Do you start your day by doing the easiest task on your list or the hardest?

Ezgi Aydın
24 replies
I always do a slow start and do my easiest task first. What is your opinion on this?

Replies

Garland Coulson (Captain Time)
"Worst first" always. Then I reward myself with my easy tasks late in the day. [I am a time management coach]
Svitlana Palamarchuk
easiest. Always start my day by checking on my stats dashboards :)
Boris Rieunier
For sure we all have différent levels of energy throughout the day. Most likely you will not be right away in it first half hour or After lunch. Personally hours in the morning are my most productive one. Dépends on how you are organized and if you work alone. For example I like to start my day early so that I Can Do deepwork before slack lights up like a christmas three 😁 Also I think its important not to make the mistake of having too much for a day in your todo. If you move task from one day to the next constantly might bé that you have too much not that you need to better organize. Can get you demotivated real fast!
Anna Starodub
It depends on my mood. Sometimes I just need some time to procrastinate. But usually I do the hardest. Once I've read about Eat the Frog, I've stared to practice this and it's really productive practice. If you are not yet familiar with Eat the Frog method, just google it, it is really worthy.
I first tackle the hardest tasks. As the day progresses I lose energy and motivation so I like to start out strong and finish gently 😊
Nim Bar-Levin
Great one! I always recommend to start with a couple of less-than-2-minutes kind of tasks - for "warm-up" 😉 and then straight to the 1-2 big ones of today...
Subin Babu
It depends on the task at hand. Sometimes it's necessary to start with the easiest tasks to build momentum. It's all about finding the right approach for each situation.
Lubna Amber
Hard tasks first as there is more energy at that moment.
Sakshi Gahlawat
Tackling with the easiest tasks on the list first. This helps gain a sense of accomplishment and build momentum for the more challenging tasks ahead.
Divya
Easiest task first so that I get the feeling of things getting done.
Sean P.
Good point on the slow start, sometime we need that. For me normally I start with top 3 tasks which crossed between must-have and urgently due (e.g today)
Ekrem Çetinkaya
Depends on the day. If I have the entire day free ahead of me, I pick the hardest task so that I can finish it that day. If I think I don't have enough time to complete a difficult task, then I pick easier ones. This way I at least manage to finish them :)
amanah alfian
Hardest, need some extra energy more to be solved. lol
MARIZSA
Easy then hard! It gives a sense of accomplishment which encourages me to continue on.
Igor Lysenko
I'm most likely the type of person that starts right away with difficult tasks.
Depends on my energy and focus level of that particular day. On general days, I usually start by hard tasks at first, because as the day comes to an end, my focus and interest becomes a little shaky!😅
Aizhan Asanbaeva
easy then hard 😅
Adith Mathialagan
Couldn't agree with you more. Crossing of an item in my list gives me a satisfaction of being productive and to me it's the biggest self-motivator, especially, when it happens earlier in the day.
Shajedul Karim
the order of tackling tasks is unique to each individual. some lean into 'eat the frog', tackling the hardest task first thing in the morning. this method capitalizes on your full reservoir of willpower and energy at the start of the day. finishing a major task early can fuel your motivation for the rest of the day. others, like yourself, prefer a 'slow start', easing into the day with simpler tasks. this approach acts like a warm-up, gradually ramping up cognitive gears. the quick wins from completing smaller tasks can boost your momentum and confidence. i've found value in both. sometimes i switch based on the nature of the tasks and my energy levels. it's not a fixed rule but a flexible strategy. it's essential to note that there's no 'one size fits all'. understand your rhythms, your energy ebbs and flows, and tailor your task strategy to it. maybe you're a sprinter in the morning and a marathon runner in the afternoon. whatever the approach, the key is intentional action. whether you're tackling a big task or a small one, the focus should be on making progress. every step, every tick on the checklist, is a step towards your goal. keep experimenting, keep refining, and find the rhythm that best fits you.