Taking big tasks bit by bit

By Ken West
Published: July 21, 2008

It’s impossible. I have to read this entire book this weekend.”

“How will I ever get these college applications in on time?”

“This is way too much material to learn before tomorrow. What was my teacher thinking?”

These statements are characteristic of people who have not yet learned how to tackle large projects. Waiting until the last minute may work with small tasks. However, as young people become more successful their challenges will require them to use more mature problem-solving techniques.

Lessons from marathon training
As a young adult, I learned many lifelong lessons from an unexpected source. I followed the Runners World marathon training guide to prepare to run marathons. I am not a talented runner, and 26-plus miles seemed like an impossible goal. But it was not. Why? Because the guide instructed runners to train a certain amount of time each day (no exceptions), slowly building up endurance over a three-month period. Bit by bit, day by day, run by run, runners with even limited ability can meet their dreams.

“How do you write books? It seems so impossible,” people tell me. I am writing my fifth book, and I simply follow the principles of the marathon schedule — bit by bit, day by day, with almost no days off. Authors share the same philosophy with their writers. Write something every day — good or bad. Bit by bit. Day by day. Eventually, paragraphs turn into pages and pages turn into chapters.

Children and teens
Successful teenagers will face increasingly more complex projects. Help them break these challenges into small parts, then teach them to work a little bit every day. Begin teaching this skill early in your child’s life. Some parents give overwhelming assignments: “Clean up your room. Now!” Instead, help your preschooler succeed bit by bit. “Before you go outside after breakfast, put all of your dirty clothes in the hamper.” “Before lunch, put all of your toys back in the toy box.” “Before dinner, put all of your books back on the shelves.”

To enjoy academic success, students must learn to break large assignments into manageable daily parts. You can help them. For example, in high school most students will be required to read “the longest book I’ve ever read.” Without help, most will put off their reading until the report is almost due. Give your children a calendar, and have them decide how much of the book to read each day and exactly when they plan to read. Maybe they can handle one chapter or 12 pages each day. As they learn the art of “bit by bit,” check on their daily progress and applaud their successes. 

Use a similar technique when major assignments, such as science projects, arrive. Break the project into small parts. “Plan your project tomorrow. The next day make a list of materials you will need to find or buy. Then make a plan for when you will finish each part of the project. Work a little bit every day.” After a plan is made, encourage students to follow the plan — bit by bit, day after day.

Applying for admission to college requires a similar strategy. Make a list of colleges. Request applications or find the sites on line. Then apply to one college at a time on a scheduled sequence. Working bit by bit prevents young people from having a fit when they realize they have delayed too long.

Is it hard to teach children to work daily toward a big goal? Yes. Just think of the times as adults we still wait too long to calmly complete taxes or we try to clean out an attic in a single day and then feel sore for a week.

Is “bit by bit” the only way to tackle big projects? Probably not. But it is the method most successful people use to accomplish major tasks: bit by bit, day by day — until what seemed like an impossible task is completed.