Math Homework First

In grade school, I’d get home and always do my math homework first. It was always the most mentally demanding and I felt that if I knocked it out first I’d be most fit to finish the rest of my assignments. If I did easier assignments first, I worried that I’d struggle with getting stuck doing the most difficult work when I was most fatigued. 

As an adult, I often find myself wishing I’d be just as diligent with my own advice as a child. Whether it’s silly things like how I respond to emails or more serious things about which projects I prioritize with work, there’s something to be said for the strategy that served me so well as a young student. Lately, I recognize that I do the opposite. The most important, time consuming emails to respond to get pushed to last and ultimately become a multi-day ordeal. The most important, difficult projects get pushed aside for the easy, lower hanging fruit only to extend their turnaround time even more. 

If you’ve got a list of tasks, let me advise you. Do the math homework first. 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach