Study task difficulty study task - study techniques

When we plan our study, we focus on the tasks that require the most urgency. In a first logical order, it makes sense to start with those that are due the soonest, since they are the ones that put the most pressure on us. However, there is always the problem of deciding whether to start with the most difficult tasks or the easiest ones.

There is a wealth of information on this subject, generally based on the personal experience or preferences of the sender. With this guide, we seek to provide a more individualized point of view so that you can decide what is more convenient for you: to start with the simple tasks or with the complex ones.

Energy expenditure

Each task we perform throughout the day involves an energy expenditure for our body. Therefore, deciding whether to start with the simple or the complex can be decisive in completing all the proposed tasks.

We believe that energy expenditure is the key factor in this decision. There are tasks that can be extremely strenuous, while others are more mechanical and do not require our maximum capacity. The problem is exacerbated with tasks of intermediate difficulty, which, although not the most difficult, do require considerable time and consume energy.

Classify tasks according to their degree of difficulty

We recommend that, once you have defined the tasks for the day, you classify them according to their degree of difficulty into three groups: high, medium and low.

High difficulty tasks: They require a great effort, demand to be at full capacity to execute them, and can take many hours and energy.

Medium-difficulty tasks: They require enough time, are not so exhausting and part of their development is mechanical, which allows recovering energy after a short rest.

Low-difficulty tasks: These are very simple, often take only a few minutes and do not consume much energy, as they are generally mechanical.

Execute them in this order

For cases where you have tasks of high and medium difficulty:

• It is recommended to start with the task of medium difficulty. Even if it involves considerable effort, it will be easier to recover and then tackle the high difficulty task. If you start with the high-difficulty task, you may become too exhausted to continue with the medium-difficulty task.

• This approach ensures that you accomplish both tasks, distributing your energy better.

For cases where you have medium- or high-difficulty tasks combined with low-difficulty tasks:

• Prioritize the high or medium difficulty activities, and then perform the low difficulty activities afterwards. Since these are simple, it is better to take advantage of the moments of greater energy and concentration for the more complex activities, since the tasks of low difficulty can be executed regardless of your physical and mental state.