You can quit in the middle

How to walk away from things that are no longer a good use of 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.
Today's tip is that it's okay to quit things. Doing
something indefinitely isn't a virtue if you've determined that it's
not the best use of your time. I want to

(00:25):
start this episode by saying that I know some people
quit things left and right. Degree programs, jobs, exercise, regiments, relationships.
Some people have troubles sticking with anything. This sort of
flightiness can be challenging for other people to deal with,
and in the long run probably isn't much fun for
the flighty people themselves. Overcoming challenges can give you incredible

(00:47):
self confidence. Fleeing from challenges does not. But if you're
listening to a podcast about productivity, I'm guessing you're not
the flighty sort like me. You probably pride your self
and setting out to do whatever you said you'd do.
We're the sorts of people who repeat phrases like winners
never quit and quitters never win. But sometimes quitting is

(01:11):
the best choice. Time devoted to one thing is time
not devoted to something else. In my own life, I've
certainly seen this. I've stuck with projects I didn't enjoy
and wasn't good at for all sorts of reasons. The
money was decent, the people were nice. I didn't like

(01:31):
the idea of quitting. But then when I'd finally get
around to moving on, a funny thing would happen. Some
amazing new opportunity would appear in the next week, And
I don't think this is a coincidence. Open space invites
opportunity in a way that a cluttered calendar can't. When

(01:54):
I'm busy, I don't schedule random calls or go to things.
I don't leave space for serendipity, but serendipity bring some
pretty cool stuff when she shows up. In any case,
there are a few things you can think about if
you're pondering moving on first. In general, I like to
be in a place where I can walk away from things,

(02:16):
especially in the professional sphere. I've always prioritized savings because
money represents freedom to me. It's incredibly important not to
feel trapped by any job or project. I'm not saying
you need to have total financial independence, but you want
to have enough of a cushion that you're pretty sure

(02:37):
your family would be fine for the amount of time
it would take you to find something. I know that
if you're living on the edge, this is going to
be hard to pull off, but I also know that
that's not the case for many people listening to this podcast.
A financial cushion changes any decision making process. Second, try
to separate yourself from the sunk cost fallacy and economics.

(03:00):
A sunk cost is a cost that has already been
incurred and cannot be recovered. Because it can't be recovered,
you shouldn't take it into account in your decision making process.
If you've been paying a team to work on launching
a new product and it becomes clear that there is
no market for this product, you'll never get the team

(03:20):
members salaries back for the time they've already spent on it.
It's most rational to put these people on another project immediately,
but it's very tempting to throw good money after bad.
As the saying goes convincing ourselves that because we've spent
so much money on something, we should stick with it.
We do the same thing with our time. The fact

(03:42):
that you've spent three years at a company does not
mean you should keep working there if you're unhappy with
the direction the company is going or you're feeling unchallenged.
Sometimes situations can be improved, and sometimes they can't. One
way to remove the sunk cost issue write a job
description for what you do. If you saw your job

(04:05):
advertise like this, would you apply? If so, great, If not,
you've got some thinking to do. In my case, I
work for myself and I've done a wide variety of
projects over the years. Freelance projects naturally change over faster
than full time jobs, but it can still be hard
to extricate yourself. Here's what's become my go to question

(04:29):
over the years. Would I pay even a token amount
of money to get this off my plate? If so,
then why am I spending my time on it? For
commitments that involve other people? I think it's important not
to leave people in the lurch. This is the reason
most people consider it wise to give two weeks notice.

(04:50):
If my kids sign up for a team sport, they
can't quit in the middle of the season. If they've
joined the school orchestra, they can't quit before the concert.
But I have let my kids quit other activities with
a few safeguards. For instance, when my oldest son wanted
to quit an individual sport, I required a cooling off period.

(05:11):
He had to go to three more classes to make
sure it wasn't about one particular frustration or that he
was having a bad day. I also don't allow quitting
just to sit around playing video games. He had to
choose something else active to do instead. But he met
both those conditions. A month later, he still wanted to stop,
and he'd identified another activity he was willing to do,

(05:34):
so I decided this was fine. These rules might help
you too. Don't quit in a rage, don't quit in
a way that leaves someone else in a lurch. And
when possible, think about your quitting in the context of
some other positive thing that you will then have room for.
But also know that you can walk away if you

(05:55):
need to. We spend less time thinking about the endings
of things then we do about the beginnings. But most
things do end. If you've been leading a meeting every
Tuesday morning, no that some Tuesday morning, however far it
is in the future, that meeting won't happen, and at

(06:17):
that point or on some other Tuesday, you won't be
leading the meeting. Earth will keep spinning on its axis.
You can quit. That doesn't mean the thing wasn't worth
doing it means it's not worth it for you, not
right now. Sometimes you walking away opens up space in
your life, and sometimes it opens up an opportunity for

(06:39):
someone else who will be able to give this activity
the attention it deserves. That's really a win win situation.
So what are you contemplating quitting? Picture yourself six months
in the future, if you were still doing this thing,
how would you feel? Sometimes the question can give you

(07:01):
some real insight. 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

(07:22):
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

(07:50):
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. All go,