Time Challenge Step # 3 - The Frog Diet

A few years ago I read this very nice book about time management and it taught me one of the most important lessons on how to organize my time.

It taught me to eat frogs.

Yes, if I wanted to get a lot done throughout my week, I should eat at least one frog every morning.

Here's what the book says:

'It has been said for many years that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.'

How true is that? 

Your frog is the most important task you have to do today, the one that you will most likely leave for 'later' (and you and I know very well that later means never, or some day when you cannot postpone it any longer because everything got out of control). This is usually the most boring task, the one you DON'T want to do, that one you feel tired just by thinking about it, but also the one that will have the greatest positive impact on your day and life and will bring the most results.

We usually tend to do the opposite. We choose the easier and enjoyable (or at least less boring) tasks first and after they are completed, we are simply too tired to do the long, boring, tiresome and more important one. No wonder we are always leaving it for the 'next day' (which also means 'never').

If from all the hard things you need to do today, you choose the hardest and stay with it until it's completed, you will go on with your day with a sense of accomplishment and relief since your most important/difficult task is already done.

'If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first'. 

Here's another thing, many times we are surrounded by frogs, especially if we've been postponing eating them for a long time, so if you have two or more very hard tasks to do today, choose the hardest one and do it first.

Last but not least:

'If you have to eat a live frog, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for very long.'

Which means you have to do your most important/boring/hard task first thing in the morning so you can get it over with.

We all have frogs to eat today and everyday and the longer we take to eat them, the fatter, bigger and uglier they get. So, here's what we will be working on everyday this week:

1. Make a list of everything you have to do tomorrow  

 2. See what your most important task is, the one that if completed will have the most positive impact on your life today - usually the one you tend to postpone

3. Do it before you do any other tasks. Do it first thing in the morning and don't start anything else until you have finished it

  

I've already been using this method and it really works. So, let's agree on something, shall we?

Everyday this week we will come here at the end of the day and leave our comments on how our day went. We will say how many frogs we managed to eat, what is working and what is not working ok?

Writing this post is one of my frogs for today :) So, this one is eaten... on to the next one!

P.S.: If you’d like to join us in the next phase of the Time Challenge, just click here.