But first this

Persist to a natural stopping point to get more done

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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.
Today's tip is for those moments when your work it's
hard and you're tempted to turn your attention elsewhere, You
can do that after you persist a little longer on

(00:24):
the task at hand, Identify a natural stopping point you'll
reach before you take a break, and then persist until
you get there, telling yourself but first this, we'll keep
you going just a little bit more. Anyone who set
exercise goals is familiar with the idea of pushing in
the face of a little discomfort. If you're running a

(00:47):
half marathon and you're tired at mile eleven, well you
don't sit down on the curb or head over to
a nearby restaurant. Somehow you pace yourself to get through
to the end. Most people who lift weights won't stop
at rep eleven. They'll somehow push to twelve. And yet
in many cases we don't feel the same urge toward

(01:07):
a natural stopping point with other kinds of work that
bookcases assembled. But we hit a tricky part and well,
is it time to go grab a cup of coffee?
I could have a podcast script for this show or
the New Corner Office almost written, and get stuck on
the closing and go check my email. I bet you
can recall when you've also stopped in the middle of

(01:30):
a task. For those of us who work at computers,
what usually happens is that we're deep in a project
and then hit a roadblock, something is challenging, or we
briefly get knocked out of a state of flow. We
could keep going, pushing through the challenge until we hit
a natural stopping point, but it's so tempting to just

(01:52):
check email instead, ease off the pressure, just see what's there.
Except here's the problem. That roadblock, it's still there, and
when you go back to it, because of course eventually
you do have to go back to it, you're starting
from zero, whereas before you had a running start, it's

(02:13):
not going to be easier to deal with Now it
will probably be harder. You'll have to get back into
the project, figure out where you were, regain momentum, and
then tackle the issue. It's often better to persist just
a little longer and then take a brain break. Instead
of switching gears as soon as work gets hard, try

(02:35):
telling yourself. But first this you don't have to resist
checking email or headlines, or getting a glass of water
or whatever you do when your mind needs a rest.
Just delay your mental break until you've finished writing the
next paragraph, responding to the final question in your client's email,
or whatever the challenging task, complete the next step. That way,

(03:00):
you'll maintain momentum and get more done. This is a
much better option than giving up, even unintentionally, every time
something gets hard. You may find that by the time
you finished writing the next paragraph for creating the next slide,
you're able to keep going, even beyond the spot where
you gave yourself permission to stop. But even if not,

(03:21):
when you take your break, you'll have a ready spot
to come back to. Getting back in the groove won't
be quite so hard. So today, if you find yourself
tempted to check email when the going gets rough, persist
just a little longer. First get to a natural stopping point.
But first this, you may be surprised at just how

(03:43):
far you go. 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

(04:05):
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.
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

(04:33):
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.