Second Cup: Do it or be done with it

A listener asks how to tell if something is a priority

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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 to stop rolling things over from one
week to the next. Either do it or be done

(00:23):
with it for good. I know a lot of Before
Breakfast listeners make weekly priority lists. This is smart, but
many people soon notice something. As one listener recently wrote in,
I find that I am transferring some of the same
priorities over week to week and never doing them, even

(00:46):
though I feel very busy. This listener wondered if perhaps
this was her indirect way of telling herself that these
things weren't her real priorities. I think she's made a
good insight here. Plenty of things sound smart in theory.
If we had infinite time and infinite energy, sure we'd

(01:07):
tackle them. We'd also probably get to them if something
suddenly made them rise up the priority list. If someone
said she'd give you a hundred thousand dollars as soon
as you finished that book proposal, well I am guessing
that you'd get to it. Absent that. When we keep
rolling stuff over week to week, the most likely explanation

(01:30):
is that we don't really want to do them. And
if it isn't something like say your taxes that do
in fact have to happen, that's fine. Expectations are infinite.
Time is finite. We are always choosing, so all we
can really do is choose. Well. Now, if that gets

(01:54):
your hackles up, no, I really do want to paint
my bathroom, even though I've rolled it over for ten weeks. Now,
then give yourself an ultimatum. Either it happens this week
or it doesn't happen now. I am sure that this
week is busy, but come on, life is always busy.
There will never be a perfect week where all the

(02:16):
stars aligned and you will gleefully paint your bathroom without
a care in the world so absent that you can
decide to do it now or decide not to do it,
And if you choose the latter, well great, there is
great peace to be achieved. And simply acknowledging that you

(02:37):
will not be doing something. You aren't going to return
that email because it truly isn't worth your time. You
aren't going to reach out to that person your friends
suggested because you just don't have the capacity to manage
that new potential relationship. You are not going to research
archery classes for your kids because they don't really care enough,
and neither do you. Wise people will have pointed out

(03:01):
that our calendars really are our priorities. You can say
something is a priority, but if there is no time
devoted to it, and then it probably isn't. You can
do various exercises to find your true priorities, but time
tracking is probably the best way. When stuff rolls over

(03:21):
week to week, it most likely just isn't making the cut,
so it goes Do it now or don't do it
that way you'll know for sure. 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

(03:50):
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. That's b E the
number four then breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia

(04:10):
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 a production of I Heart Radio.
For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I
heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(04:31):
your favorite shows.