Business memo: Tackling the harder task first

Business coach Emile Haddad believes that the way corporate tasks are organized can influence workers' attitude toward their work.

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When it comes to organizing tasks, Forbes suggests that workers can be more effective when they tackle the harder tasks first before moving on to the easier ones.

When harder tasks are on the bottom of the to-do list, workers perceive them as problems and they tend to procrastinate in order not to face them.

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The following is a scenario featuring an employee who chooses to face the harder tasks first: An employee of a credit card company has scheduled to call the CEO of a top coffee chain in Seattle. The CEO is intimidating and demanding, so the credit card employee is a bit uncomfortable with the forthcoming phone conversation. Despite this apprehension, he calls the CEO first thing in the morning before doing his other tasks. Relieved after talking to the CEO, he moves on to do his next tasks normally and energetically.

Tackling the harder task first is more productive because workers do not need to save a lot of courage and energy to face it at the end of the day. They have the luxury of time to do other tasks instead of wasting the day conditioning one’s mind for the hardest part. Being able to handle the harder part early also gives workers a sense of accomplishment that provides them with momentum until the end of the day.

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For more tips on how to increase productivity in the workplace, visit this blog.