A mason was pushing a wheelbarrow full of bricks down the road one day when he came to a rushing stream with a washed-out bridge. A man sitting by the side of the road laughed and said, “If you can get that load across, I’ll eat my hat!”
After surveying the situation for a minute, the mason turned to the man and nodded. Without a word, he lifted abrick from the top of his load and, with a grunt, heaved it across the stream to the other bank. Picking up another brick, he repeated the process. A half hour later, he was fording the stream, dragging his empty wheelbarrow.
When the mason reached the other side, he restacked the bricks in the wheelbarrow. Before resuming his journey, he turned to the man on the other side, and shouted, “Eat it one bite at a time!”
Many tasks you’re faced with will have the equivalent of a washed-out bridge, a seemingly impossible obstacle. When you are tempted to put off a task due to its size, complexity, or difficulty, I suggest you divide it until doable.
Begin by asking yourself, How many parts can I break this task into? The more, the better, because smaller tasks are more manageable. You’re much more likely to complete a dozen “doables” than a single task that is perceived as undoable.
Jordan, our perfectionist, provides a good example of this. Faced with another essay in his English class, Jordan was feeling depressed. The subject this time was Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, and the assignment was to write a persuasive argument in the voice of one of the characters. As usual with these kinds of projects, Jordan was sure he would screw it up and was having trouble getting started. Like all perfectionists, he thought he needed to know what he was going to say before he began.
The truth is, very few creative works start out fully formed in the creator’s head. Jordan’s essay would unfold gradually over many writing sessions. He needed only to address one aspect of the project during any single session. Working together, we divided Jordan’s essay into “doables”:
Day 1:Pick a character.
Day 2:Research the character.
Day 3:Write an outline.
Day 4:Write one paragraph (repeat as necessary).
With only one paragraph to write each day, Jordan could whittle away at the essay until it was done. Of course, this would be a whole new way of working for Jordan and would take some practice to get used to. Would he be able to treat his daily objectives as actual deadlines? Would he be able to risk making a mistake? Jordan would need to remind himself of his new root belief again and again. He’d be using his breath to ride numerous waves of negative emotion. These tools are needed every step of the way.
Emily was faced with a similar challenge cleaning her room. It looked like the aftermath of a hurricane, and Emily felt like she was going to lose precious hours of her day doing a task that bored and irritated her. She told me she didn’t have that kind of stamina. She knew it wouldn’t take much to distract her.
I told Emily I understood how she felt. If I had to climb one of the rock faces she climbed, it would seem impossible.
“That’s because you’re treating the whole climb as one thing,” she answered. “I only think about it one foothold at a time. When I have a firm footing, I can rest and relax a bit before looking for the next one.”
Emily was dividing granite bluffs into doable footholds to conquer them. Could she do the same for the less glorious task of cleaning her room? Here’s the plan she came up with:
Doable 1:Gather up all the dirty clothes and start a load of wash.
Doable 2: Collect all the dirty dishes and trash.
Doable 3:Vacuum and dust.
Doable 4: Fold and put away clothes.
Doable 5:Make bed, organize closets and drawers.
Between each “foothold,” Emily could relax a bit with something more engaging for her, like playing one level of a video game or chatting with friends. And as each part of the task was completed, the more manageable cleaning her room would appear.
When you take small action steps on something you are not feeling motivated to do, you’ll almost always begin to feel more motivation once you’ve gotten started. Because you got something done, the next step does not seem as formidable. Just as each foothold brings the rock climber closer to attaining the peak and motivates her for the next foothold, each doable you master will help you “keep your eye on the prize” and embrace the next doable with a clear sense of purpose.
You are more likely to complete a dozen doable tasks than one undoable one.
This may come as revelation to all procrastinators, and particularly warriors, who tend to act only when they feel motivated. The truth is, action creates motivation. Whatever the task, if you are feeling overwhelmed by it, when you divide it into doable tasks, you create not only more opportunities to act but also more opportunities to build motivation. Even simple tasks like doing the dishes can be more motivating when you break them down further. Try it the next chance you get. Wash the dish, not the dishes!
Exercise: Divide Until Doable
Think of a big task that you have been putting off, such as applying for college, getting a job, organizing your room, writing a term paper, or starting an exercise program. Instead of focusing on the end goal, think of at least five steps that will get you there. It is easier to approach something if it is broken down into parts.
Of course, just because doables are bite-size doesn’t mean they will be easy to swallow. In the next chapter, I’ll introduce a way you can pump up your energy for even the most forbidding task.
Chapter 12