Productivity Hack #3: Large Projects First

Written by Kevin Tyler Smith. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook

What Should You do First?

When I think about back when I was in school, I remember teachers telling me that the best way to approach homework and other projects was to do the hardest task first.  I distinctly remember being advised to tackle the homework subject I disliked the most first, before moving on.

Not only did I hear this in school but I heard it at home. I can hear both of my parents say, “do the household chore you hate the most first then you will have it out of the way.”  As always, the chore I hated the most was the one that was more involved.

Back then, this approach never made any sense to me. It seemed quite nebulous. My natural impulse was to do the easy first then I would have the rest of the day to focus on the larger project.

But what it really comes down to is your mindset and the realization that the opposite is true.  You want to be the most alert when you are tackling the more difficult project and the best chance of that happening is by doing that first. This will generate the necessary momentum to sail into the next project.

This Approach Can Greatly Enhance Your Productivity Today Because…

What better place to put this approach into action than at your job.

Instead of beginning with a task you enjoy, or one which comes easily to you, start with one you dislike, or one which you feel will be quite difficult.

At the end of the day, you may be:

1. Pleasantly surprised with how much you have accomplished.
2. You will also feel that the day has gone much smoother.
3. And you will feel light as a feather as that huge freakin’ weight of a project will be off your shoulders and off your mind – then……

breathe, breathe, breathe……aaaaahhhhh relax….all done.

As I mentioned, the reason for this is at the start of your work day you will have more energy. When you devote this energy to the hardest or most disliked tasks, you will not feel as drained or frustrated in doing them.

A second reason is if you begin with tasks you enjoy, you often find yourself looking ahead to the ones you dislike in a very negative manner.  Instead of enjoying the easier tasks while you are doing them, you are dreading the ones ahead.  When you do the hardest ones first, you will not only have more energy left for the rest of the day, you will also appreciate the other tasks more when you get to them.

It Works Really Well For Yard Work Too…Let Me Explain

Trust me, this approach will increase your productivity.  I’m not just blowing smoke here, I’m speaking from experience….especially recent experience.

I love doing yard work (only in my yard) with the exception of a few chores.  One of the things I absolutely hate doing is trimming my azalea bushes. I’ll try to keep my comments clean – (damn what a “back breaking” messy job). I have a total aversion to trimming those things….but somebody’s has to do it.

The other day, after arguing with myself for a little while on whether or not the job could wait another week, in one fell swoop, I bit the bullet, grabbed the clippers and trimmed those things in record time. After that job was complete you would not believe everything else I did in the yard in record time all because I got my “hard job” (trimming those bushes) complete first.  What a relief.

Generate Better Results And Better Productivity

When you do not look at your work day as a long, uphill battle, you will get more accomplished. Getting the tasks you dislike out of the way first, early in the day, will generate better results with all of your tasks.  Not only will you get more done, you will be much more satisfied with the outcome of each and every task.

While it is only human nature to want to do what you like first, having the harder things on the horizon can slow you down and drain your energy.  If you want to be more productive, and achieve the very best results in everything you do, take the advice from your school teachers and tackle the hardest jobs first.  Your productivity will increase, and you will end each day with a refreshing feeling of accomplishment.

With each item on your “to do” list there are many types…those that are easy and those that require more energy. Will you adopt this new paradigm in productivity or will you continue to strand yourself on the “island of non-productivity”?….Its your choice.

See Also – Productivity Hack:

#1: Set A Game Plan

#2: Reduce Distractions

Editor’s note: Zen To Done is one of the best resources I’ve ever seen in regards to cultivating productivity.

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*photo credit: rayna mcginnis