7 Reasons You Should Do The Hard Stuff First

How often have you delayed starting a task because you’re basically fearful? That fear can be tangible even if you can’t quite put a name or reason to it. So in today’s post I’m going to attempt to articulate some of those fears and encourage you to do the hard stuff first anyway!

It Gets The Hard Task Off Your To Do List

Let’s start with some common fears: maybe you’re afraid it’s going to take up too much time, afraid you might not be able to do it or maybe it’s just an overwhelming fear of getting started.

I’ve experienced this many, many times. But the irony is that once I start, the task is usually quicker and/or easier than I expected it to be. But let’s break those three thoughts above down a bit further:

I’m afraid it’s going to take up too much time

Faced with a long list of tasks, it’s usually far more appealing to check off as many quick tasks as possible. Doing so gives us a little endorphin hit every time a task is finished which then helps build momentum to keep going.

However, in your heart, you know you’re not making the best use of your time and there’s a feeling of guilt as you ignore the hard task that you know you should be doing.

If this is the kind of situation that stops you starting a task, then take a moment to break the task down into as many smaller parts as possible much like your usual to do list! Then, as you finish each smaller task, you’ll get the same endorphin hit, and, more importantly you’ll be making progress.

Eventually, as each smaller sub-task is completed your list will get smaller and smaller until it’s complete…by which time you’ll feel awesome!

I’m afraid I might not be able to do the task

All things are difficult before they are easy.
Thomas Fuller

This is a valid fear, but it’s based on a lack of understanding of the task which can only be achieved by making a start.

Here’s how to approach this kind of procrastination:

Get stuck in and try to work out what’s involved in the task, where your knowledge gaps are and what parts of the task you can actually get going on immediately. Once you’ve found a few things you can move forward, do them so that you get the feeling of progress (which is all important at this stage).

For anything that you just don’t know how to do, then either contact someone who can help or look up some training on the subject. Also use this tactic if you really don’t know how to start the task.

Don’t endlessly procrastinate. Find someone to help or get googling for some training.

I’m just afraid to start

The fear of getting started is usually a combination of the two scenarios above, or maybe perfectionism.

In any event, whatever the reason that you don’t want to get started, here’s the crunch:

If you don’t start, then you’ll need to accept that your progress to whatever it is you’re striving for has effectively stopped…forever.

Your decision is therefore not about how to get going, but whether you’re going to do the task at all. Harsh as it sounds, this is the thin edge of the wedge.

So this is your call to action – will you do or not do the task? The choice (and results) are yours.

If you’re still struggling, this post might also help: How To Make Yourself Do Something Even When You Don’t Want To

Starting Isn’t That Big Of A Deal

If you don’t start then the task isn’t going to get done. Period.

It’s a simple statement with potentially huge implications. Could you lose your job, your place in college, the respect of others around you?

The irony is that the act of starting doesn’t need to be a big deal. In fact, if starting is the hardest part for you, then the less meaning you can attach to the act the better.

Make yourself use words like “first draft”, “practice run” or “basic effort” to downplay the importance of the work you’re about to do. Disclosure – I use “first draft” in big red letters at the start of all my blogs just to get myself away from the fear of a blank page!

Avoiding The Hard Stuff Is A Form Of Procrastination

If you’ve been avoiding the hard stuff for a long time, then it’s probably become a habit. What’s more, you’ve doubtless reached a point where you’re able to justify your avoidance habit because you’re just so busy with other stuff!

But let’s get real here.

We’re all busy. It’s a busy world, with lots of distractions, obligations, commitments and interruptions. So frankly, that doesn’t make you or your circumstances unique.

Recognise your avoidance for what it is – procrastination, in one of its many forms.

To break this habit, try going cold-turkey and commit to doing something you’ve been avoiding. Use the techniques suggested above if you feel the task is too big or you’re not sure what to do. Furthermore, if it still feels scary, commit to just 15 or 30 minutes on the task just to break the inertia.

