Tags
200 words, believe, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, dream, encourage, life, living in the moment, mission, passion, Purpose, tenacity, vision, work hard
“Little by little, one travels far.” – J. R. R. Tolkien
Have you ever had an impossible, massive, heavy task looming in front of you?
A dream so close to your heart that the thought of not achieving it, was unbearable?
I have.
If you’re like me, it can paralyze you if you don’t deconstruct it into manageable pieces.
How to tackle an impossible, massive, heavy, looming task
- Picture the final outcome. How does it feel? What are people saying about it?
- What are the top 3 objectives/barriers you need to achieve/overcome?
- List tasks under each objective/barrier to take you where you need to go.
- Run it under the noses of people you trust, particularly those who think differently than you.
- Tweak and modify your tasks.
- Take them on, one step at a time and start with the hardest ones.
The smallest steps today, combined together, help you chip away at your task. Before you know it, momentum takes on a life of its own and you are well on your way.
Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~
Do you have a massive, heavy, looming task?
What small step can you make today?
talktodiana 
Wonderful, helpful post, Diana. Thank you!
LikeLike
You’re welcome and thank you Ann!
Diana xo
LikeLike
Action speaks louder than words, plans and thoughts. Great points, Diana. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Kristi! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
Great reminders, Diana ~ I think the toughest point for me is just in GETTING STARTED!! What a nail biting endeavor that is. 🙂
~ Andrea ❤
LikeLike
Yes, the dreaded first steps. ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
Great advice, thank you! ❤
LikeLike
My pleasure dear Rachel!
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, sure. I’m helping reactivate a project which will affect other depts. It was postponed for a current project that we are having difficulty launching. Anyway….
When it involves other people, the looming task looks like a mountain range.
LikeLike
I love the thrill and hard work of connecting people and getting them on the same page Jean!
I used to have a co-worker who often said, “People block my goals!” 😉
Diana xo
LikeLike
Honest I can tell I thrive best and my best skills show in client/customer needs analysis, change management and working with them –even if they are resistant to change. I told an interviewer once upon a time that I would not be happy with just strictly a backroom, technical job with no direct client interface/ human interaction.
LikeLike
I wish you success Jean! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
This is the problem you see your task and think , wow this is impossible, but it is not, starting and continuing step by step. Afterwards we don’t find it so daunting anymore… I think sometimes we panic too much instead of being calm. Lovely post Diana!
LikeLike
Thanks Ute. Sometimes I panic but then I snap out of it. 😉
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great suggestions! I always try to keep moving forward with something–even if it’s just taking baby steps. I’ve also found that sometimes it helps me to do some of the easier things early on–to get time-consuming little details out of the way–and to have a sense of accomplishment that increases my commitment to reach the final goal.
LikeLike
That makes sense Sheryl, I’ve done that too. 😀
Diana xo
LikeLike
Chipping away at a massive task – or breaking it down into manageable bites – is great advice, Diana. My problem also is procrastination. But, maybe, with your suggestions, I can begin to tackle it and get it done. Thank you. 😉
LikeLike
Something tells me you get done what needs to be done Judy. 🙂
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much for this!
LikeLike
My pleasure Julie!
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great advice Diana, this is very similar to how I tackle big tasks also.
my current monument is writing a curriculum to teach classes to my clients.
It’s coming along nicely as I chip away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great Denise – best of success to you!
Diana xo
LikeLike
This is a fantastic list that could be applied to those horrible jobs (like doing tax returns) just as much as fulfilling dreams. One thing I noticed is that by the time you get to those hard tasks you mention in step 6, you would have already done steps one to five, and so would already be well on the way to getting things.
Good plan! 🙂
LikeLike
haha thanks Elizabeth!
Diana xo
LikeLike
At work I start with a list. In my personal life I start with imagining it. 🙂
LikeLike
How interesting Colleen! It sounds like your natural inclination is to imagine it, but work calls for you to follow a process?
Diana xo
LikeLike
Work life is definitely a process. But my personal life is based more in creativity though most of my life I have been pretty regimented, I’m trying to break free of that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Bird by Bird,” by Anne LaMott … Great book. The title comes from, I think, her little brother fretting over a bird project for the science fair or something when he was a kid. Their dad told him to just go bird by bird, and it would get done.
LikeLike
I love Anne LaMott Jim! Sounds like sound advice to me. 😀
Diana xo
LikeLike
Great advice Diana, I think we have all felt that same way at times, and breaking it down always helps us work towards our goals.
Karen
LikeLike
I’m just thankful it works Karen. Thanks for stopping by! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
I have to admit I’m prone to letting the size of a task put me off ever starting. (And, being a perfectionist, my concerns about not being able to do something as well as I’d like can also be an impediment to even starting.)
I try to keep reminding myself of the aphorism: “The longest journey begins with a single step.”
LikeLike
Smitty, I try to think of my outline as a rough draft…building the skeleton, so to speak. As I add flesh, I tweak and modify as required. I imagine a perfectionist like yourself could do the same, no?
That way you get started while giving yourself the freedom to revisit parts of the project! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
Oh, yeah, there are many approaches to any problem. Some challenges are harder than others, and which are which depends on the person.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good stuff Diana I am struggling to finish my picture book illustrations, my time management is poor. I need to put some new strategies into place.
LikeLike
You’ll get there Kath!
Creative stuff is interesting in the sense that it sometimes needs to ruminate, grow its own personality.
When I write for non profits, I often have to walk away from it for a couple of days and while I sleep or wash dishes or pay bills, it begins to write itself… know what I mean?
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the tech world, there’s the ninety-ninety rule. It seems crazy and paradoxical, yet there’s a lot of truth to it, especially when trying to pick the hardest task first.
The ninety-ninety rule basically says the first 90% of some task takes 90% of the time, and the last 10% of the time takes another 90% of the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-ninety_rule
Yeah, it’s a joke – and it’s not a joke.
Wherever you begin, there may still feel like there’s so much to do.
And then, before you know it, you’ve passed through the biggest part – 90%.
One step at a time certainly does make things smoother.
Thanks for the tips and reminders.
Vincent
LikeLike
haha Vincent!
I like to take on the hard things first in the same way that I eat the things I like the least first off my plate. In my mind, that leaves the tasty fun stuff that energizes me and becomes my reward!
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I do have a heavy, looming task — but I know it’s not impossible. I’m about 1/2-way done with a novel. I find writing a novel the most difficult thing to do well. There are so many threads to weave together, characters, plot, suspense, humor, structure, themes, poetry/sound, all while constantly considering the readers’ experience and potential reactions.
Your list is right.
I’ll get there…. 🙂
LikeLike
Tracy, Your novel will be brilliant! I wish you much success chipping away at it. ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
Inch by inch is a cinch; yard by yard is hard. Who said that? Thanks for the pep talk! I find making lists helps a lot.
LikeLike
Me too Lisa, if nothing else, lists remind you that you’re doing something. 🙂
I hadn’t thought of that saying in eons, since back before Canada switched to the metric system. I don’t know who coined it.
Diana xo
LikeLike
Perfect strategy, Diana. Turn that scary mountain into some a manageable hills! I love your wisdom. ❤
LikeLike
Aww shucks, Mark – thanks! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLike
Solid down to earth practical wisdom Diana. Good stuff. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you very much kind sir!
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I told someone this morning the joy is in the journey, not the destination. But hey, what do I know? 😉
LikeLike
I totally agree Jennifer! ❤
Diana xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some days every thing feels like a massive hill to climb… how do we handle it.?? Just keep on keeping on and the end will always come closer…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely true bulldog!
Diana xo
LikeLike