Scaling Your Work Mountain: It’s All in the Approach

by Jennifer Stakes Roberts

‘It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.’– J. R. R. Tolkien

 Writers could pen volumes on the subject of procrastination, especially if they are supposed to be working on something else. Doubly so if there’s a looming deadline. Often, we argue to ourselves that we are working: all that admin won’t do itself, that Twitter is helping us raise our professional profiles, that this internet surfing is research. And yes, all that may be true, but at some point we just have to turn off all distractions and get on with the job.

The larger the job, the more we can put it off. This is true for paid work as well as personal projects, like that ebook you always meant to get around to writing. This can lead to long days, late nights, and even a drop in the quality of our work, which is made worse because we know its entirely our fault. It’s not that we’re disorganized, it’s just that large projects are daunting and it can be hard to know where to start.

Alternatively, we might have such a pile of work to do that it can be hard to prioritize, and we start with the tasks we enjoy most, rather than tackling the most pressing.

So what can we do to make that work mountain that bit easier to climb? Just like climbing a real mountain, the first step can be a little counter-intuitive: we need to make a plan of approach. Taking time out to plan might seem like the last thing you should do. But just as going a longer way around a mountain might make for a more successful and smoother climb in the long run, taking time over your work approach can make for a less stressful and more productive experience.

So how can you approach your work mountain?

1/ break down work into manageable chunks

If you have a large project, sit down with a blank document and list all the different tasks that need to be done. This might be a list of chapter headings, a list of interviews you need to arrange, or a breakdown of a long article into research topics. If you have lots of different projects to complete, write them all down on your list.

2/ Put that list in order. What needs to be done first? Working things through logically in your mind can be a great way of untangling a jumble of tasks.

3/ Create a schedule. Using your calendar, and starting with the last task on your list, work backwards from your deadline and write down on which days you will do each task. If you don’t have a deadline, decide when you would like to finish by. If you can, leave yourself a little more time than you think so that your schedule is not too tight.

Now you have a schedule that looks a lot more manageable. You can work through your tasks each day without worrying about what’s coming up: you know you will tackle it another day and there’s no need to worry about it for now, you can put it out of your mind and concentrate on the job in hand.

With your mountain broken down into easy stages it now looks a whole lot easier to climb. Don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back once you’ve finished each task, and be sure to schedule in a little celebration at the end to look forward to: you’ll have deserved it!

Jennifer Stakes Roberts specialises in writing about social media and marketing and is the co-founder of Enhanced Freelance.  She has a background in project management and communications in the UK but now lives in the United States where she writes full time for business publications.

Her ebook The Freelancers’ Guide to Managing Projects is designed to help freelancers adopt big-business techniques to increase their productivity and potential to earn more.

Image by Flickr user: blmiers2

Tagged as: productivity, writing business

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