Yew bounces back from hard pruning so it is up to you which techniques you choose. There's no 'should' about it. It will recover whatever you do.

where are you .. the colder the zone.. the longer it will take to recover ..

beyond that.. w/o a pic.. i have no clue what you are thinking about doing ...

ken

Like Flora said you can easily do one side at a time, but keep in mind that unless there are already a few sprouts on the inner branches it may take several weeks for new buds to form in the cut areas. I think late winter would be a better time to tackle this.

I hacked my yew in a similar manner in late March. It was beginning to overcrowd the entrance to our home. Since its severe shaving, the shrub has looked dead and awful, but it is just now starting to develop new needle sprouts on all of its branches (in Zone 5).