Click to watch on YouTube 🙂

You Want To Be Successful

If you want to be seen as someone productive, who delivers on their goals and promises and is successful, then you will need to step away from the “busy” work and instead embrace the hard stuff.

Essentially, what that means is that by doing the hard stuff you become someone “valuable”. Now we’re all valuable for many reasons, but in a career or entrepreneurial setting, more value is achieved when you are able to produce work that is over and above the ordinary or average.

This means that the value you provide is more than just clearing your inbox and responding to queries. Instead, you’re looking to provide outputs that have been challenging to complete, that might be innovative, original or something that helps your manager with their workload.

In other words, you want to stand out from the ordinary and do the hard stuff first.

If this still doesn’t make sense, look around. If you’re producing work that’s the same as everyone else’s then it’s average. So what needs to change to help you stand out from the crowd?

It’ll Make You Happy!

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.
Theodore Isaac Rubin

No matter how bad your first effort, you’ll be much happier for having made a start. You’ll have gotten off the blocks, started to learn and understand what’s needed and you’ll have made a mark on the proverbial blank sheet.

All of this will make you happier, especially if you’ve tackled the hard stuff first!

I know that will seem like an impossible outcome as you stare down this awful, scary task, but believe me, the bark here is much, much worse than the bite of doing the work. And once you start progressing the task, it will eventually bend to your whim, and you’ll be playing with it like a puppy!

It’ll Make You A More Valuable Person

Every time you push yourself to do a really difficult task, you’ll grow your skill set and you’ll also grow as a person.

The hard stuff is usually the really important stuff…but often not the urgent stuff.

It’s frequently easy to put off doing the hard stuff, because in a lot of cases it will be about your own personal development.

Even a difficult work task that’s been assigned to you comes with development opportunities but failing to follow through and do the task has more implications than a lost growth opportunity.

Here are some examples to consider:

• Clear your inbox v learn a new language
• Scroll through social media v complete your assignment in good time
• Wash the dishes v have a difficult conversation

The first choice is relatively easy compared to the more difficult tasks. However, completing the difficult tasks will give your self-confidence a boost, add to your skill set, make you feel organised and prepared, and in the final example, potentially clear the air and improve a relationship.

Which brings me on to the Eisenhower Matrix…

It’s Important But It’s Not Urgent

All your tasks basically fall into one of four categories:

1. Urgent and Important (Do it now)
2. Not Urgent but Important (Schedule it, and make sure to get it done!)
3. Urgent but not important (Delegate it)
4. Not Urgent and Not Important (Dump it. Why are you doing these things at all?!)

You can read a fuller explanation in this blog post from James Clear.

If you were to sit with your to-do list and assign each of your tasks to one of these four categories, you’d notice that those tasks that can have a positive effect on your future often fall into the category of being “Important but Not Urgent” (category 2). They are often the hard stuff you should address first.  In other words, you can pretty much put them off indefinitely because for the most part, it’s your decision whether you’re going to get them done or not.

But what would happen if you chose to do these important but not urgent tasks first?

Well you can be sure that you would almost immediately feel a sense of achievement and pride. And quite rightly so!

But there are other benefits to getting the important but not urgent stuff done first.

• You will feel far more organised.
• You will feel far less stressed as your work will be completed ahead of deadline.
• Your work will be of a higher quality because you haven’t rushed to get it finished.
• Your overall results will improve as you seem to have more time available to do more research and prepare better.
• You will be perceived by others as someone who is reliable and delivers on their word.

These are just a few of the benefits of working in the Important but Not Urgent quadrant of the matrix.

Conclusion

This has been a long post, so I’ll quickly summarise here. The 7 reasons you should do the hard stuff first are:

1. It gets the hard task off your to do list.
2. Starting isn’t that big of a deal.
3. Avoiding the hard stuff is just another form of procrastination.
4. You want to be successful!
5. It’ll make you happier
6. It’ll make you a more valuable person
7. You’ll be doing the important stuff and not just all the fluff!

I hope you’ve found these ideas helpful. Please leave a comment with your own ideas or how you have or will use the ones above!

What to do next…

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