Today I bring you a quick tip on how you can tackle something in a simplified way, especially when you feel overwhelmed and/or are dealing with something you’ve never done before.
I call it ‘macro to micro’ thinking. Instead of starting with the details (‘the micro’), think about the big picture stuff first (‘the macro’). In most cases, this will involve three layers.
Layer one
If you’ve been, for example, tasked with something you’ve never done before, instead of worrying about how exactly you’re going to go about it, first clarify the end game.
Why are we doing this? What are we trying to achieve? What is the objective?
Everything that comes afterwards needs to align with this objective.
Layer two
Once you’ve clarified the objective, you’re still not ready for the detail but you can proceed to figure out the high-level framework or building blocks. This is when you start working backwards from the end game.
At a high level, what do I need to know, follow or do to get there?
If you’re writing a plan, you can start by mapping out the high-level components. Once the components are set, you can bullet point the rough contents. This will help you understand what additional information you need to collect, the decisions that will need to be made and the stakeholders or experts you’ll need to engage with before the plan can be further developed.
Layer three
OK, it’s finally time to get stuck into the detail.
With your objective clear, your structure in place and a rough to-do list settled, you can start to take action to flesh out your plan.
At this stage, you know where you’re headed and what you need to get there. Now you can work on determining how you will go about it, when this will happen and when it needs to be done by, the resources you’ll need, the people that need to be involved and how you will work with them.
Hopefully things look easier now.
The benefits
I know this seems like common sense and pretty basic, but that’s exactly the point. It’s really easy to overcomplicate things when we are worried about tackling the unknown or when we have so much going on that even the easy things seem difficult. This approach can help you keep things simple.
In addition to reducing your stress, it will ensure that you are not wasting time on unnecessary things (i.e. that are not aligned with the end goal) and that you have a clear reference point for decision-making. Taking a layered approach to consultation will also ensure that you are chipping away at the work in the right direction and that you have the opportunity to make adjustments before you get too far with the detail.
Any thoughts?
Have you tried this approach? What was your experience? Do you have a different method? Contact me and share your thoughts.
Thanks for your time.