put the hard work at the beginning

frontload

verb|/ˈfrʌnt.loʊd/

To place the most important or resource-intensive work at the beginning of a timeline

Examples

In a meeting

We should frontload the research phase so we have solid data before the client presentation.

Over coffee

I like to frontload my week with the tough tasks so I can relax by Friday.

Why this word

prioritize

Frontload means placing the most important information or effort at the beginning, while prioritize is ranking by importance without temporal placement

emphasize

Frontload specifically means concentrating resources or content early in a sequence, while emphasize is general highlighting without temporal dimension

start with

Frontload implies strategic placement of heavy content or investment at the beginning, while start with is neutral about weight or strategy

Usage tip

Use when discussing project planning or workload distribution to emphasize early effort that pays dividends later.

Etymology

Modern English compound: 'front' (Latin frons, meaning forehead/front) + 'load' (Old English lad, meaning course/carrying)

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