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Episode 450 – Do what is hardest to do

• When I have a choice between tasks to complete on any given day, I will always go for the easiest firsts
• This works for me
• My easy tasks are the ones I am most comfortable with
• By doing them first, I not only have a quick win but I also get them done and can free my mind
• The problem with this approach is that I have way more easier tasks on my plate than I have harder stuff
  • You know – the routine tasks like checking emails, responding to a few, doing errands, running a report, and so on
• The more difficult projects are only a few, usually long-term or more difficult tasks
  • And we all have them
  • Even if we haven’t started them
    • That website we want to set up
    • The instrument or language we want to learn
    • The book we would like to write
  • We all have some major projects on our plate and we often push them off
    • Even though they are on our daily action item list
  • Sometimes we don’t even get to them because we filled our day with the easy wins
  • There is much advise out there that recommends that we start our day with those hard tasks
  • I wont tell you to do that
  • It doesn’t work for me and it and I don’t see how it works for many people
    • Especially when your day starts with a regular job that doesn’t include your big projects
  • I will be honest
    • I have used down time at work to do personal things
    • But I have observed the exact same pattern that I follow on weekends when I don’t have to work:
  • I first need to deal with the monotony of routine and easy tasks
    • reports, emails, maybe even small cleaning projects, killing small fires, and more
  • for example
  • today when I came into work, I first checked all my emails,
    • I deal a lot with our factories in Asia so I walk in to 100 emails first thing in the morning
    • I cannot ignore these emails – they have to get done
    • Then I had some down time and I ordered a few things on Amazon that I needed
    • I also quickly read an article that I have been meaning to read and checked some personal emails
    • Easy and quick wins
    • Then after I completed other work related things I had to do, I used my lunch break to work on this episode, which I consider part of my major tasks
  • The same happens on weekends
  • I need to clear my plate of the nagging little things before I can focus on the big ones
  • Often on Sunday mornings I will get up and go straight to writing because I spent Saturday taking care of the easy stuff
  •  
  • I am not telling you to ignore your small and easy tasks
  • Those need to get done
    • Emails will need to be read, answered and filed
    • Bills need to be paid, shopping and cooking needs to get done
  • But when you have the choice to go for something new – go for the hardest thing
  • Pick a project that will challenge you before you add just another easy one to your plate
  • Easy things are easy to add:
    • Another version of what you already do
    • A lecture, a workshop, a short trip
    • A month long course
    • Another meetup group
    • This book club your friend invited you to – it meets just once a month
  • These are easy assignments, but here is the thing:
  • We have enough easy stuff already
  • Easy stuff might be interesting
  • But it doesn’t get us to the next level
  • Instead
  • It just takes up more time
  • Time we should be using for the hard things
  • I noticed this in my life:
  • Easy stuff is everywhere
  • Opportunities are endless and they come my way
  • I am not saying to say no every time
  • But if you want to reach the next level, challenge yourself and accomplish something major – stay away from more easy stuff
  • You need to free your calendar for the hard things because the easy stuff will take up all your time otherwise
  •  
  • I didn’t go climbing last weekend
  • I had the weekend free and I had made a plan to tackle several harder projects that weekend
  • Projects that couldn’t be done just in a few minutes
  • Projects that requires uninterrupted time – hours of time
  • For example – my website redesign
    • I wrote the content on my website when I first launched QFY
    • I wasn’t really clear on my message back then so the wording is choppy and not clear
    • I am also adding more content to my site
  • So I needed some time to really think about content, layout, and overall design
  • and I had a couple of other big things I wanted to do
  • Everything was noted in my calendar
  • I had a plan
  • But when the weekend rolled round – guess what?
    • I began to text with friends
    • Started to accept coffee invitations
    • I also started writing podcast episodes
    • Not necessarily an easy tasks but easier than some of the other projects because I write those episodes every week
    • However, I had already written the ones I needed – I simply decided to write more
    • Why
    • Because its familiar
  • And when we are faced with challenging things, we will always drift towards the easy way
  • I even notice this pattern in climbing
  • Every route is predefined
  • And when I follow my leader, I simply follow the rope and the protection he placed
  • But now that I am leading myself, I noticed that I get off route quite a bit
  • I know roughly where I should be going, yet when I see an easyer section, I go there
  • This was quite obvious 2 weekends ago when we climbed a route that was literally straight
  • A straight line
  • Yet when I reached the summit and looked down, my rope was not straight
  • I went to far right and then had to traverse over to get to my anchor
  •  
  • We like easy because our brain is fearful of risk
  • We like small wins because they send feel-good chemicals through our body
  • We don’t like uncertainty
  • And that is why we need to seek it more
  • Because progress in life comes mostly from those big tasks that we try to avoid, that we push off, that we cant seem to find the time for
  • We have to force the time
  • I eventually came around and got some of the things done last weekend that I set out to do
  • But I really had to resists the urge to go for the easy stuff and to add more easy to my plate
  • And I know we all go through the same thing because that is hour our brains function
  • So I am telling you today
  • Do what is hardest
  • If you can’t do it first thing in the day – find the time
  • And then do it
  • Be strict with yourself
  • Hold yourself accountable
  • And reward yourself if you need an incentive
  • But form my own experience I can tell you-
  • It feels rewarding enough to have done the thing – the big thing
  • It feels great
  • And it feels even better when results start to come in
  • Every major project consists of many small steps
  • Start breaking down the hard thing into small tasks
  • For my website – I began with one page –
  • Once I had that finished, I was so motivated – I moved on the podcast page
  • Getting those small things done feels good
  • It gives us renewed energy for more
  • But we need to start
  • I urge you:
  • Identify one big project you have been putting off
  • Maybe it is work related
  • Maybe it’s a personal goal
  • And then:
  • Break it out into smaller tasks
  • Part of my website redesign includes adding testimonials
  • I had a couple of people in mind that I asked but as soon as I sent those requests, I thought of more people
  • I must have sent 5 or so emails
  • Once I start – I feel energized to keep going
  • And a small task that is part of the bigger picture is the best way to do so
  • But – again
  • You need to discipline yourself by protecting your time
  • Because every difficult task starts with the time to do it

Don’t wait any longer

Get to it

Make the time now before there is no more time

Much love