4 Things I Learned From Doing the Hard Thing First

4/23/2021

In January of 2020, I set my mind to cleaning out every room, closet, cabinet, and drawer in our home that month.

Had I know what 2020 was going to bring us, I would have waited until March to do this!

The kids are all gone now and we find ourselves to be empty nesters. There was a lot to sort through, get rid of, donate, and just generally reorganize. Honestly, there were some of these spaces where I really didn't even know what was in them.

I had tried to do this daunting task in the past but always failed. There was a big struggle with this one particular closet in our home, and I discovered that this closet was holding me back from accomplishing my goal of decluttering and cleaning out the other parts of the house.

I could not make myself clean that one closet, mainly because there was just so much stuff in it and also because I knew there was a lot of the kid's stuff in there as well. (Spoiler Alert: Your kiddos will leave your house but they don't take all their stuff with them!)

Long story short, I had to bargain with myself to get started on this project of cleaning out all the spaces in our home, and I knew it had to begin in that one closet--I had to do the hard thing first!

So, I told myself (I talk to myself a lot, not always verbally, but sometimes verbally) you are just going to take 7 things out of that closet every day until you're done. So, that's exactly what I did. I started with 7 things. And the next day, 7 more things. The following day, 7 more things. It took me about a week of taking 7 things out every day (that's 49 things if I do my math right) and finally I had the motivation to complete the job in that one space. The rest of the house was a piece of cake!

Cleaning out rooms, closets, cabinets, and drawers all seems so very trivial when I know a lot of you, and many of my friends, had much more challenging hard things to do in 2020. However, even from this trivial task, I learned some valuable lessons.

4 Things I Learned From Doing The Hard Thing First:

It's easy to drain your decision reservoir, so do the hard thing first. Every time you and I make a decision, whether it's an important decision or not, we are drawing from a reservoir. Since decision fatigue is a very real thing, doing the hard thing first means that you'll be able to do that task with the best ability you have.
Success comes easier when I do the hard thing first. One of the habits of successful people, we are told, is that they do the hard things first. I understand why now. Once I accomplished this hard thing of cleaning that difficult space, the rest of the house was easy.
I enjoy my work more when I do the hard thing first. Studies show that there is an interesting psychological effect to doing the hard thing first. Many people seem to prefer to do the difficult or stressful task first, and then the remaining tasks are easier. This means that if you start with the easy task it's actually even more difficult to do the hard task later.
Having a reasonable plan to implement helps me do the hard thing first. In most cases, we tend to pick the easiest tasks first leaving the hard ones for later. When I start down this road, I have to ask myself if I have a well-defined to-do list. In most cases, I do not. If your to-do list is too long or too big it can be overwhelming and it may not help you accomplish your tasks. Effective planning helped me do the hard thing first when I broke that hard thing down into a reasonable plan.

There are many biblical characters we can draw from as good examples of having to do hard things. Immediate ones that come to my mind are:

Adam and Eve, as they tasted a perfect world then, because of their sin, had to live the remainder of their lives in an imperfect world.
Abraham had to make the difficult decision to be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Ruth chose to leave her homeland, family, and friends to accompany Naomi back to Bethlehem and begin a new life.
Hannah prayed desperately for a son being willing to then give him back to the Lord.
Esther bravely stood before the king in defense of her people.
Peter realized that, yes, he had actually denied the Lord three times.
John, Mary, and others— they stood at the foot of the cross and watched their Savoir die.

Hard things come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. We are all called to do hard things from time to time. When you have a choice, do the hard thing first. It will make the other tasks much easier.

In a recent blog post, Tips For Choosing Your Word of the Year, our guest blogger Christine recommended the book Do Hard Things by Alex Harris.

Sometimes, our teens have to do hard things. This book is an excellent resource for doing hard things for the glory of God! There is a movement out there of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of our culture by choosing to “do hard things” for Christ. This book celebrates that!

Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, Alex and Brett Harris weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as a launching pad for life and a roadmap with a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.

Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry, from the heart of revolution already in progress, will challenge your teen to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.

Now featuring a conversation guide, 100 real-life examples of hard things tackled by other young people, and stories of young men and women who have taken the book’s charge to heart, Do Hard Things will inspire a new generation of rebelutionaries.

Who comes to your mind first when you think of biblical characters who did hard things?

6 Comments

Donna link

4/23/2021 04:24:47 pm

Fabulous post! I so often put off things as you mentioned and talk to myself a lot in the process. But doing that hard thing first makes all the difference. Mark Twain said, "If you have to eat a frog, do it first thing in the morning". His way of saying do the hard thing first.

Patsy Burnette link

4/24/2021 06:40:42 am

Thank you, Donna. Our pastor just quoted that Mark Twain quote in a sermon a couple of weeks ago. Funny you should mention it!

"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."

Do the hard thing first! LOL

I think what impressed me most when I was writing this was thinking about Adam and Even having experienced living in that perfect world and then having to live out the remainder of their lives in this fallen world. I'd never thought of that before exactly like that. None of us will even know what that could have felt like this side of Heaven.

Maree Dee link

4/25/2021 10:30:34 pm

Patsy, Usually doing the hard thing first helps me tremendously. It helps me in writing and presentations; if I don’t start with the hard, I never get to the easy.

However, recently I changed it up, and it worked beautifully in decluttering my home. First, I was originally on a deadline, so the pressure was on. But I started with the easiest first: clothes, kitchen, and then moved on to the sentimental value items. I saved every scrap of paper my children wrote on. These have been stored away and not looked at for decades. Anyway, I found starting with the easy gave me some momentum. By the time I got to the hard stuff I was on a roll, For me switching it up helped. However, I must say i am right in the middle of this endeavor.

You are so right when kids move out they certainly don’t take everything.

I loved the Biblical characters you mention. I paln to refer back to this post.Thank you for sharing with Grace & Truth Link-Up.

Maree

1/10/2024 10:27:27 am

Maree, thank you for sharing your thoughtful and personal experience. It's fascinating to see how different approaches work in various aspects of our lives. Starting with the hard things has its merits, as you've found in writing and presentations. However, your switch to starting with the easiest tasks in decluttering your home is a brilliant adaptation, especially considering the momentum it provided.

The sentimental value attached to items, like the handwritten notes from your children, can indeed make decluttering a more emotional journey. It's commendable that you're navigating through it, and I appreciate your openness in sharing your insights.

I'm glad you enjoyed the mention of biblical characters, and I'm here if you ever want to discuss or share more about your decluttering journey or anything else. Wishing you continued success in your endeavor, and thank you for being part of the Grace & Truth Link-Up!

Lisa notes link

4/28/2021 03:06:33 pm

This is so good! I tend to put a time limit on myself when I'm faced with a hard thing, because we can all do almost anything for 10 minutes, right? It's the equivalent of you pulling 7 things from the closet (which for the record, cleaning that closet was definitely a hard thing!). And I'm with you: kids don't take their stuff with them when they leave. :) We have to pack it up and hand it to them later. lol.

1/10/2024 10:29:12 am

Thank you for sharing your approach, Lisa! Setting a time limit, like the 10-minute strategy, is a fantastic way to make challenging tasks more manageable. It's incredible what we can accomplish in short bursts of focused effort. And kudos to you for conquering the challenge of cleaning the closet – a definite hard thing!

The humorous observation about kids not taking their stuff when they leave adds a light-hearted touch to the reality many parents face. Sometimes the "later" moment of handing their belongings to them becomes a surprise of its own.

Wishing you continued success in your endeavors!