As a software engineer, I felt stuck countless times during project development. As a programmer, you might have experienced this feeling yourself, I bet.

Regardless if it is work-related or in a personal endeavour, you usually start projects very enthusiastically.

However, when a specific task feels too overwhelming, you tend to lose focus, procrastinate, and sometimes even question your very decision of pursuing a career in your current field.

I want to share with you a simple way that will greatly help you overcome technically-challenging tasks.

Whether developing software or trying to solve coding challenges, applying this method will help you finish your most complicated tasks.

I call this method: Elementary Task In Progress (ETIP).

What do I mean by elementary? By definition, an elementary task is a very simple and basic task that is hardly broken down into smaller, easier steps.

The task in progress should always be elementary so that its execution is straightforward.

Let me clarify this further by asking you a question: “What is the most basic step you can do to get closer to finishing your complicated task?”

Identify that step. Turn it into a task on its own. Work on it. That’s your ETIP.

If you are stuck in your project because the task in progress is too complicated, chances are, your task is not an ETIP. Turn it into an ETIP by applying the following steps:

  • Break the task in progress into simpler, more basic steps.
  • For each individual step, break it up even further until it is in its most elementary form. This is your ETIP.
  • Pick the first ETIP and start working on it.
  • Once done with your first ETIP, move to the next one.

Never work on a task that is not an ETIP!

Remember, the task in progress should always be so elementary that its execution is straightforward.

Do you feel that your next task is too complicated? Time to break it down into ETIPs.

Use the ETIP method every time a task feels too overwhelming. Break your task into basic and simple steps that you can execute easily.

While it is almost unavoidable that you will encounter challenging and complex projects that are made up of complicated tasks, you should not work on a task unless you make sure its completion is simple.

The ETIP method will help you to always progress in completing your projects no matter how big the challenges you are faced with.

I hope this advice will be helpful to you.

Notes

Extracted from Reddit