It is an incontrovertible fact that we like to postpone important or unpleasant tasks until they fall on our feet. Just the mild awareness of knowing that the majority of humanity as allies behind us in this behavior offers a little consolation. But there is hope to get over the nasty bastard. Mark Twain had the best advice at the time: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, you better 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. ”
Rule of thumb: First things first
The frog metaphor is used by the American author and success coach Brian Tracy as an expression for the one task on our to-do list that we put on over and over again. The idea: only those who swallow the frog in time can save themselves from being taken over by the symbolic enemy – the bad conscience. So instead of messing up the day with the constant flicker of filing your tax return, just do this job first. Then you can go through the day with the satisfaction that the worst is behind you.
From theory to practice
Many people are unproductive because they mistake activity for efficiency, writes Brian Tracy. In other words: We are busy all day, but often we have not completed a single important task in the end. The following instructions for use will help you to escape this paradoxical habit:
- Identify your frog: It may not always be clear which task is the most urgent on a day. Take a moment to think about which task you would actually like to postpone, but completing it can free you of emotional baggage.
- Plan ahead: If you put the task planning in the early morning under stress, just think about it the evening before – or arrange your priorities a week in advance.
- Develop new habits: Try to integrate priority planning as an integral part of your everyday life. In the best-case scenario, according to Tracy, you will even develop a “positive addiction” for the feeling of satisfaction in this way. This activates the reward center in the brain.
“Eat that frog” as a way of life
For Tracy, this habit is the real key to success. Those who manage to discipline themselves and work through the central to-do of the day with determination will achieve a higher level of performance and productivity. On the one hand, the completed task is a motivation booster: While the constant thought that you have an important task ahead of you, such as a stomach ulcer, the ticked-off to-do acts as a liberation. This makes other activities easier and you can do more. On the other hand, act according to priorities. Instead of focusing your attention on activities that don’t have a set deadline or are done in five minutes anyway, focus on really urgent matters. The psychological effect should convince even hardened procrastinators: You can have clearer thoughts and tackle all those things that you actually enjoy more with a clear conscience.
