I sold a job once that happened to be the largest job our company had ever done. In fact, it was easily twice as large as any job we had done before. This wasn’t really an issue for us, but the customer wanted to know how we would handle such a large job. My response? “Just like eating an elephant – one bite at a time!” Must of worked because we got the joba dn it turned out great!

Most any job, or task, can be broken into smaller chunks. I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, so don’t worry; it isn’t another one of “those” articles. Rather than break down how to tackle large jobs into small, manageable tasks, I want to take a look at why we should do it.

Most people may be familiar with the Law of Diminishing Returns that states, “The tendency for a continuing application of effort or skill toward a particular project or goal to decline in effectiveness after a certain level of result has been achieved.”

In other words, a project you may be working on will reach a point where the effectiveness of the additional effort you put into completing it will begin to diminish at a given rate. For some, this may be the reason why they have a file full of unfinished projects. The project reaches a certain level of completeness and it may become “complete enough” because the amount of additional effort to fully complete it may be more that they are willing to expend.

In contrast, breaking large jobs into smaller tasks can reduce the Law of Diminishing Intent. This Law states, “The longer you wait to accomplish what you already know you should do, the more likely it is that you will never do it.”

This Law not only applies to tasks or projects that we need to get done, but also to ideas that we would like to pursue. Have you ever woke up in the morning and have an idea while getting ready for work? It’s a great idea and you just can’t wait to get to the office or shop to get started on it.

Then you get to the office and see that you have six voice-mails and a dozen customer e-mails that need to be handled before getting started with your day. You rifle through all of the return calls and reply to the e-mails, all the while thinking about the new idea you want to develop. But during that process, you receive more calls and e-mails and customers start to come in. Before you know it, closing time is near and the day fades away.

On the drive home, the idea re-enters your thoughts and again stirs your emotions. You pull in the drive-way and the chores of your home world come into view, but not until you spend a little time with your spouse and kids. Before you know it, it’s time for bed and the idea gets shelved for tomorrow. And the process repeats.

What was the first mistake that caused the flame of the new idea to fizzle? It was the failure to take the first step which is write it down and immediately break it down into a few small tasks. Doing this gets the ball rolling and creates the momentum and inertia behind the idea that keeps it alive.

Let’s take a look at inertia. The quick definition as it applies to this article is “The tendency for an item in motion to stay in motion.” Consistently accomplishing small steps and completing small tasks that lead closer and closer toward the completion of a project or idea is critical to its successful completion and implementation.

Sorry about the science lessons there, but I thought they’d paint a pretty good picture for not only how, but more importantly WHY it is important to break things down into small, manageable pieces – bite size pieces that will help you eat your elephant!

Now, Go Get ‘Em!