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How to Eat an Elephant, or Break a Complex Task into Simple Steps, is one common approach to developing a plan to achieve a goal.
Sometimes you may be faced with a big, unbearable task for yourself, in front of which you give up. But to do it anyway — it is necessary. How? If the task is huge, like an elephant, break it down into small, simple steps, each of which you can handle.
Another name for this method is the Ladder of Success.
Therefore, to the question: “How to eat an elephant?” The best answer is «Only in portions» and small enough to be eaten in one sitting. Any big goal seems overwhelming only until you start to divide it into pieces.
Eating an elephant can be organized in two ways. The first way is the systematic eating of an elephant from trunk to tail. For example, if you start writing a report from its title to the conclusion. The second way is when eating occurs in random order, starting with light, “tasty” pieces. This method is called «Swiss cheese», the holes in the cheese are «gnawed» until nothing but holes remain. For example, you know exactly what should be written in the main part of the report and start from this piece.
For example 1
For example, you need to move from your parents to your apartment: it seems terrible, but if you take a piece of paper and write down all the simple steps, then there will be only four of them. With subtasks — a little more, namely …
First: clean the apartment, where to move. Okay, the apartment is a balcony, a room and a kitchen. Clean the balcony — about three hours, I’ll do it tomorrow, sort out the room — that’s enough for Saturday, put the kitchen in order — there’s not much there, on Sunday before dinner I should manage.
Okay, this is all real.
The second is to make repairs in the apartment. There are three points: the project, repairmen and things. I can draw a repair project myself, I love and know how to do it. Who will make the repair is not a question, or I will find the masters on the Internet, or I will ask my friends, someone will recommend acquaintances. Things: I need to figure out what I will take from old things, what I will buy new. I will invite Svetlana, she will talk, I will listen to her and do it my own way.
So, here, too, everything is solved.
The third is the actual transfer, that is, only two points: a car and assistants. I will find transport through the Internet, it is now quite simple, and friends will help to load things.
Will they help? Help, for sure.
The last point is to calculate the required amount and collect money.
Well, money is not the issue. There is money for this.
Bottom line: everything is solved. All it takes is a piece of paper and breaking down a big task into simple manageable steps.
For example 2
For example, your goal: I want to become a French citizen and live in my own house in the south. Well, we break this distant goal into a sequence of the most specific tasks. What? Learning French is an understandable and separate task, but the rest of the chain is quite creative. For example, it might look like this:
- get on the Internet;
- find people who settled to study in France;
- establish correspondence with them, acquire the necessary connections, obtain the necessary information;
- collect the necessary documents;
- pass language proficiency exams;
- perhaps something else is required, but as a result, you end up in France as a student.
- Already in France — again to look for connections;
- get a residence permit (many options);
- become a French citizen;
- To find a job;
- make your own business;
- buy a house in the south.
The most important thing is the first step. In this case: go online and find the information you need. You don’t have a computer yet and you’re not friends with the Internet? Well, these subtasks are already much more solvable. Finding a computer is not a problem, there are friends and Internet cafes, and learning how to use a computer fluently and know how to use the Internet is something that should have been learned yesterday. Forward!
The main thing is to take the first step. Some of the following steps — the fifth or seventh — may scare you, but do not be scared ahead of time. The good news is that each step not only brings you closer to the goal, but also adds experience and confidence. Yes, while something may be difficult for you, but you go forward, and at the next point you will be different.