\u201cStart each morning by eating a live frog, and nothing worse will happen to you that day.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That is to say, get this dreaded chore over with right out of the gate.<\/p>\n
Is this simple practice the elixir to our productivity woes? Perhaps there\u2019s no single cure-all, but eating the frog certainly provides an effective strategy towards prioritizing our to-do lists, bringing balance to our lives, and helping us achieve our goals.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips on how and why you want to eat that frog!<\/p>\n
<\/span>Shuffling Priorities<\/span><\/h2>\nIt\u2019s a fact of life that you\u2019ll never get it all done. We\u2019ll always have a stack of books to read, e-mails to send, laundry to fold, and yard work to do. Attempting to pound out every last thing means you’re squeaking in just a few hours of sleep a night.<\/p>\n
![\"Eat](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
Brian Tracy, author of \u201cEat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time<\/a>\u201d tells us we need to take a step back from the pile of tasks, and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\nWhat are our overall objectives? We can separate these into long-term (five-year) and short term (90-day) goals. He suggests writing the goals down, then identifying each task that needs to be completed in order to achieve them.<\/p>\n
This litany of tasks, then, provides the framework for choosing how we spend our time each day.<\/p>\n
In looking at the day-to-day, think long-term. Tracy says: \u201cIn your work, having a clear idea of what is really important to you in the long term makes it much easier for you to make better decisions about your priorities in the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n
For example, if you have a quarterly goal to increase your social media following by 20%, then a daily frog might be writing Instagram captions, or networking on Twitter.<\/p>\n
All the other things on your list, unrelated to your long-term goals, are tadpoles. Get them done if you have time, but they\u2019re not critical. The biggest waste of time is to do something well that doesn\u2019t need to be done at all. So no more spending 45 minutes picking out the perfect screensaver!<\/p>\n
![\"Maximize](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-2.png\")
<\/p>\n
<\/span>Maximize the Morning<\/span><\/h2>\nEat that frog bright and early. For several reasons, the first hours of the day provide a delightfully breezy window for making decisions, minimizing work-stress, and building a foundation for a productive, fruitful day.<\/p>\n
1. Utilize that \u201cSuper Brain\u201d<\/h3>\n
Have you ever been to the grocery store when it first opens? The aisles are empty, and there\u2019s just one or two people at the check out. It feels almost…meditative (ok, I said almost). Come four hours later, it\u2019s bustling with grocery carts and people picking up lunch, talking on phones, and carrying babies.<\/p>\n
Our brains are a little bit the same. During the first 2-3 hours of the day, they’re still empty from the quiet of the night.<\/p>\n
Business magazine Inc. advises us<\/a> to save \u201cimportant decisions for when you feel most alert, generally within one to three hours after waking up.\u201d<\/p>\nBy mid-day we have seventeen tabs open in two different browsers, are halfway through two articles, and have notifications going off on our phone and inbox. Not the best state for closing a big deal.<\/p>\n
2. Keep Your Output Stress-free<\/h3>\n
Maximizing this quiet window in the morning keeps us productive<\/a> without the harry or stress work deadlines bring.<\/p>\nInterruptions, according to the research, are no good. A study on interruptions at work conducted through UC Irvine found that \u201cpeople compensate for interruptions by working faster, but this comes at a price: experiencing more stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s not to say you’re not productive at busier times of the day, but that you’re way more taxed getting the same amount of work done.<\/p>\n
Simply waking up one hour earlier creates a power hour to produce quality work with minimal stress.<\/p>\n
3. Build Momentum<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a restful night of sleep, then every morning you awaken to sixteen hours of living potential: your day, for the most part anyway, is what you make of it.<\/p>\n
The first few hours provide a foundation for what happens later. Your morning sets the tone for the day, and you can see your productivity flourish because of it!<\/p>\n
Spending the morning tackling e-mails, for example, can set the ball rolling for a new project. Tasks that require input from several people can be completed in just one day!<\/p>\n
<\/span>Get \u2018er Done<\/span><\/h2>\nSure it makes sense to eat the frog. But then actually doing it? That’s a different ballgame. It’s pretty jarring to go from a cozy bed to eating a hairy, warty frog in the space of an hour. Even with a few cups of coffee inside you.<\/p>\n
Here are a few strategies and tricks to seeing yourself through a difficult task.<\/p>\n
![\"Spin](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-3.png\")
<\/p>\n
1. Spin that Frog<\/h3>\n
A task like \u201ccall landscaper\u201d or \u201canswer emails\u201d sounds rote and deadly dull. However, identifying what you\u2019re accomplishing puts it in a whole new light. \u201cBeautify my garden\u201d or \u201cbuild positive client relationships\u201d gives the work more meaning and makes it easier to accomplish.<\/p>\n
