What is “Eat That Frog”?
The Basics of Eat That Frog
"Eat That Frog!" is a concept popularized by Brian Tracy, inspired by a quote often attributed to Mark Twain:
"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Before you raise an eyebrow, no one's asking you to literally eat a frog. The "frog" as a metaphor for your most significant, most daunting task or, if you’re like me, the one you're most likely to procrastinate on.
The essence of the concept is simple:
Prioritize Tasks: Not all tasks are created equal. Some are more important than others so we need to order them as such. These are your "frogs."
Start with the Biggest Challenge: The idea here is to tackle your biggest challenge (or the "biggest frog") first thing in the morning. Why? Because once you've conquered that, you’ll not only feel a sense of accomplishment, but the rest of your tasks will feel more manageable in comparison. From the big one, our momentum hits the ground running.
Overcome Procrastination: By handling the most challenging tasks first, you reduce the chance of putting them off. As the day progresses, our energy, and often our willpower, tends to decrease. So, by addressing the hardest task first, you make the most of your peak energy and focus.
The beauty of "Eat That Frog!" lies in its simplicity.
In a world overflowing with productivity hacks, apps, and tools, this approach really just cuts through the noise.
It’s a call to action that reminds us of an age-old truth: stop dithering, prioritize, and just get it done. That’s it.
It's like this: imagine waking up, and despite the daunting thought of that big task, you face it head-on. Once you've done that, the rest of your day is open to possibilities. You've eaten that frog, and the rest is easy.
Not only that, when we do this over time, we're not just being productive on the day; we're also developing resilience, discipline, and a proactive approach to life's challenges. The more you practice eating your frog every morning, the easier it becomes.
When to use eat that frog
This method is great for most people and it stops us from putting off those tasks that we don’t want to do, preventing them from haning around at the beck of our mind.
The method is particularly useful for those of us that:
Often procrastinate on large, uncomfortable, or tedious tasks
Work best early on in the day
Have a lot of tasks - doing the big ones first helps prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed
Love routine - Eat that Frog
