Break big rock projects into tiny tasks

Lucas January 20, 2026 3 min read

You open the board and see one task that has been sitting there for weeks: "Launch website." Nobody touches it. Not because your team is lazy, but because the task is too broad to start.

That is project paralysis. When a task has no clear next action, your brain avoids it. The fix is not motivation. The fix is making the work small enough to finish.

The 10-minute breakdown

3 mins: Define the next visible outcome
4 mins: Slice the big rock into three micro-wins
3 mins: Create three 15-minute actions in Breeze

The 10-minute fix

1. Define the next visible outcome (3 minutes)

Pick the smallest outcome that would make the project feel real. Not "launch the website", but "we have a homepage draft" or "we have the final sitemap." Write it as a one-sentence definition of done, then put it in the task description or the first comment.

This single sentence gives the team a target they can aim at. It also makes it easier to say no to random work that is not part of the next outcome.

2. Slice the big rock into three micro-wins (4 minutes)

The rule is simple: each slice must be doable in 15 minutes and produce something you can point at. If you cannot finish it in 15 minutes, you are still describing a vague chunk of work.

Example: instead of "Launch website", create these three 15-minute actions:

15 minutes: Write the first-pass homepage headline and subheadline.
15 minutes: List the five pages that must exist for v1 and who owns each page.
15 minutes: Gather the three assets you always need (logo files, brand colors, and one product screenshot) and attach them.

Those are small on purpose. Finishing them creates a quick dopamine hit and makes the next step obvious.

If a card still feels heavy, split it again. Your goal is a task you can finish before checking email.

3. Create three 15-minute actions in Breeze (3 minutes)

In Breeze, keep the big rock as a parent task so it stays visible, then create three new task cards for the 15-minute actions. Assign an owner and set each due date to today. If the team is busy, set them for the next workday, but keep them close.

Make each card unambiguous by writing the definition of done in the first line. When the card is done, move it. That visible movement is the point.

If you want the larger plan to stay honest, tie these cards back to your roadmap milestones so micro-tasks roll up into real progress.

The result

By the end of the day, you should have three wins, not one giant task you are avoiding:

Momentum: your board starts moving again, which makes the project feel lighter.
Clarity: the team can see what "next" means without a meeting.
Confidence: small completions stack up fast, and scope gets easier to manage.

Want to try it? Create three 15-minute tasks in Breeze and watch the big rock shrink.