2. Treat Yourself<\/h3>\n
Life won\u2019t always give you a pat on the back. Even if you\u2019ve decluttered the desk drawer bulging with bills going back a decade. So take the initiative yourself. Do a little retail therapy on your lunch break. Or shut off the laptop an hour early and make your way to happy hour. Incentives give you the extra push you need to get that annoying task done.<\/p>\n
3. Block Time<\/h3>\n
If you have a certain task to do, schedule out a specific period of time to do it. Plan this time a day or even a week in advance, and add an extra 15-20 minutes so you won\u2019t feel rushed completing it.<\/p>\n
4. Create a Distraction-Free Zone<\/h3>\n
Distractions really zap the precious time we\u2019re allotted each day. Eating the frog isn’t the time for cranking up Pearl Jam or listening to Howard Stern in the background. When you’re buckling down, close your tabs, turn off notifications, and put on noise-cancelling headphones, so you\u2019re laser focused on the work at hand.<\/p>\n
5. Bookend Your Day<\/h3>\n
Close out the night looking over what you have going on the next day. Identify the most important things to get accomplished. This gives you focus right away in the morning. Your brain may even work through some issues while you sleep!<\/p>\n
6. Delegate a Few Frogs<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nWhat are our overall objectives? We can separate these into long-term (five-year) and short term (90-day) goals. He suggests writing the goals down, then identifying each task that needs to be completed in order to achieve them.<\/p>\n
This litany of tasks, then, provides the framework for choosing how we spend our time each day.<\/p>\n
In looking at the day-to-day, think long-term. Tracy says: \u201cIn your work, having a clear idea of what is really important to you in the long term makes it much easier for you to make better decisions about your priorities in the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n
For example, if you have a quarterly goal to increase your social media following by 20%, then a daily frog might be writing Instagram captions, or networking on Twitter.<\/p>\n
All the other things on your list, unrelated to your long-term goals, are tadpoles. Get them done if you have time, but they\u2019re not critical. The biggest waste of time is to do something well that doesn\u2019t need to be done at all. So no more spending 45 minutes picking out the perfect screensaver!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/span>Maximize the Morning<\/span><\/h2>\nEat that frog bright and early. For several reasons, the first hours of the day provide a delightfully breezy window for making decisions, minimizing work-stress, and building a foundation for a productive, fruitful day.<\/p>\n
1. Utilize that \u201cSuper Brain\u201d<\/h3>\n
Have you ever been to the grocery store when it first opens? The aisles are empty, and there\u2019s just one or two people at the check out. It feels almost…meditative (ok, I said almost). Come four hours later, it\u2019s bustling with grocery carts and people picking up lunch, talking on phones, and carrying babies.<\/p>\n
Our brains are a little bit the same. During the first 2-3 hours of the day, they’re still empty from the quiet of the night.<\/p>\n
Business magazine Inc. advises us<\/a> to save \u201cimportant decisions for when you feel most alert, generally within one to three hours after waking up.\u201d<\/p>\nBy mid-day we have seventeen tabs open in two different browsers, are halfway through two articles, and have notifications going off on our phone and inbox. Not the best state for closing a big deal.<\/p>\n
2. Keep Your Output Stress-free<\/h3>\n
Maximizing this quiet window in the morning keeps us productive<\/a> without the harry or stress work deadlines bring.<\/p>\nInterruptions, according to the research, are no good. A study on interruptions at work conducted through UC Irvine found that \u201cpeople compensate for interruptions by working faster, but this comes at a price: experiencing more stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
That’s not to say you’re not productive at busier times of the day, but that you’re way more taxed getting the same amount of work done.<\/p>\n
Simply waking up one hour earlier creates a power hour to produce quality work with minimal stress.<\/p>\n
3. Build Momentum<\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a restful night of sleep, then every morning you awaken to sixteen hours of living potential: your day, for the most part anyway, is what you make of it.<\/p>\n
The first few hours provide a foundation for what happens later. Your morning sets the tone for the day, and you can see your productivity flourish because of it!<\/p>\n
Spending the morning tackling e-mails, for example, can set the ball rolling for a new project. Tasks that require input from several people can be completed in just one day!<\/p>\n
<\/span>Get \u2018er Done<\/span><\/h2>\nSure it makes sense to eat the frog. But then actually doing it? That’s a different ballgame. It’s pretty jarring to go from a cozy bed to eating a hairy, warty frog in the space of an hour. Even with a few cups of coffee inside you.<\/p>\n
Here are a few strategies and tricks to seeing yourself through a difficult task.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1. Spin that Frog<\/h3>\n
