Do the Hard Thing First
We’ve all been there. You wake up, stretch, and immediately start negotiating with the day ahead. “I’ll do that one tough task later,” you tell yourself, while scrolling through social media for a solid thirty minutes. Classic procrastination. It’s like treating ourselves to a big slice of cake before getting around to eating our vegetables. Sweet at first, but it’s going to hurt later.
We have an inherent knack for avoiding the hard stuff. It’s almost instinctual. Think back to school days; we would complete all the easy assignments first and leave that monstrous project for “tomorrow.” Newsflash! Tomorrow usually came in the form of a sleepless, stressful night before the deadline. But hey, the thrill of racing against time, right? Like a high-stakes game show where the only contestant is you and the prize is a well-earned migraine. So, why do we put ourselves through this mental torture over and over again?
Let’s face it: hard things are daunting, they take effort, they make us uncomfortable, and heaven forbid, they might even make us sweat! But the truth is, that’s exactly why they should be tackled first. By getting the tough stuff out of the way, you save yourself from the anxiety of carrying its burden all day long. It’s like walking around with a giant boulder in your backpack. Sure, you can ignore it, but it’s still there, weighing you down.
Imagine starting your day by conquering that one colossal task. The satisfaction that follows is like a burst of energy shot straight into your veins. Suddenly, you’re not just an average human; you’re an all-conquering superhero, cape flapping in the wind, who just took down a metaphorical mountain before breakfast. Everything else that follows seems trivial. Emails? Piece of cake. Meetings? Child’s play. Spilling coffee on your white shirt? No sweat; you just conquered a dragon earlier!
Here’s a little trick: when you start your day by doing the hard thing first, you psychologically trick your brain into thinking, “If I can do this, I can do anything.” You build this momentum, and before you know it, you’re on a roll. Of course, there will be days when you’ll want to hit snooze and stay under the covers, hoping that the hard thing magically vanishes while you sleep. And the fact is, it won’t. It’ll be waiting there, bright and early, holding a neon sign that reads, “Still here! Miss me?”
What’s interesting is that most of the time, the “hard” things aren’t as insurmountable as we make them out to be. It’s just that our imagination has this wild talent for creating a mountain out of a molehill. The project you’ve been avoiding for weeks? It’ll probably take an hour, maybe two. The call you’ve been dreading? Fifteen minutes of awkward conversation, max. The workout session you’re putting off? Half an hour, and then it’s over. Yet, the mental drama we create around these tasks could rival an Oscar-winning film.
But here’s the beauty of doing the hard thing first: once it’s done, the sense of relief is exhilarating. It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders, leaving you light and free to tackle the rest of your day. Everything that comes after seems manageable. You glide through your to-do list with the grace of a dancer who just nailed a perfect routine. And the best part? You no longer have that nagging voice in the back of your head reminding you of the “big thing” you still need to do. You’ve already slain the beast; now it’s all about coasting to the finish line.
Think of it this way: your willpower is like a battery that depletes throughout the day. When you tackle the tough stuff first, you’re using that fully charged morning battery to power through. Wait until later, and you’ll be trying to finish that hard task with 5% remaining, praying that it doesn’t drain you completely. And we all know what happens when you run on empty—you crash. So why not get ahead of it?
Yes, it’s easier said than done. There will be days when you want to procrastinate like a pro, waiting for that “perfect” moment to start. Here’s a hint: that moment is now. Stop imagining how hard it’s going to be and just jump into it. You might just surprise yourself with how quickly you can finish it. And the best part? The rest of your day will feel like a breeze.
So, the next time you wake up and stare down the tasks of the day, don’t reach for the easy ones to warm up. No, grab that hard one with both hands and wrestle it into submission. Get it out of the way. Feel the rush of accomplishment. Then, as you glide through the rest of your day, you’ll find yourself wondering why you didn’t start doing the hard things first a long time ago.
Do the hard thing first. It’s like ripping off a band-aid: swift, slightly uncomfortable, but oh-so-satisfying once it’s done. And let’s be real, who doesn’t want to start the day with a win?
