How to break a task into small steps when it feels like too much

Write the task, write its last step, then work back to the first step. Keep each step short enough that you can say when it starts and when it ends. Then do only the first.

Why a big task stalls

A big task often has no first step you can see. “Do the tax return” and “clean the house” name the whole job and point at no place to begin. Goals for each stretch of a long task are linked with less procrastination, mostly in studies of students (Steel, 2007, p. 56). In an older experiment with children who found maths hard, those who set a goal for each session did better than those who set one distant goal (Bandura and Schunk, 1981). The children are a different age group from most readers here, so read that result as a hint for adults.

The method

1. Write the task in one line.
2. Write the last step, the one that would make the task finished.
3. Work backwards, adding the step that comes before it, until you reach one you could do today.
4. Check each step against the rule below. Split any step that fails.
5. Pick the first step. Put the other steps out of sight.
6. Do it, tick it off, then choose the next.

Working back from the last step is a common planning technique, and we did not find a study that tests it on its own. The 15 minute limit below is a rule of thumb.

A rule for a step

A step passes if you can say when it starts and when it ends, and it takes under 15 minutes. “Sort the paperwork” fails, because you cannot say when it ends. “Put this month’s bank statements in one pile” passes.

Three worked examples

• A tax return. Last step: submit it. Working back: check the totals, enter the deductions, enter the income, find the documents. First step: open the folder and list what is missing.
• A cleaning job. Last step: put the bin out. Working back: vacuum, wipe the benches, clear the floor, collect the dishes. First step: carry the dishes from one room to the sink.
• An essay. Last step: read it aloud once and fix the typos. Working back: write the conclusion, write the body, write an outline, list the points you want to make. First step: write the question at the top of a page and list three points.

When a room feels like too much

Pick one surface, such as the desk or the bench, and set a timer for ten minutes. When it rings, you may stop or choose another surface. The 5 minute rule uses the same idea for a job of any size.

Why a pile of small tasks feels heavy

Ten small tasks can feel heavier than one large one, when you hold the whole pile in your head. Write them in one list, choose the next one, and leave the other tasks on the page. Our guide to starting a task you keep avoiding offers more ways to get started.

When this is more than a habit

If putting tasks off is affecting your sleep, your work or how you feel day to day, a GP, doctor or psychologist can help. In Australia, Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636.

If you're thinking about ending your life, or you're not safe right now, call 000 in Australia or 911 in the US. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call or text 988 in the US, any time. Anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free local lines.

Sources

1. Steel P (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin 133(1): 65–94. Page numbers in the text refer to the author's accepted manuscript (https://ucalgary.scholaris.ca/handle/1880/47914). doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
2. Bandura A, Schunk DH (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 41(3): 586–598. doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586