Which comes first? The most important project, or the most distracting one?

Maybe we need to consider them the same.

I’m a huge believer in the opinions, research, and rational for focusing on our most important and meaningful projects first thing in the morning.*

I associate ‘biggest, and most important project’ to be represented by things like; working on a new business, writing a book, developing new product ideas, etc.

But,I wonder if the most important thing to do is whatever you can’t seem to get out of your head at that moment.

For example, if you keep thinking about an email from a friend asking for your advice, then that is probably your most important project to tackle first. It may not be the direct link to an opportunity that lands you a dream job, or a breakthrough product, but the quality of your work will be impacted.

If it’s distracting you and you can’t see to get it out of your head, you probably won’t be able to really focus on that other ‘most important project’ and the quality of work, and the efficiency of producing that work will be compromised.

This situation is actually a great opportunity to think and reflect a bit on why the seemingly small task is occupying your mind.

Most of us are in an on-going learning process about ourselves; to discover our true passion, to start finding our dream career, etc. The conflict between what you think you should be doing, versus what you naturally keep thinking about doing can be a great opportunity to start pulling out some common threads in your personality and interests.

With the example of a friend looking for advice, maybe you will realize that you love the one-on-one connection with people. Or that you value peoples’ happiness over getting a promotion at a company you don’t feel connected to on a meaningful level. Who knows… it probably won’t be clear immediately, but it’s great to keep checking-in with yourself and looking for consistent themes.

Ok, back to the idea of the most important versus most distracting dilemma. I think there is a lot of personal experimenting that needs to be done to try and find the best approach; it will be different for everyone. For example, maybe the most distracting project isn’t as quick as an email, maybe it’s the type of project that could take an entire day, but you have another project with a hard deadline much sooner than the distracting project. Maybe you can just start a tiny piece of the distracting project. Try 15-30 minutes, and then stop.

My guess is that this will satisfy your brain and let it know that the ball is rolling. It should free your mind from the distraction and you can shift your brain power to fully focus on the other project. We often procrastinate on projects because they seem too big, so this will also be a good way to generate some momentum.

So, as you plan your days and think about your most important project, make sure you don’t ignore that other project that keeps popping up in your thoughts, and at least consider treating that like your most important project; that way you can be fully present and fully focused when you jump into the next project.