A task like \u201ccall landscaper\u201d or \u201canswer emails\u201d sounds rote and deadly dull. However, identifying what you\u2019re accomplishing puts it in a whole new light. \u201cBeautify my garden\u201d or \u201cbuild positive client relationships\u201d gives the work more meaning and makes it easier to accomplish.<\/p>\n
2. Treat Yourself<\/h3>\n
Life won\u2019t always give you a pat on the back. Even if you\u2019ve decluttered the desk drawer bulging with bills going back a decade. So take the initiative yourself. Do a little retail therapy on your lunch break. Or shut off the laptop an hour early and make your way to happy hour. Incentives give you the extra push you need to get that annoying task done.<\/p>\n
3. Block Time<\/h3>\n
If you have a certain task to do, schedule out a specific period of time to do it. Plan this time a day or even a week in advance, and add an extra 15-20 minutes so you won\u2019t feel rushed completing it.<\/p>\n
4. Create a Distraction-Free Zone<\/h3>\n
Distractions really zap the precious time we\u2019re allotted each day. Eating the frog isn’t the time for cranking up Pearl Jam or listening to Howard Stern in the background. When you’re buckling down, close your tabs, turn off notifications, and put on noise-cancelling headphones, so you\u2019re laser focused on the work at hand.<\/p>\n
5. Bookend Your Day<\/h3>\n
Close out the night looking over what you have going on the next day. Identify the most important things to get accomplished. This gives you focus right away in the morning. Your brain may even work through some issues while you sleep!<\/p>\n
6. Delegate a Few Frogs<\/h3>\n
By mid-day we have seventeen tabs open in two different browsers, are halfway through two articles, and have notifications going off on our phone and inbox. Not the best state for closing a big deal.<\/p>\n
2. Keep Your Output Stress-free<\/h3>\n
Maximizing this quiet window in the morning keeps us productive<\/a> without the harry or stress work deadlines bring.<\/p>\n Interruptions, according to the research, are no good. A study on interruptions at work conducted through UC Irvine found that \u201cpeople compensate for interruptions by working faster, but this comes at a price: experiencing more stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort.\u201d<\/p>\n That’s not to say you’re not productive at busier times of the day, but that you’re way more taxed getting the same amount of work done.<\/p>\n Simply waking up one hour earlier creates a power hour to produce quality work with minimal stress.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re lucky enough to have a restful night of sleep, then every morning you awaken to sixteen hours of living potential: your day, for the most part anyway, is what you make of it.<\/p>\n The first few hours provide a foundation for what happens later. Your morning sets the tone for the day, and you can see your productivity flourish because of it!<\/p>\n Spending the morning tackling e-mails, for example, can set the ball rolling for a new project. Tasks that require input from several people can be completed in just one day!<\/p>\n Sure it makes sense to eat the frog. But then actually doing it? That’s a different ballgame. It’s pretty jarring to go from a cozy bed to eating a hairy, warty frog in the space of an hour. Even with a few cups of coffee inside you.<\/p>\n Here are a few strategies and tricks to seeing yourself through a difficult task.<\/p>\n A task like \u201ccall landscaper\u201d or \u201canswer emails\u201d sounds rote and deadly dull. However, identifying what you\u2019re accomplishing puts it in a whole new light. \u201cBeautify my garden\u201d or \u201cbuild positive client relationships\u201d gives the work more meaning and makes it easier to accomplish.<\/p>\n Life won\u2019t always give you a pat on the back. Even if you\u2019ve decluttered the desk drawer bulging with bills going back a decade. So take the initiative yourself. Do a little retail therapy on your lunch break. Or shut off the laptop an hour early and make your way to happy hour. Incentives give you the extra push you need to get that annoying task done.<\/p>\n If you have a certain task to do, schedule out a specific period of time to do it. Plan this time a day or even a week in advance, and add an extra 15-20 minutes so you won\u2019t feel rushed completing it.<\/p>\n Distractions really zap the precious time we\u2019re allotted each day. Eating the frog isn’t the time for cranking up Pearl Jam or listening to Howard Stern in the background. When you’re buckling down, close your tabs, turn off notifications, and put on noise-cancelling headphones, so you\u2019re laser focused on the work at hand.<\/p>\n Close out the night looking over what you have going on the next day. Identify the most important things to get accomplished. This gives you focus right away in the morning. Your brain may even work through some issues while you sleep!<\/p>\n3. Build Momentum<\/h3>\n
<\/span>Get \u2018er Done<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n1. Spin that Frog<\/h3>\n
2. Treat Yourself<\/h3>\n
3. Block Time<\/h3>\n
4. Create a Distraction-Free Zone<\/h3>\n
5. Bookend Your Day<\/h3>\n
6. Delegate a Few Frogs<\/h3>\n
![\"Set](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Eat](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-5.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Finished](\"https:\/\/www.teamly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/crunch-6.png\")
<\/p>\n