Hey,
Struggling to make progress isn’t always down to laziness. You might just be starting in the wrong place.
Have you ever picked the hardest, most ambitious task on you list, but find yourself losing confidence when you’re unable to follow through?

The problem isn't effort. It's where the effort is going.

There's a simple framework that fixes this.

Impact-Effort Matrix

The Impact-Effort Matrix is a 2x2 grid that helps you prioritise by weighing two things: how much impact an action will have, and how much effort it requires.

How to use it

It gives you four categories:

1) Quick wins — high impact, low effort. These offer the highest return on your effort and should be tackled first. Think minor improvements that significantly enhance user experience, or simple fixes that prevent bigger problems down the line.

2) Major projects — high impact, high effort. These are important but require significant time and resources. Plan and execute them after your quick wins are done.

3) Fill-ins — low impact, low effort. These won't move the needle much but are easy to complete. Save them for when you have spare time — routine admin, small optimisations, minor updates.

4) Thankless tasks — low impact, high effort. A lot of effort for very little return. Avoid or minimise these wherever possible — overly complex processes that could be simplified.

Most people default to major projects and thankless tasks, the heavy stuff. The matrix tells you to start with quick wins instead.

Why this works

Researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer studied thousands of diary entries from workers and found one thing consistently drove motivation: making progress on meaningful work, even small progress, has a highly positive impact on motivation.

Quick wins are progress by design. They're the actions most likely to move something forward with the least resistance. And each small win creates the feeling of momentum that makes the next step feel possible.

Starting with quick wins isn't taking the easy way out. It's building the confidence to tackle the bigger things.

Implementation Intentions

Once you've identified your quick wins, the next problem is actually doing them. This is where most good intentions fall apart — when the moment of decision arrives and willpower runs out.

Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer found a simple fix: form an implementation intention. Decide in advance exactly when and where you'll act:

"When [situation], I will [behaviour]."

For example: "When I sit down at my desk on Monday morning, I will spend 20 minutes on my top quick win before opening emails."

You're not relying on motivation. The situation triggers the behaviour automatically. The decision is already made.

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Putting it together

Use the Impact-Effort Matrix to find your quick wins — the high impact, low effort actions already sitting on your list. Then attach an Implementation Intention to the most important one. Pre-decide when and where you'll do it.

You've just removed two of the biggest reasons people stall: not knowing where to start, and not following through when the moment arrives.

Talk soon,

Tobe