Chunking the Routine Essentials
Chunking a large project into small parts is a great way to
tackle an overwhelming project you keep putting off until a
large block of time is available. The problem is - that
opportunity seldom presents itself in your busy schedule.
Chunking is an effective method for getting these large tasks
done.
Small business operators can apply this chunking idea to small
routine tasks that tend to accumulate until some crisis forces
them to use a block of time better applied to other activities.
Small tasks become overwhelming large projects.
For instance, a stack of accounts payable has accumulated to the
point where suppliers are sending you embarrassing messages or,
worse, saying unkind things about you in the marketplace. Or,
you avoid completing lengthy (government) forms until the
deadline or later. Opportunities foregone or just lost?
You can chunk the accounts payable by arranging them in priority
order. Then, establish a daily discipline to pay one or two each
day. The discipline is enforced when you experience that healthy
sense of accomplishment that has replaced the sinking feeling in
your stomach you had each time you saw the unprocessed pile of
bills.
The form you dread filling out, because it involves gathering
data from various sources, can be chunked even though it is only
one single task. I find the best way to start is to fill in the
easy parts such as your name, dates and other memorized
information. If that doesn't inspire me to continue completing
other sections, I attach a note to the form or in my daily diary
indicating the next step, or the bit of information required for
that next step. All the while I keep promising myself I can
postpone the processing session at any time.
The other day my call display showed me a client was calling
from his office during mid-afternoon. His question was not an
urgent one. Knowing he has orders booked five months ahead, my
question was, "What are you doing in your office during your
busiest season?" His response was not unusual, "I'm just taking
a break from all this paperwork that's been piling up." That is
so common it inspired me to write this article for all the other
small business operators coping with the same situation. Next, I
must visit my "chunking" table.
Break the cycle and join the winners who get all the important
things done!