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The Momentum You’re Chasing Is A Lie
Easy tasks are really costing you
Small wins feel good. That’s exactly the problem.
My to-do lists live everywhere. Google Calendar, Google Tasks, ToDoist, a notebook, random chits of paper. Every list grows instead of shrinking. Somewhere between planning and doing, the tasks that matter never move.
I use the Eisenhower Matrix. Urgent and important sit next to “pay the electricity bill” and “call the plumber.” One list, everything mixed together.
At the end of the week, I review. The big tasks remain untouched. The bills got paid. The calls got made.
Am I not doing anything? I strike things off all day. I feel productive. Why does nothing change?
Here’s the answer: I was busy. Not productive.
You Default to What’s Easy
Common advice says clear the small tasks first. Build momentum. Get a quick win before tackling the hard stuff.
That works if you have ten minutes before a meeting. Clear the small task, move on.
But if this becomes your default, the important work never gets touched. It piles up quietly and turns into anxiety later, when the deadline shows up uninvited.
