Fast Things First

If you've got 5 easy things to do, 3 medium-difficulty things to do and 1 task you're sure will drain you out, which would you do first?

The answer - and this tends to apply to the office, the examination paper, the project, the kitchen, the tough relationship, you name it - is to do the easy ones first.

By 'easy' I mean the tasks you can complete the soonest.

Not the task you most enjoy. Not the task with the highest pay-off (whatever these could be). Not the most urgent task (I'm assuming that all tasks are relatively important, so importance shouldn't be an issue here). Not the task that everyone's talking about. Not the task you normally do at the time of day (unless it's also the one you can finish in less time than it takes to think it). Not the most comfortable task.

Not any of these tasks, but the task that requires the least amount of time.

Then proceed and finish all the rest. Chances are your to-do list will be checked off faster, you'll have less hiccups and you'll smile a lot more than usual.