Break it Down!

Have you ever felt the stress and pressure that comes with trying to complete a huge task in your work? I bet you have. It’s more like an everyday struggle, isn’t it? You are not alone.

Facing big tasks can be really frustrating. They seem insurmountable and most times overwhelm you and make you feel like you’re no longer in control of your time and work schedule. These negative emotions have negative influence on your work and inhibit your productivity. By breaking down tasks and setting priorities, we make the work more manageable and less intimidating.

A large project that spans into months can be broken down into smaller chunks that can be completed daily of weekly. Then further broken down into tiny fragments that can easily be completed within an hour. This provides you with a clear way to progress on a project even when you have time constraints.

Breaking down tasks reduces the tendency to procrastinate or defer the tasks by making them more approachable and doable.

How does it help productivity?

·         With each small task that is completed, you feel a sense of accomplishment. This feeling will consistently keep you positive and drive you from task to task and keeps you productive.

·         Instead of getting lost in the task and feeling like you haven’t made any progress, you will be able to easily track you progress and have a clear idea of how much work you have done.

·         Instead of having to focus for 4-6 hours, which can be an uphill task, you get to focus for just about 20-30 minutes, which is way easier. This way you’re more relaxed and at peace with work.

·         You become more mindful of the task and by unloading your mind of the entire bulk and focusing on what is important for each small task, you have more clarity and become more productive.

Most large tasks can really be overwhelming when viewed as a whole. By breaking them down into small manageable pieces, you will be able to focus more and stay motivated to accomplish the task.

Why Does it Work?

1.       Our brain capacity is limited: It’s not news that the human memory is flawed and, at best, limited. Research has shown that our average working memory capacity is three to five items at a time. Anything more than that causes us mental stress and leads to fatigue. Breaking a larger task down helps us identify what to do at every point in time towards the task, focus on it and know what step to take next.

2.       We are more productive with specific goals:  So you have a big project on your hands—for example, a building project. On the surface, your goal appears simple; get the building ready. But in the real sense, that’s too vague. What does ready mean? What does it need to be “ready”? How do you get it done? This is a fundamental part of goal setting.

Why are specific goals so effective?

·         Specific goals force us to make a decision to pursue them. This increases our focus and sense of purpose.

·         They motivate us to increase our efforts.

·         They give us a clear picture of what success looks like.

·         They come with strategies necessary to attain them.                                                                                   

3.       Regular feedbacks help us track our progress effectively: Big tasks/projects can span several weeks or months. Breaking the project down into smaller parts gives us the opportunity to track our progress through feedbacks and make adjustments when necessary and keeps us motivated for the duration of the entire project.

4.       We hate waiting for results: The average person is not so keen on delayed gratification, as humans, we like to see progress and we like to see it often. The satisfied rush that you feel when you complete a task, no matter how small, is your brain releasing dopamine—a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and motivation.

You like that feeling, so you do your best to replicate it as often as possible. This is why splitting up large tasks into smaller assignments is helpful.  By breaking those large projects down, you give yourself the opportunity to experience the dopamine rush more often.

Steps to break up huge tasks

·         Create a visual plan of the task.

·         Set a timeline for the task.

·         Set measurable milestones.

·         Disintegrate the task and identify the smaller parts.

·         Start taking on the small tasks one after another.

·         Complete each small task you begin.

This model of approaching work will change the way you approach productivity for good and give you a level of control over your projects and your work. With this model, no matter how insurmountable a project may appear, you have the confidence to approach it, disintegrate it and take them one at a time.