Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. – Henry Ford
How do you build a house? One brick at a time. Break the big task into smaller, more manageable tasks, and it becomes easier. A vintage 1960’s Lego centerfold ad. Sweet!
What does that mean?
It’s like the old expression which asks how one eats something that is way too big to eat. The answer is usually something like one bite at a time. If something is too big, you break it down. Break it into smaller and smaller pieces, until they are small enough to handle.
You don’t start your math career with multivariate calculus. You start with counting, then addition, and work yourself up a little at a time. When you’re done and look back, you see all the little parts which made up the effort. None were all that big, but the end result is impressive.
Just be careful that the subdivision of challenging activities doesn’t become an end to itself. Break things down, but only as small as necessary. Anything more isn’t helpful, and wastes time, right? And the whole point of the quote was to get something done, something difficult and intimidating.
Why is properly organizing a hard job important?
Well, for little things, it might not be all that important. For things you do on a regular basis, it might not be all that important. But the less familiar you are with something, or the bigger it is, the more important it becomes to break things down into smaller chunks.
This can help to keep things organized and running smoothly. This can be critical if you are running a larger project, as an example for work or a social group. Dividing things into logical groupings or in process based groupings often are the most efficient.
But what about something as simple as a wedding or a cross-country move? Just kidding, those are huge projects as well. What size projects are too big to just plan in your head? Big projects can require a real plan, with lots of details, like the wedding or cross-country move.
But even small projects are best broken down into smaller chunks. Have you ever started on cleaning the house or the back yard and suddenly realized that there was far more to do than you thought? A little planning goes a long way, even for some of the smaller things.
Where can I apply this in my life?
I believe this can be used in any significant endeavor, but then I’m almost OCD when it comes to planning. Your mileage may vary. But one of the great things about a plan is delegation. You don’t have to do everything, right?
If you don’t have certain skills, your plan might help you find out when you will need that part of the project, and you can make sure you either learn the skills, or find someone to help. Whether you hire someone or find a new buddy who can do it for you, if you don’t know, you’re going to be in trouble.
In delegation, you may know someone who is particularly good at something, and you can start buttering them up, I mean trying to get them to help in advance of your need. Also, if you have a plan, and some enthusiasm, you’re far more likely to get help. At least that has been my experience.
But how do you break a big task into smaller chunks? That depends on the project and how you approach it. Some people are very temporal, and want to do the first part before they do the second part. Others prefer to do all of one type of task first, and then the next type of task.
Sometimes you have to plan around times, whether it’s planning towards a deadline or around a vacation, it helps to include it in the plan, right? Other times you have to plan for when other parts of the project are going to be ready. It is often called the Critical Path.
Then there are the unexpected things. Something doesn’t work out the way you expected and has to be done over. Other times the weather or other things, for which you did not plan, come up. That may change what order you do the smaller jobs, or change them a little, but the plan should be able to continue forward.
Anything sufficiently large looks impossible to accomplish, and that alone can prevent you from starting. By breaking things down into believable sized chunks, you can get enthusiastic about it, because it seems real and achievable, which is the real secret of this quote.
From: Twitter, @GreatestQuotes
confirmed at : www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/henryford125392.html
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