How to tackle overwhelm when starting to work on things you never did before (Part 2)
Following last weeks article on clarity and conciseness in your tasks, this week I will talk about how to even get started and tackle overwhelm.
In my first article, I talked about the questions you should ask in order to understand the the project and the tasks you are supposed to work on. There is, however, one more problem I’ve been facing over the last few weeks.
Every other day I find myself a bit stuck, not knowing how to get started. There are tons of ways in which I could get a task done and choosing the best one is not easy.
During the week I started doing some research and found a few points that I found worthy to share.
Change your mindset
Before we dive into practical tips, I have to mention the importance of the right mindset. You have to stop thinking that you might screw up the task. Nobody expects you to get the the task 100% right, when you have never done it before. Make sure to communicate that and you will be fine. Just get started, get feedback on your results and refine. Nothing is worse than not starting because you are afraid to screw up.
With the right mindset, we can now move into some practical tips on how to get started
Google is your friend
There is a high chance that whatever you are supposed to do, somebody else has done the same thing before. Google examples of the work and see what resonates with you.
Get regular feedback
Especially if you have never done a task before, be sure to get feeback early on. Check, whether you are going in the right direction. This is probably the most useful you can do during your first few internships.
Draw your ideas out
If you have access to a whiteboard, draw out your ideas and try to find connections between them like that. This really helps me to get a better understanding. This can also encourage discussions with your colleagues on the content.
Just get started
Take small steps in the beginning and don’t be afraid to do something wrong. What are small steps? For me this could be to work on a task for 60 to 90 miuntes and see what I can come up with. After that I check in with my team to see what I can improve.
I hope you find any value in what I talked about today. If you did, as always, share this with your friends or colleagues to get them on the same track.
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