Eat the frog: the productivity method that no one told you about

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of frogs is a hopping amphibian or a pair of eyes staring at you from the bottom of your shoe. But there’s another type of frog that can help jumpstart your morning and get you through the day with less stress. Our goal today is to introduce this lesser-known frog productivity method and show how it can make your life easier and more enjoyable.

What does ‘eat the frog’ mean?

The phrase ‘eat the frog’ is a metaphor for doing the most challenging task first. It is also a way of avoiding procrastination and getting the most important thing done first. It’s beneficial when you have multiple tasks but only a limited amount of time to do them. When faced with this situation, many people will put off their most challenging task until last because they want to wait to deal with it.

Get a to-do list ready

To start with, you need to get yourself a to-do list. If you do not already have one, it is time to make one. There are many ways of doing this, but we will stick with the easiest, a simple text file. You can use any system you want, even pen and paper works. As long as it works for you, do it.

To create your first to-do list, open your favorite text editor and create a new document. In this document, put down everything that needs to get done. Now take some time out of your day every morning or evening and review what needs to be done. Of course, you can use a tool like Flow to manage it better.

Sort your tasks by importance and urgency

The importance and urgency of tasks are two different things. Importance is determined by you, while others assess the urgency. You must understand this distinction. Because if you sort your tasks by both importance and urgency, it will help you get through your most important tasks first, and that’s a big deal for productivity.

Urgency matters because we’re often forced to prioritize based on deadlines rather than our desires or priorities. When someone else sets the deadline for a task, however, it can make us feel like there’s no choice but to do it quickly at all costs, even if doing so means putting off other, more meaningful tasks until later.

The problem with prioritizing solely based on urgency is that tasks may be more critical than their urgent counterparts. This problem comes into play when people prioritize based only on deadlines rather than considering whether their current work aligns with their long-term goals and what they truly want out of life (or even just today).

Create an action plan

Once you have identified your tasks, prioritize them by importance and urgency. If a job is important but not urgent, create a calendar event for it in advance to remind yourself to tackle it. This can help you avoid procrastination and ensure that the most important things get done first thing in the morning.

If a task requires multiple steps, break each step down into smaller chunks so they’re easier to manage. For example, if your goal is to apply for two jobs by tomorrow’s deadline, instead of viewing this as one giant overwhelming task that must be completed within 24 hours, break it down into smaller pieces.

Do the most important thing first

The method to prioritize your work is to do the most important thing first. It’s simple but challenging. The best way to get started is by asking yourself: “What task would make me feel like a winner?” Then ask yourself: “What task would make me feel accomplished?”

The answer is that the thing that makes you feel like a winner should be done first, followed by doing whatever will make you feel accomplished next. This order of tasks might seem counterintuitive at first and can even go against our nature. But it’s often necessary when tackling large or small projects that take longer than expected, but with good reason.

Mark Twain’s famous advice helps you prioritize your time more effectively

The ‘Eat the frog; productivity method is a strategy that helps you prioritize your time more effectively. It is based on Mark Twain’s advice to eat a live frog first thing in the morning, as it will get out of your way for the rest of the day.

It means that if you set aside time to do something that you find unpleasant or dull but essential, you would not be distracted by things like checking Facebook or watching YouTube videos when there are more pressing things to accomplish. Eating your frogs first leaves you with less energy for other distractions, and you can focus on getting more done in less time, making this technique perfect for those who tend to procrastinate.

Bottomline

We hope this article has inspired you to start your day with a productive mindset. The key is to get started early in the morning so that all other distractions are removed from your mind and body when you sit at your desk. This also boosts your confidence if you have finished the most difficult task first. We hope you can experience more success throughout your day by following this method.