Finish the Hard or Easy Stuff First?
I’m confused. On one hand, you’ve got Shane saying:
Prioritize the things on your list. If you’re not sure what to do first, do the stuff that makes you money first and the stuff that costs you money last. Other than that, knock off the easy stuff and then settle in all relaxed on the tougher stuff.
Yet on the other hand, experience has taught me to start with the hard stuff first; since it’s a lot easier to do the … easy stuff, I’d rather concentrate my creative energies on the most demanding tasks first.
To be clear though, my prioritization procedure is pretty clear. As Shane wrote, do the money-making stuff first. On top of that, I focus on what needs to be done as soon as possible.
Still, all things being equal, I’m not entirely sure if concentrating on what’s hard (or easy) first is the way to go. To be honest, I’ve tried finishing the easy stuff first, only to be too tired to fully concentrate on the hard projects, and accomplished the hard tasks first, only to have too little time for even the easy stuff.
So I leave the question to you, fellow freelancers: Do you always try to finish the hard or easy stuff first?
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POSTED IN: Ramblings of a Freelancer
2 opinions for Finish the Hard or Easy Stuff First?
Anthony Williams
Jul 17, 2008 at 12:53 am
As you suggest, there’s more to it than just hard/easy: you have to take into account urgency, value and how you’re feeling.
If I’m feeling overwhelmed then I tackle the easy stuff first in order to get my TODO list down. Also, it can be a way to get into the groove with a project — if there are multiple tasks on the same project then starting with the easy ones can make it easier to keep going into the harder ones if you can at least start them in the same work session.
On the other hand, it can be good to get the harder tasks out the way when you’re fresh, so you can relax with the easier tasks when you’re feeling a bit run down.
Rico
Jul 18, 2008 at 1:19 am
Oh dear Anthony, looks like deciding to do the hard or easy stuff first requires more judgment calls than I’m comfortable with!
I guess, we just have to maximize our time and minimize situations where we have to decide, no?
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