Mini Episode- The Exhaustion of Avoidance

difficult or unpleasant situation if I can at all. And right at this moment when I came up with the idea for this episode, I am avoiding something that I don't want to do. I have a problem that I need to solve for a consulting client, and I don't want to do it. So one of the things, though, that I've realized about myself lately, is that when I'm avoiding something, especially work related, I get very tired. I

can notice it. I just overall get tired, and I don't think I was ever able to tie that together. Before I start to get restless and morose, I'll start to surf the internet, and that tends to numb me out and make me forget time in the past, days could go by like this. However, I think more recently, in the last couple of years, certainly I've become more conscious that I'm doing it. Doesn't mean I don't do it. I just don't think it goes on for nearly as long.

But what's amazing to me is the difference that I feel from when I'm sort of listlessly avoiding something and when I undertake it and actually start to work on it is remarkable. My mood almost instantly lives. Now. This is not always easy to do, but like most challenges, I have a formula that I used to make progress. First, as we almost everything is awareness. I've got to realize

that I'm doing it. I've got to realize why am I feeling tired, listless and sad, Recognize that I'm avoiding something. The next is to do it right. Just get to the next thing and do it is obviously, but part of what I've realized is the reason that I'm not working on something very often is because I don't know how to, or I can't see my way through everything I have to do, or I feel overwhelmed by it.

So what I've found that works really well for me is to start by deconstructing whatever it is into its smallest possible pieces and at least get clear on what the first one or two of them are. So how can I take this thing like, Okay, I've got to solve this problem or I've got to write this paper, and how can I break that down into very small pieces in order to get the seven habits courses. I've had to do that because coming up with all that can be overwhelming. So I break it down into smaller

and smaller pieces. The first thing is I need to read the chapter that I'm going to work on. The next thing would be that I need to take notes on it. Whatever those things are, but deconstructed into the smallest possible pieces. And then I use my tried and true five minute trick, where I find a timer I said it to five minutes, and I tell myself that I only have to do this thing for five minutes. That is almost always a small enough interval to get

me started. And after that five minutes, usually momentum is kicked in and I'm able to keep going and make some real progress. And usually the only time I get stopped after doing it for five minutes is if again, I haven't broken the thing down into a small enough thing. I'm uncertain or I can't figure out what to do, is usually when I will end up not getting past

that five minutes. So that's really for me is is become aware of it, deconstruct the task into whatever the smallest thing I can is, and then start work on it. But the big revelation I think for me has been how much not doing that when I'm avoiding those things that told that it takes on my mood and my energy level. So that's something I've been more conscious of. And now I'm off to do what needs done. So

that's it for this week's many episode. If you are interested in getting the seven habits, of course, there are two episodes out now, and you can get both of those by going to one you feed dot net and signing up for our email list, and that will get you those two courses. And uh, I've gotten great feedback from some of you so far. I'm glad that you're enjoying them, and thanks as always, have a good week and we'll talk soon. Bye. One