When discussing an easy task, my manager would often remark “That’s an easy Sudoku.” When discussing a really difficult task, the remark would be “That’s a hard Sudoku.”

I’ve adapted this system in my own life. My partner and I routinely use the Sudoku scale when discussing our tasks, to-do lists, crises at work, and other life challenges.

I call it a “scale”, but it really has two options:

  1. Easy Sudoku.
  2. Hard Sudoku.

Now, an easy Sudoku is not always easy. An easy Sudoku is any task that has a clear path towards success or a clear system that can be used to execute the task. This can still be very challenging. Examples:

  • Putting the rubbish out.
  • Writing computer code that systematically scrapes the websites of top supermarkets in 15 specific countries and extracts key data about egg products.
  • Purchasing and installing the equipment and tools necessary to temporarily separate the house and garden into two halves, with a dog-proof fence between the halves.
  • Getting a degree in economics.

A hard Sudoku is a different sort of challenge all together. A hard Sudoku is a challenge or journey where there is no clear pathway towards success or no clear system for achieving the goal. Examples:

  • Living with chronic illness.
  • Caring for an elderly family member.
  • Living a meaningful life under a system of oppression.
  • Recovering from drug addiction.
  • Abolishing animal agriculture.
  • Getting a degree in economics.

Note that the last point in each category is the same. This is because an easy Sudoku for one person could be a hard Sudoku for another person. Even “putting the rubbish out” could be a hard Sudoku for a person living with mobility issues or mental health challenges.

I find the Sudoku system very empowering and helpful for a few reasons.

Firstly, if a task is an easy Sudoku, then achieving the task or goal is simply a matter of charting the path towards completion and executing the necessary steps; this might be very challenging, but this helps clarify the path forwards.

Secondly, if a task is a hard Sudoku, then it is much easier to recognise this and have compassion for the person who must face this challenge (whether yourself or somebody else). There are people facing hard Sudokus every day, and this helps recognise the demons that the people we meet every day are grappling with.

Thirdly, this helps put things into perspective. Every day at work, I am pursuing a hard Sudoku: abolishing animal agriculture. I’m giving this everything I’ve got, and I will not live to see the fruits of this effort, but I hope one day these efforts will pay off. However, with this in mind, the easy Sudokus in life—even the tasks that appear quite challenging and complicated initially—turn out to be not that hard after all!