How ‘Chunking’ Can Make Life More Manageable
Chunks. Segments. Pieces. Slices. Portions. Whatever you want to call it, breaking things down into smaller chunks is a skill anyone can incorporate into their life. Whether it’s studying for an exam, working on long-neglected house renovations, running a business or planning a wedding, everyone wants life to be more manageable.
I personally like to call this technique chunking. It means splitting your day or long-term goals into chunks that feel achievable, by breaking down those big daunting tasks into small, attainable ones. Each small task brings you one step closer to your end goal.
Piecing Together the Puzzle
I like to imagine chunking as a big jigsaw puzzle. There are 5000 pieces spread across the table in front of you - where on earth do you begin? All the colours look the same, the shapes seem identical; how will you ever piece the puzzle together?
The answer to that is to break it down. Set yourself the goal of piecing together 50 segments a day. Start with the corners and the borders to create the frame of the puzzle: 50 down, 4950 to go. The next day you piece together another 50. This time you’re going to work with all the pieces that are coloured blue tomorrow you’ll work on the pieces that are yellow, and so on and so on. Suddenly, this overwhelming 5000-piece puzzle becomes manageable and much easier to accomplish.
The same idea applies to cleaning your house, for example. The thought of cleaning the entire house in one day feels exhausting, but focusing on one room a day seems much more realistic. And how about the 10-minute presentation you have to make for an important meeting in two weeks? Break it down. Work on one slide a day, dedicating time and research in to each one.
Setting Goals
Sometimes our career ambitions, financial targets, personal goals, and health aspirations are too general. we know where we want to end up, but don’t know how to get there. Dividing these goals into actionable steps can be a valuable tool, living your life with intention and development, leading you down a road of success.
Depending on which area of your life you want to focus on, you can mix up these chunks with short-term, mid-term and long-term steps, such as yearly, monthly, weekly or daily objectives that will help you reach the finish line.
What do you want to accomplish in a year’s time? This is your long-term goal. When you’ve set your objective, break this down into monthly goals. This is your mid-term goal. Then weekly and finally daily activities act as your short-term goals. Each task is a stepping stone, taking you from one side of the river to the next.
Staying Motivated
When we break our life up into chunks, it helps us to stay motivated, as we measure and notice the progress we make along the way. It’s easier to lose motivation and inspiration when we tackle a project head-on without thinking about the value of steadying our pace and approaching it in milestones. Chunking, therefore, is a productive way to complete each project.
Whatever your plans for the future, be it a year from now or tomorrow afternoon, try out this chunking method and see how it can benefit different areas of your life. Crossing something off your list as you take one step nearer to the life you desire is a fulfilling, rewarding, and productive feeling.