There are two ways to be productive…
- You can cherrypick the simple tasks from your to-do list.
- You can try to tackle the larger and more important strategic items.
With #1, you feel great. You feel accomplished. You feel as if you are knocking tons of tasks off your list. But the sacrifice is the recognition that you may not have time for the bigger tasks and projects. Aren’t those important too?
With #2, you feel exhausted. You’re trapped in the weeds and unable to check off the easy wins. The upside, though, is that you’re making progress. It’s not visible progress (yet), but it’s still an advancement nonetheless.