Time management in simple terms. Do not attempt to gobble the whole cow!
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
Can a person eat a cow?
Of course, it can. Cutlets, dumplings, sausage... For a couple of years a person eats a cow. And someone, and not just one.
No, I'm talking about what to take and swallow a cow whole.
Hmm... Even if we take the greatest man and the smallest cow... No! Definitely not!
Why, then, when it comes to time management, we often try to swallow a cow? In this article - about splitting large tasks into smaller subtasks. Why is it important and how to do it right?
Reason № 1. Weapon in the fight against stress
What is the main cause of stress?
It is that man never for a moment cease to think. He thinks in the shower, in the car, in the elevator... And he thinks about the same. On the fifth circle, on the tenth... It's like chewing gum, which had long since lost the taste.
All in all, then you need to: sit down and paint the thing that disturbs, into smaller subtasks. With targets, timetables, with the "reminder".
Do this, and, as if by magic, the idea of actually just stop appearing in the head. I remember that I was happy like a miracle when it happened the first time.
For me, if such a thing has become a retake exam in computer science. You it can be:
- conversation with the boss to increase wages;
- moving to a new apartment;
- or maybe you want to wean the child from the sweet?
In short, some unpleasant, or just a big, but necessary.
Reason № 2. Means of struggle against laziness
However, most unaffordable task is not at all cause stress. For someone it is laziness.
For example, you are too lazy "to change the oil in your car." Why? Your subconscious mind fuzzy sees this task. It seems to be clear that we need to do. But some of the details - in the fog. Laziness - it is often a reluctance to do something about what you have little information.
Let's try to paint this task:
It seems to be obvious task "change oil" turned into a small project. The project, which we will not go into the throat in its entirety. But we are happy to eat the pieces.
If I had not painted this task, we would need the willpower to start it. To break your laziness. But willpower - a fickle thing. Sometimes it a lot, and sometimes its margin almost zero.
No need to spend willpower how much in vain - just shall describe a large task into subtasks, and the process goes smoothly, without "plugging".
Reason № 3. Fighting force majeure
The habit to paint things into subtasks will protect you from a lot of force majeure. This saves time and all of the same nerves.
Just sit down and answer yourself the question: "What can I prevent an oil change?":
- Service does not accept the card.
- Service does not work.
- The car took a wife.
All of these "fears" grow into specific objectives:
- To withdraw money from an ATM.
- Call service, learn while working.
- Warn his wife that morning, I go to the service.
How deep to break the problem?
Without fanaticism.
Splitting a task as deeply to stop worrying about it.
It comes with experience.
It is important that your scheduler allows you to easily work with the tasks. Many tasks are not too lazy to break and poke into the uncomfortable screen. Therefore, I recommend you to schedule tasks on a computer rather than on a smartphone. The smartphone is always possible to "catch" to the computer.
Looks like a good sub-task?
Good sub-task begins with a verb: buy, call, write ...
In addition to that, I want to share my little secret ...
See different subtasks have much in common. For example:
Buy | PMC |
call | BELL |
Search the Internet | |
write a letter | IPR |
Draw a mind map | MENT |
To read | chit |
Think out | MOZGSH |
Take pictures | A PHOTO |
»
The secret is that the frequent action I stocked codes.
This is how our project now looks like:
Why do it? It is simply to save space?
Not! This is to ensure that at first sight, for a split second, you knew what was going on and what is required of you. Try it and you will see how much easier it will be to work with subtasks.
results
Enough torture yourself and the poor beast!
Do not try to swallow a whole cow. Break down your tasks. Now that you know how to do it correctly.