After putting away the holiday decorations and excitedly thinking about the blank slate of the new year I had in front of me, I made a list of all the projects that I have been putting off, as well as pondering the new ideas that I have for the coming months. In looking at the list, I noted that there is one project that I keep pushing aside because it’s too overwhelming to jump into. Do you have a project or assignment like that? If so, it is time to use your Executive Functioning skills and get organized. I did a little research to see how other people tackle their own daunting tasks and I came across one from artist Jessica Abel in tune with my own organizational structure. I think it just might work really well for you too.
To start, take a look at that overwhelming project ahead of you and break it down into tiny steps. It doesn’t matter how many steps you end up with, just make sure that each step is very specific. That done, get yourself a calendar, making sure it’s a day-at-a-time or week-at-a-time, so you have plenty of room to write under each day. While looking over your new list, consider the amount of time that you have in your day to work on your project, bearing in mind that you do need to schedule your tasks around school, work, etc. Now enter these smaller tasks into your daily/weekly. Soon, you’ll become motivated when you see all those jobs crossed off, and before you know it, your overwhelming project will be complete!
Author Austin Kleon had an assignment with a deadline that was just six months away. In that time, he had to write 250 poems. That’s 250 poems in 25 weeks, or 10 poems a week - that’s a daunting task to be tackled before publication! Kleon modified the above strategy and and turned it into something that was workable for him, another variation that could work just as well for you. He made it visual. He drew out 25 rows, each with 10 checkboxes. When he finished a poem, he would put a very satisfying X into one box. By turning his enormous task into a visual game, he completed the job on time.
To tackle those larger tasks and assignments, get yourself a calendar. Break your task down into little bits. Make it a game, and give yourself a pat on the back, enjoying the positive feedback that you’ll get from looking at that page of crossed off tasks, or as in Austin’s case, a page full of X’s.