Ever stared at a massive project, feeling that familiar knot of overwhelm tighten in your stomach? You know, the kind where the sheer size of it makes you want to just… not start? Maybe it’s a big presentation to senior leadership, launching a new product, or even just tackling that mountain of emails that seems to grow taller every day. We’ve all been there. The common advice you hear is always the same: “Just break it down!” And while that sounds great in theory, it often leaves you wondering, “Okay, but how do I actually do that?”
At Asian Efficiency, we believe in a few core ideas when it comes to productivity. First, happy people are productive people. Second, making just one small tweak a week can lead to massive gains. And third, everything should be simple and actionable. That’s exactly what we’re going to do today: simplify the art of breaking down any project so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.
Your North Star: The Definition of Done
When you’re facing a big, daunting task, the very first step—and arguably the most crucial—is to get crystal clear on your “Definition of Done” (DOD). What does success truly look like for this project? What’s the ideal outcome? If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will seem equally valid, and you’ll end up just treading water.
Think of it like looking at the horizon. If you take ten steps forward, are you closer to it? Instinctively, you might say yes, but the horizon is always the same distance away. Similarly, if you don’t define your “done,” you might be taking steps, but you won’t know if you’re actually getting closer to your true goal.
This is where a powerful question comes in: “What would have to be true for me to accomplish X?”
Let’s say you need to give a big presentation to your boss or senior management. Most people would immediately jump to thinking about slides, content, and visuals. But if you ask, “What would have to be true for senior management to approve this project?” or “What would have to be true for my boss to be genuinely happy with this presentation?”, your focus shifts dramatically. You realize the outcome isn’t just a completed presentation; it’s an approved project or a satisfied stakeholder.
I remember when we were first considering launching The Productivity Show podcast. My team was excited, showing me all these metrics about podcast growth and reach. But what they didn’t initially connect with was my definition of done as a stakeholder. What would have to be true for me to sign off? I cared about impact, financial performance, and retention rates. Once they understood my “what would have to be true,” their approach changed, and we could move forward effectively. It’s about understanding what truly moves the needle for the people involved.
Navigating the Unknown: You Don’t Need All the Answers
One of the biggest reasons people get stuck is the fear of the unknown. “I don’t know all the steps,” they’ll say. And you know what? That’s perfectly okay. You don’t have to know every single step from start to finish, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before.
Brooks and I have recorded hundreds of podcast episodes, so we know the process inside and out. We can easily work backward from a finished episode. But if you asked us to build a ranch in Texas, we’d be completely lost. We might have a vision for the finished ranch, but the steps for laying electricity, plumbing, getting permits, and architectural design? That’s foreign territory. Yet, we could still start by researching locations or figuring out a budget. The key is to identify those initial, actionable steps.
This brings us to a crucial principle: “Who, not how.”
If you don’t know how to do something, find someone who does. Need to implement a new software system for your company? Instead of trying to figure out every technical detail yourself, ask: “Who has done this before?” You can hire a consultant, talk to an expert on platforms like Clarity.fm, or even leverage the power of AI.
Speaking of AI, it’s become my secret weapon for breaking down complex projects. I recently had a new supplement and wanted to know if I could take it before bed without ruining my sleep. Instead of spending half an hour Googling every ingredient, I simply took a photo with ChatGPT’s mobile app and asked. In 30 seconds, I had my answer. Brooks has used it to identify movies from a picture or even the exact shade of blue in a dress. AI can help you generate steps, consider different aspects, and even anticipate potential issues you might not have thought of.
From Overwhelm to Action: Making Your Plan Fluid
Once you start breaking things down, you might find yourself with a massive list of tasks. This can be just as overwhelming as the original big project. The trick here is to keep your plan fluid and focus on the next action.
Brooks often uses mind maps to break down projects, and while they can get extensive, he focuses on putting only the next few steps into his task manager. This prevents the feeling of being buried under a mountain of to-dos.
I’ve found it helpful to initially break things down in a simple document, like a Google Doc or Apple Notes, rather than immediately dumping everything into a task manager. Why? Because a task in a task manager often feels permanent, like something you must do. But a line in a document feels more fluid. You can easily add, remove, or reorder items without the psychological weight of “failing” to check something off. If you’re using a mind map, utilize the feature to hide branches so you can focus on one section at a time. This allows you to expand your plan as new steps emerge, then collapse it again to maintain focus.
The Power of Reflection: Learning and Growing
Finally, to truly master the art of breaking things down and improving your productivity over time, you need to embrace reflection. After you complete a project, conduct a “retrospective.” This is a dedicated time, whether alone or with your team, to ask three simple but powerful questions:
- What went well?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What could we do better next time?
This isn’t just for projects that went sideways. Even if an event was a huge success, reflecting on it helps you capture those lessons. I’ve organized hundreds of events, and I can tell you, they are notoriously complex. My first one was a disaster, costing us a significant amount of money because I didn’t understand things like contracts, upfront payments, or cash flow. Had I talked to an expert beforehand, I could have avoided many headaches. Now, after countless events, I’m much better, but there are always new lessons.
These lessons are cumulative. For example, if you’re on a marketing team that just ran a successful customer event, and now you need to implement a new billing system, the lessons from the event still apply. You learned who on your team excels at training, who is detail-oriented for quality assurance, and who can handle customer-facing communications. These insights help you allocate resources more effectively for the next, seemingly unrelated, project.
It’s like dating: if you keep making the same mistakes, it’s probably because you’re not reflecting on past relationships. The same goes for projects. Consistent reflection helps you learn, adapt, and continuously improve, making future projects smoother and more successful.
Your Next Action: Define Your DOD
So, what’s the most important thing you can do right now? For every project you’re working on, big or small, write down your “Definition of Done.” In one to three sentences, clearly articulate what success looks like. Put it in your project management tool, a document, or even just a sticky note. This simple act will give you a clear north star, making the process of breaking things down infinitely easier. You’ll find yourself moving forward with purpose, even when the path ahead isn’t entirely clear.
