Task breakdown

Make the first step too small to fail

From a book

In Mini Habits, Guise advises setting the required amount “stupidly small”: one push-up, 50 written characters, or two pages of reading. Reaching that amount counts as done; doing more is a bonus. He once committed to just one push-up and ended up doing a full workout(Guise, 2013).

Fogg takes the same approach in Tiny Habits: make a new behavior very easy, such as flossing just one tooth(Fogg, 2019). Both books address habits. Applied to a large task, the first step could be “open the file and write one sentence.”

Write the first step as an observable action

From a book

In Getting Things Done, Allen defines the “next action” as the next specific, observable action(Allen, 2015). “Think about it,” “decide,” and “organize thoughts” leave the next step unclear. An alternative is “list three options on paper.”

The next step for “write a report” could be “open the document and write the title”; for “deal with insurance,” “find the policy number.” Written as an action, the item makes it clear where to start.

Start first; the desire to do it follows

From a book

Pychyl argues that motivation arises after action; it need not come first for action to begin. He uses if-then planning to arrange the shift from waiting to acting(Pychyl, 2013).

If a tiny step still stalls, size may not be the problem

From a book

Safren and colleagues’ cognitive behavioral treatment program for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) distinguishes two situations. Not knowing how to proceed calls for choosing an approach first; knowing how, but finding the task too large, calls for smaller steps(Safren et al., 2017).

Choosing an approach starts with defining the problem, listing possible methods, comparing their pros, cons, and difficulty, then selecting one. Only then is it broken into manageable steps(Safren et al., 2017). Without an approach, repeatedly shrinking the task may still leave its starting point unclear.

Give each step an observable endpoint

Proposed in research

Two experiments told only half the participants how much of the task remained, without judging performance. Those who knew performed better, felt less tired, and took shorter breaks. The researchers suggest that knowing when a task ends removes the need to conserve effort(Katzir et al., 2020).

Ramsay’s advice for procrastination is to set a minimum, achievable goal for the current work session. For example, online tax filing could start with completing basic details such as name and address. Reaching that goal allows stopping; doing more is a bonus(Ramsay, 2020).

Set a small goal for each work session

Research-backed

An experiment involved children ages 7–10 with math difficulties. During self-directed practice, the group aiming for “at least 6 pages” each lesson progressed faster, learned the material better, and liked the subject more. The group aiming only to “finish 42 pages by the end of lesson seven” had no clear advantage over the self-directed group with no goals(Bandura & Schunk, 1981).

Alongside the long-term overall goal, each session should start with a specific target, such as “finish section two today.”