Limit the small to benefit the large
Datum: 2025-01-28 10:16

Establishing a structure that ensures you have time for all the important things you need to do can be difficult. There are many traps and pitfalls to potentially stumble into with the consequence of losing time, focus, and tempo.
One aspect that has a tendency to make things difficult for us is how the size and scope of the important tasks can vary greatly. Let us say that you have both important and extensive tasks that take a long time to complete as well as short, important tasks that you can finish quickly.
These important tasks can be assignments you are doing for clients and which you charge for (they obviously contribute to you reaching your revenue goals and are, therefore, important) or they can be other things you do that definitely contribute to the attainment of the goals you are responsible for reaching — even if they are not directly related to clients (or whatever your business call those your company serves).
For you who prefer listening to reading, this post is also available as an episode of the “Done!” podcast:
A never-ending inflow
Some people tend to think that they ought to get the small tasks out of the way first so that they can work undisturbed and with more focus on the more extensive tasks later. I get the idea and I am most familiar with the temptation, but the problem usually is that these people have a constant inflow of important ”smaller” tasks. This means that they rarely get to the bottom of the pile and thus get to those extensive, more difficult tasks they have been saving much later than they would have liked.
This constitutes one of the circumstances in which we need to establish boundaries for ourselves since the default lack of boundaries is getting us into trouble. We need to put our foot down and stop giving preference to the small important tasks.
Do this
If you tend to prioritize smaller tasks and let the more extensive ones wait their turn a bit too long, then do this:
- Take a minute or two to estimate what a reasonable distribution of small versus larger important tasks would look like for you and how much time you ought to allocate for each type. Should you split them down the middle, 50/50? Or divide them up 80⁄20? I have no idea what the right proportion is for you, your job, or your situation, so this is entirely up to you (and, I assume, your boss and colleagues).
- How many hours every day or week will you allow yourself to spend on the smaller tasks (since these are the ones that tend to take over, they are the ones in need of some boundaries)?
- Just to make things easier, try doing the smaller tasks all in one go. I suggest you try doing as many as you possibly can during a set time. You could, for instance, schedule ”time-to-work-on-small-tasks”-slots in the calendar or set a timer when you commence working on the short tasks. Once you have reached the set time limit for the day or week (whatever suits you best), set the small yet important tasks aside and focus wholeheartedly and with a clear conscience on the more extensive and also important tasks instead.
Get more done with greater foresight
If you limit the smaller tasks to benefit the larger ones according to a quota you have deemed appropriate, you will have more time for the extensive tasks than your otherwise would have. You will finish them with time to spare and without as much stress and anxiety towards the end as you usually feel when you do not keep the temptation of doing small tasks in check.
What’s your way?
How do you ensure you maintain a sustainable distribution of small and large tasks? Please feel free to email me to share your thoughts.
(By the way, do you know these other four tricks to help you prioritize important tasks?)
There's more!
If you want more tips on how to create good structure at work, there are many ways to get that from me - in podcasts, videos, books, talks and other formats.