Breakdown a project into smaller tasks [Productivity]

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Writing my first research book (on wastewater governance) was absolutely painful. I remember waking up in the middle of the night (as the book was supposed to be one of the research outputs of a grant-funded project) wondering “how the hell am I going to finish an entire book?” I then came across a research report that a good friend of mine had written and found a way out.

My friend is a scholar who studies urban water scarcity, and she had previously written at least 2 other books. When I read the last one, I realized that her book was composed of three individual chapters (almost like 3 individual research reports) bound by an introductory chapter and a conclusions chapter. This is now one of the most acclaimed models for PhD theses (the ‘manuscript’ model) where the thesis is composed of 3 peer-reviewed journal articles that are produced out of the research project.

Reading my friend’s project got me thinking of how I could make my book be created as 3 stand-alone chapters that would then be bound by an introduction and a conclusion. I figured out a way to break down my research project into three different pieces of research, and each one of these pieces, into more manageable tasks. I had no longer the pressure to write A FULL BOOK. All I had to do was complete the research for each one of the individual chapters and then write it up. This process allowed me to complete the book.

Throughout my life, I’ve read many books and articles on productivity, and at some point, I think I’ve just absorbed the notion that large projects have to be broken down into more manageable tasks otherwise it’s almost impossible to complete them. I now do this breakdown up to the daily task list. I break down what I have to accomplish in a month into weekly and daily task lists, which allows me to feel at the end of each day that I’ve been productive enough.

So I don’t make a huge list of the fact that I need to write 90 blog posts for this site. I just think about how 2-3 entries a day can keep my creative juices flowing, and I assign myself the task of writing these, along with my own freelance writing, client work, etc.

These daily task lists, however, must be prioritized. Otherwise, we all would do the same easy task all the time. So, tackle the most urgent tasks head on. You’ll be on your way to complete your project sooner than you think.

Related posts:

1. Writing as discipline and practice
2. Dedicating one day to research tasks [Productivity]
3. Tip # 5 – Delegate, subcontract or get an assistant
4. Raul’s Top 10 Productivity Tips – The Return!
5. Anti-procrastination remedy: Breaking tasks into smaller bits