diff --git a/sources/tech/20210124 3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list.md b/sources/tech/20210124 3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list.md deleted file mode 100644 index 8e45208a9d..0000000000 --- a/sources/tech/20210124 3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,70 +0,0 @@ -[#]: collector: (lujun9972) -[#]: translator: (Donkey) -[#]: reviewer: ( ) -[#]: publisher: ( ) -[#]: url: ( ) -[#]: subject: (3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list) -[#]: via: (https://opensource.com/article/21/1/break-down-tasks) -[#]: author: (Kevin Sonney https://opensource.com/users/ksonney) - -3 stress-free steps to tackling your task list -====== -Break your larger tasks into small steps to keep from being overwhelmed. -![Team checklist][1] - -In prior years, this annual series covered individual apps. This year, we are looking at all-in-one solutions in addition to strategies to help in 2021. Welcome to day 14 of 21 Days of Productivity in 2021. - -At the start of the week, I like to review my schedule and look at the things I either need or would like to accomplish. And often, there are some items on that list that are relatively big. Whether it is an issue for work, a series of articles on productivity, or maybe an improvement to the chicken enclosures, the task can seem really daunting when taken as a single job. The odds are good that I will not be able to sit down and finish something like (just as an example, mind you) 21 articles in a single block of time, or even a single day. - -![21 Days of Productivity project screenshot][2] - -21 Days of Productivity (Kevin Sonney, [CC BY-SA 4.0][3]) - -So the first thing I do when I have something like this on my list is to break it down into smaller pieces. As Nobel laureate [William Faulkner][4] famously said, "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." We need to take our big tasks (the mountain) and find the individual steps (the small stones) that need to be done. - -I use the following steps to break down my big tasks into little ones: - - 1. I usually have a fair idea of what needs to be done to complete a task. If not, I do a little research to figure that out. - 2. I write down the steps I think it will take, in order. - 3. Finally, I sit down with my calendar and the list and start to spread the tasks out across several days (or weeks, or months) to get an idea of when I might finish it. - - - -Now I have not only a plan but an idea of how long it is going to take. As I complete each step, I can see that big task get not only a little smaller but closer to completion. - -There is an old military saying that goes, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." It is almost certain that there will be a point or two (or five) where I realize that something as simple as "take a screenshot" needs to be expanded into something _much_ more complex. In fact, taking the screenshots of [Easy!Appointments][5] turned out to be: - - 1. Install and configure Easy!Appointments. - 2. Install and configure the Easy!Appointments WordPress plugin. - 3. Generate the API keys needed to sync the calendar. - 4. Take screenshots. - - - -Even then, I had to break these tasks down into smaller pieces—download the software, configure NGINX, validate the installs…you get the idea. And that's OK. A plan, or set of tasks, is not set in stone and can be changed as needed. - -![project completion pie chart][6] - -About 2/3 done for this year! (Kevin Sonney, [CC BY-SA 4.0][3]) - -This is a learned skill and will take some effort the first few times. Learning how to break big tasks into smaller steps allows you to track progress towards a goal or completion of something big without getting overwhelmed in the process. - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -via: https://opensource.com/article/21/1/break-down-tasks - -作者：[Kevin Sonney][a] -选题：[lujun9972][b] -译者：[译者ID](https://github.com/译者ID) -校对：[校对者ID](https://github.com/校对者ID) - -本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出 - -[a]: https://opensource.com/users/ksonney -[b]: https://github.com/lujun9972 -[1]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/styles/image-full-size/public/lead-images/checklist_todo_clock_time_team.png?itok=1z528Q0y (Team checklist) -[2]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/day14-image1.png -[3]: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ -[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner -[5]: https://opensource.com/article/21/1/open-source-scheduler -[6]: https://opensource.com/sites/default/files/day14-image2_1.png