I am guessing that every one of us has that list of things that sits off to the side in large part because you have no idea how to even get started. There is no right way, there is no right answer and there is no right path. What do you do with your hard to do pile?

I will be honest – the hard to do pile stresses me out a bit. By nature, I am a finisher so any tasks sitting idly on the list bug me. After years of reflection and experimentation, I have learned the following steps to get started.

1. Let it percolate until it is ready – Sometimes ideas need time to come together. Even if you are not actively working on something it is sitting in your brain and synapses are firing around it. Like a good cup of coffee, the idea has its own time to brew. Try to relax and let the process begin.
2. Talk it Through – Fins someone who will listen to you ramble and process and vent and ponder your hard to do task. The exercise of listening to yourself speak about the issue, the possibilities, the ideas, the risks, the frustrations and anything else that spills out will help clarify what you need to do. It is a bonus if your person asks a couple of wickedly hard questions to challenge your thinking.
3. Put Pen to Paper – I am a list maker. When I am crafting a strategy for a hard to do item a list maker is a gross understatement. I make lists of lists. I link lists. I make sub-lists. Not everyone’s brain thinks like mine (thankfully). Some people draw pictures, models, and diagrams. Although these pictures may be Greek to me, I have seen the light bulb come on for other people. Grab a pencil and some blank paper (or a dry erase marker and a white board) and let everything spill out unchecked. It doesn’t need to make sense at this moment it just needs to be set free.
4. Chuck it Down – Not every part of your hard to do pile is hard. Peel off the layers and put a plan in place for the easier part of the hard stuff. When you get to a stuck place set it aside and do some more of the easier items. When you have some energy and confidence flowing go back to the stuck place and try again. You can park and revisit as many times as you need to and in the meantime, you have identified a place to start with the easier tasks.
5. Ask for help – The most valuable skill today is not knowing everything – it is knowing where to get information and having the capacity to learn what you need to know for the situation. There are many ways to ask for help in today’s world – it might be google or WikiHow. It could also be an online forum with participants from around the world. It might be a connection with a subject matter expert made through a friend of a friend on LinkedIn. It might even be the person you sit beside on your next airline flight.

The next time you have something on your hard to do pile give these ideas a try. Or call Tree Toad at www.treetoadconsulting.ca