Front-load the Stress
Our minds mean well but can often be fickle, steering us toward easy, low-stress tasks that offer quick, gratifying hits of dopamine. While appealing, I believe this strategy is suboptimal.
Stress comes in two forms: good stress and bad stress. Good stress is the little pang of anxiety you feel when faced with complex projects involving uncertainties and tight deadlines. This type of stress motivates you, sharpening your focus and driving you to meet your goals.
Bad stress emerges when something critical goes wrong, like an error in a live application causing revenue loss or compromising customer data. This stress is destructive, spilling over into other areas of your life, affecting your relationships with colleagues and family.
To maximize productivity and minimize bad stress, it's crucial to prioritize tasks such that you optimize for experiencing good stress. One effective strategy is front-loading complex or uncertain tasks, tackling them first rather than succumbing to the temptation of starting with easier tasks.
By proactively addressing challenging tasks, you reduce the likelihood of experiencing bad stress later. You can apply the sharp mental focus from your good stress to address the most challenging aspects of the project up front, rather than rushing them later while experiencing bad stress and likely setting yourself up for further bad stress when your rushed solution breaks. You replace potentially damaging future anxiety with manageable, motivating good stress.
In short, stress isn't inherently negative; it's an essential component of productivity. The key lies in optimizing your approach to prioritize good stress and proactively managing it for better outcomes.