I think that everyone at least once in their life once said to themselves: “I’ll definitely do it tomorrow”, but when tomorrow came, I had to postpone the matter to the day after tomorrow. Some things you don’t want to do so much that it’s easier to give up on them, especially if they accumulate like a snowball.
Luckily, there is an easy solution:
If a task is difficult to complete, divide it into simple subtasks.
For convenience, I use the term «atomic task» (in the sense, indivisible).
atomic task — a task that you can start doing right now.
The issue of task atomicity is individual, for one person renting an apartment is an atomic task (for example, there are already applicants), for this another person needs to at least decide to whom he is ready to rent an apartment and where to advertise.
However, there are atomic tasks for almost everyone, for example:
- Check mail.
- Get dressed
- Find something on the internet.
- Call a friend.
Often tasks that are not clear how to perform or do not want to be performed can be divided into atomic subtasks. After that, the task is carried out easily and with enthusiasm.
For example:
The task of organizing information on a computer is divided into the following atomic tasks:
- Write all the options where you can store it.
- Choose the best option.
- View all folders and write a list of categories.
- Assign each folder to one category.
- Create an empty structure with new categories.
- Transfer all data — each to its own category.
Each atomic step can be done with ease, although the whole task may seem complex and incomprehensible.
If you don’t want to do a task or it’s not clear how to do it, divide it into atomic subtasks.