[#]: collector: (lujun9972) [#]: translator: ( ) [#]: reviewer: ( ) [#]: publisher: ( ) [#]: url: ( ) [#]: subject: (3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list) [#]: via: (https://opensource.com/article/21/1/break-down-tasks) [#]: author: (Kevin Sonney https://opensource.com/users/ksonney) 3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list ====== Break your larger tasks into small steps to keep from being overwhelmed. ![Team checklist][1] In prior years, this annual series covered individual apps. This year, we are looking at all-in-one solutions in addition to strategies to help in 2021. Welcome to day 14 of 21 Days of Productivity in 2021. At the start of the week, I like to review my schedule and look at the things I either need or would like to accomplish. And often, there are some items on that list that are relatively big. Whether it is an issue for work, a series of articles on productivity, or maybe an improvement to the chicken enclosures, the task can seem really daunting when taken as a single job. The odds are good that I will not be able to sit down and finish something like (just as an example, mind you) 21 articles in a single block of time, or even a single day. ![21 Days of Productivity project screenshot][2] 21 Days of Productivity (Kevin Sonney, [CC BY-SA 4.0][3]) So the first thing I do when I have something like this on my list is to break it down into smaller pieces. As Nobel laureate [William Faulkner][4] famously said, "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." We need to take our big tasks (the mountain) and find the individual steps (the small stones) that need to be done. I use the following steps to break down my big tasks into little ones: 1. I usually have a fair idea of what needs to be done to complete a task. If not, I do a little research to figure that out. 2. I write down the steps I think it will take, in order. 3. Finally, I sit down with my calendar and the list and start to spread the tasks out across several days (or weeks, or months) to get an idea of when I might finish it. Now I have not only a plan but an idea of how long it is going to take. As I complete each step, I can see that big task get not only a little smaller but closer to completion. There is an old military saying that goes, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." It is almost certain that there will be a point or two (or five) where I realize that something as simple as "take a screenshot" needs to be expanded into something _much_ more complex. In fact, taking the screenshots of [Easy!Appointments][5] turned out to be: 1. Install and configure Easy!Appointments. 2. Install and configure the Easy!Appointments WordPress plugin. 3. Generate the API keys needed to sync the calendar. 4. Take screenshots. Even then, I had to break these tasks down into smaller pieces—download the software, configure NGINX, validate the installs…you get the idea. And that's OK. A plan, or set of tasks, is not set in stone and can be changed as needed. ![project completion pie chart][6] About 2/3 done for this year! (Kevin Sonney, [CC BY-SA 4.0][3]) This is a learned skill and will take some effort the first few times. Learning how to break big tasks into smaller steps allows you to track progress towards a goal or completion of something big without getting overwhelmed in the process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- via: https://opensource.com/article/21/1/break-down-tasks 作者：[Kevin Sonney][a] 选题：[lujun9972][b] 译者：[译者ID](https://github.com/译者ID) 校对：[校对者ID](https://github.com/校对者ID) 本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出 [a]: https://opensource.com/users/ksonney [b]: https://github.com/lujun9972 [1]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/styles/image-full-size/public/lead-images/checklist_todo_clock_time_team.png?itok=1z528Q0y (Team checklist) [2]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/day14-image1.png [3]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner [5]: https://opensource.com/article/21/1/open-source-scheduler [6]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/day14-image2_1.png