There’s a productivity tip that gets repeated so often it’s become productivity wallpaper: “Break big tasks into smaller ones.” You’ve heard it. You’ve probably nodded sagely while hearing it. And then you’ve gone right back to writing down monstrosities like “Revise novel” or “Launch newsletter campaign” on your daily to-do list.
And then, like any reasonable human, you’ve completely ignored those tasks. Because deep down, your brain knows: that’s not a task. That’s a project. And it’s lying there on your list, smug and vague, making you feel guilty every time you scroll past it.
Recently, I was mentoring a newer writer, and we had a breakthrough moment. The thing that changed everything for her? Not a better writing routine. Not a new plotting system. It was learning how to break her tasks down into their smallest, do-able parts.
Why “Break It Down” Isn’t Just Fluff Advice
Here’s the thing: most people think they’re breaking down their tasks. But they’re not breaking them down enough. “Get the apartment over the garage ready for the party” sounds specific-ish, right? It has a goal. It has a deadline. But it’s still a fog of a task.
Even “Clean the apartment” is too big. Because the second you read it, your brain protests: “I can’t clean it until the boxes are moved.” Boom. A hidden task emerges: “Move boxes out of the apartment.” That comes before cleaning can even begin.
And let’s be honest, cleaning itself is a beast. You’ll need heavy-duty trash bags, maybe some cleaning supplies, probably to bribe a couple of friends with pizza. That’s not a task. That’s a mini-campaign.
A real, do-able task looks more like:
- “Buy trash bags at Safeway”
- “Book Alex and Mags for cleanup help”
- “Clear boxes from living room floor”
These are simple. Obvious. They don’t require decision-making. You can look at your list and just do them.
How You Know a Task Needs Breaking Down
If you skip over an item on your list and immediately feel mentally tired—or that whisper of “Where do I even start?”—that’s your cue. That item is too big.
Watch your self-talk. It’s diagnostic. If a task feels draining just to read, your brain is probably doing work trying to figure out what it even is. That’s not task energy. That’s project energy.
Smaller Tasks = Real Progress
Once you start slicing your to-do list into truly do-able steps, a few magical things happen:
- You can knock off tasks in spare moments.
- You build momentum.
- Your list starts shrinking instead of mocking you.
- You stop needing “motivation” and start leaning on clarity instead.
You can also time-box longer tasks (like actual cleaning or writing sessions) into 30–60 minute chunks. These still count as “do-able” if you’re clear about what’s happening in that time.
Here’s your mission for today
Open up your current task list. Find the big, chunky, guilt-tripping items—especially anything vague, project-sized, or that makes you sigh just looking at it. Break them down. Get ruthless. Be granular. Make each one do-able in a single, short burst of effort.
And if you’re not using a digital task manager yet (like ToDoist, which I personally love for this), consider trying one. Many of them make it absurdly easy to nest subtasks, set recurring items, and track real progress without post-it avalanches.
Small tasks. Big impact. Trust me.
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