TasklingHow to break a big task into small steps
Write the finished result, list the visible actions that get you there, keep each step under about 25 minutes, and make the first one tiny. Then give each step a home in your day.
Why big tasks stall
A task like "pitch deck" or "sort out the garage" hides dozens of decisions. Until those are made, there is nothing obvious to do. Breaking it down is really about making those decisions in advance, once, so your future self only has to follow along.
The five part method
- Write what done looks like. One sentence. "A ten slide deck I can send to Alex."
- List visible actions. Each step starts with a verb you could film: open, write, call, carry, send.
- Keep steps short. Aim for steps under about 25 minutes. Anything longer gets split again.
- Make the first step tiny. It should take a couple of minutes and need no thinking.
- Give each step a home. Put steps in Morning, Afternoon or Evening so they do not all land at once.
A worked example
Here is "Deep work: pitch deck", broken into steps:
| Step | Time | When |
|---|---|---|
| Open the deck and write the title | 5 min | Morning |
| Draft three key slides | 25 min | Morning |
| Add one chart | 15 min | Afternoon |
| Read it through once and send | 10 min | Afternoon |
Notice the first step. It is so small that starting is easy, and once the file is open the next step follows naturally.
Common mistakes
- Steps that are still projects. "Research" is not a step. "Read two competitor websites" is.
- Planning forever. Stop at five to eight steps. You can always split one later.
- Skipping the tiny first step. It feels pointless, but it is the one that gets you moving.
Doing this in Taskling
Open any task in Taskling and add steps underneath it, each with its own check circle and a progress bar on the task. If you would rather not do it yourself, ask Sprig to suggest a breakdown and approve the steps you like. Related reading: how to start when you can't start.
