort
of thing. But if after a solid hour or two,
you feel like it would help matters if you clean
the shelves, then go for it. Still, do yourself a
favor and set a timer for however long you think
would be reasonable. Limiting the time available for cleaning forces

(02:43):
you to prioritize and keeps you from putting off the
rest of your work indefinitely. Do you engage in what
Gretchen calls procrest to clearing. Maybe you have a very
well organized spice rack because of it, or maybe you're
the sort of person who really can't get anything done
about cleaning your shelves. If so, you can let me
know at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.

(03:06):
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

(03:30):
that's b E the number four, then breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much.
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

(03:52):
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H