I’m taking a break 

If you’re anything like me, having a break is…hard. The succession of problem-solving tasks is what I like about my day-to-day work, but I’d be lying if I didn’t occasionally come back from a break with five more things to sort and think: “what was I working on gain?” 

“When you get interrupted in a task, take 20 seconds to note down where you are and what your next step is going to be”. That’s something a colleague told me recently and though I was slightly sceptical, I thought to myself, “I can spare 20 seconds”. Little did I realise how helpful it would prove to be. In the recent months, I’ve found taking a step back makes me more focused on what needs to be achieved and often able to find a better solution to the problem. 

I’d like to share what has made me work more efficiently in the past months and hopefully this could motivate you to try one of those things – and keep me motivated! 

Make it obvious 

I love a to-do list, but I’m also someone that wants to do everything, sometimes my tendency of “I could probably just sort that out too” gets the list so long that it becomes overwhelming. The key is writing down a few achievable goals and non-negotiables; things that need to be done today. Then, think a little broader, and delegate things that need to be done next week if possible so you can have a head start after the weekend. Doing so makes my day’s objective obvious and is easier to hold myself accountable in ticking all of it off. 

Make it attractive 

Since I do so many to-do list, I find adding some novelty helps keeping it fresh. A new notebook, or a new pen could be the solution, or what works for me is to have a new template, or new tags to get organised. For the doing of the tasks themselves, having a comfortable set up, and putting some motivational music definitely keeps me focused. 

Make it easy 

I find it more manageable when I analyse a task and divide it in a series of small steps, the preparation, the doing and the and the conclusion. I enjoy cooking and the process is similar to preparing a meal. The ingredients are the documents, or research about how to do something. Then, as with a nice broth, I’m constantly testing and coming back to it to make sure that the objective is still aligned. One of the hardest steps for me is when I misjudged the recipe and won’t be able to get finish on time for the guests. In the kitchen that’s not a problem, but for office tasks with multiple stakeholders, it’s important to communicate about the potential for a delay and remembering that good news can always wait whereas bad news should be said there and then. 

Make it satisfying 

This is key to motivation. If a task is not satisfying it is harder for me to start it. Recently we have reflected as a team about our purpose. The ‘why’ do we do this job and not just ‘what’ we deliver, or how we do it. I’m lucky to work in a field that I aspired to work in, and this makes it all the most satisfying. When I need to start, there is always a customer that I want to help or a new solution that could be useful for lots of people and that brings me the boost I need to continue with the task. 

I sometimes think that all of this is a workout. I see it like climbing a mountain. Step by step, you will get to the top, but don’t forget to have a break and look behind you at the amazing view.  

 Written by: Armelle Huitric

Reference – The 4 titles: Make it obvious, Make it attractive, Make it easy and Make it satisfying come from “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. The details of those paragraphs is a personal view on those, but if you like to deep dive in each of them the book details them.