How to do the hardest task first on a Tuesday morning

If Monday went to weekend email and planning meetings, Tuesday morning is often the first real chance to start the task you have been avoiding. The inbox is calmer and there is still most of the week left, so progress today has room to build.

Start by making the task smaller. Princeton's McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning notes that looking at a big task as smaller pieces makes it less intimidating, and it recommends committing to small, written-down steps. Instead of "write the report," try "outline the three main sections" or "pull last quarter's numbers."

Then give that first step your first block of time, before you open email or chat. The American Psychological Association describes the mental cost of switching between tasks, and checking messages in the middle of focused work adds more of those switches. Turning off notifications for an hour is one of the easiest ways to protect that time.

You do not have to finish. The McGraw Center describes a "Swiss cheese" approach, where short chunks of time on a big task slowly make it smaller and less daunting. Thirty to sixty focused minutes on a Tuesday can make the rest of the week's work on it feel ordinary. When you finish the step, give yourself a small reward, which the center suggests as a way to rebuild trust in your own plans.

Before you open your inbox this morning, write one small first step for the task you have been putting off, set a timer for 45 minutes, and start.