“Do the Hard Things First.”
I recently heard this principle from Greg McKeown, but I am sure my parents taught it to me long ago. It was probably the reason my mom said to eat my vegetables first. Or it may be the reason my dad had me do the chores before playing on a Saturday. Doing the hardest things first is a simple concept, but complex to apply.
Truth be told, I often save the hard things for last. I always prefer less friction, over the draining rub of something I don’t want to do. While that may be how I feel at the moment, when I think of getting the hard things out of the way first, I get excited. I love to feel the relief of getting done what I don’t want to do and celebrating that throughout the remainder of the day.
Think about it: when was the last time you did something you didn’t want do first thing in the morning? Maybe you worked out, sent a hard email, or read an assigned chapter. Once it was done, you felt amazing relief throughout the day. That is the payoff of the early investment.
On the contrary, when you push off the things, you are filled with dread throughout the day because you know what is facing you later. Instead of building excitement, a weightiness develops with each passing hour.
Here are the things I consider “Hard” and need to get done earlier in my day:
- Quiet time with God
- Working out
- Posting content on my platform
- Studying and reading
Hard doesn’t mean that I don’t like them; I enjoy my time studying or being alone with God. These things are weighted and sometimes avoided for various reasons. When I get them done early in the day, I am ready to face whatever else life brings my way.
The same daily principle holds true as a weekly principle. It is important for me to get hard things done early in the week such as:
- Sermon preparation
- Hard staff conversations
- Vital staff and elder communication
A key to efficiency and productivity is doing the hard things first, whether that means early in your day or in your week. This ensures the hard items get the time they need and that your energy is used effectively.
Try this…
Make a list of what is often the hardest for you to get done in your day.
Evaluate what may need to change in your schedule to get these things in first.
Schedule the time and try it for seven days.
If you are not proactive in planning your time for the hard things, something or someone else will gladly plan your time for you. This will leave you with that “oh shoot…” moment at the end of the day when you realize you didn’t get to the hard (and often most important) things.
Don’t be like the “I Forgot to Workout” guy…
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