Two years ago, I went from a job that had an incredible number of defined tasks with tight deadlines to one that was more self-directed. I did not know what to do with myself. I relied on my deadlines and defined tasks! I was sure there were things I should be doing, but I didn’t know what they were. What was I supposed to do with the nebulous projects that I was now responsible for?

Initially, I figured that I just didn’t have enough information about what I was supposed to do and that I didn’t know how to ask for it. So I came up with a list, because that’s my first response to everything. What things did I need to know to begin a project? How could I make sure I got all the information I needed? I wrote down all the categories I could think of, then began taking my list to meetings with my boss. Any time they asked me to do something specific, I would run down my list to make sure I had all the pieces.

I would like to say it worked, but a few months later I found I had been approaching several time-consuming tasks from completely the wrong angle and needed to start over. I was so frustrated. I ditched my list and implemented some general principles to help me define what the heck I was supposed to be doing.

1. Make sure you’re clear on what you need to do and why.

When you’re assigned a project or task, the instructions you’re provided make the path forward seem obvious. It’s surprising how often it just isn’t.

Don’t assume you have been given all the information you need. The person who asked you to do the thing probably thought they were perfectly clear and gave you enough information, but folks who have worked for a long time in a business often lose sight of the details that someone new might need.

It’s a good idea to ask questions about the project or task you’ve been assigned, then restate the responses in your own words to check your understanding. What have I been asked to do? What is the objective or goal? Is this the best method to reach that goal?

2. Make sure you’re clear on what you shouldn’t be doing.

Boundaries are important. You can’t do all the things, no matter how much you want to. You need to spend your time on the most impactful pieces. So which actions are impactful? Which are not? Making an out-of-scope or not-to-do list gives you something to refer to when you’re in danger of going down the rabbit hole.

3. Break your project or task into manageable chunks.

Fight overwhelm by breaking down your project or task into smaller and smaller chunks, until you are able to implement at least the first piece. Here’s how I go about it.

  1. Start with what you know how to do. Write down things you know will have to happen eventually for the task to be completed. They can be out of order. Your list will be incomplete, but that’s okay at this point.

  2. Put your individual tasks into sequential order as best you can. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Then imagine you’re completing each task. Wherever there’s a gap, and you don’t know what would have to happen next, make a note. I like to write “Magic!” in the spaces where I know something has to happen, but I don't know what. Then I go looking for the magic.

  3. Research the missing steps. You can bounce ideas off coworkers. You can search the internet to see how other people have gone about similar tasks. You can ask your AI of choice to “list the steps to complete Task A” - just make sure you don’t include any personal information in your query. You can post in the Apolitical forum to see if anyone has advice for you! You don’t need to find all your process information in one place - collect bits of ideas and combine them to see what you can come up with.

  4. Once you have a general idea of the steps needed to complete your project or task, break each section down into smaller pieces. If you feel you can’t implement even the smaller steps, break them down even further. Depending on the day, you could get really granular. It is perfectly acceptable to start with steps as simple as “open laptop”, “open web browser”, or “create a document to take notes”. Granular steps are particularly helpful on days when your executive function skills are unreliable.

4. Try a different approach.

Still stuck? If you just can’t get things started or if you’re stuck part way through a task or project, ask yourself “What’s the block? Why can I not make myself do this?” It might be that you’re using the wrong tool for the project or that your process is too complicated to implement. Maybe you don’t have the right people involved. Maybe you need more context.

5. Consult others.

Talk it out! You’re not the only person in the world who has trouble breaking down amorphous tasks. There are more of us out there, and we are smarter together! Don’t have a subject matter expert at hand? That’s fine! Find someone trustworthy to bounce ideas off who has some knowledge about your type of project.

This approach has been really helpful to me, but I’m always looking to improve! I’d love to hear what works for you.

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