My son and I were talking about his job. He explained his philosophy, and I thought it was worth sharing.

Whenever he starts a new account, he develops a list of items to complete. He looks it over and starts with the hardest thing first. Then he works toward the progressively easier tasks and leaves the simplest project for last.

He further explained that most people he works with start with the easiest tasks and work toward the most difficult.

Finally, he clarified why his approach always works better. At the beginning of a project, you are full of ideas and energy. So you are in the best place to tackle the hardest thing. Also, if you run into issues you cannot solve, you have time to finish them. Once you complete the first item, then everything else is downhill.

People who start with easy projects use their best days on items that do not need their full attention. Then they dread each day as the to-do list gets progressively more challenging. Finally, they rush at the last minute to finish the last assignment because they keep running into issues.

His explanation has me looking at my to-do list and rethinking my approach. Perhaps you should do the same with yours.