Swallow A Frog First Thing Every Morning

Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
by George Appiah

Everyone is so busy these days. The 24hrs don’t seem to be just enough anymore. And for those of us who don’t do the 8-5 thingy, folks just assume we’re always free and make all kinds of demands on our time.

And with so much to do, the default route for most people is to start the day with those simple tasks that seem to be so important. (Some even claim to be “last-minute” people who become more productive when there’s a looming deadline, but I think that’s procrastination seen through another window).

But here’s an alternative approach to starting your day: swallow the frog first! The idea is, if you swallow the frog (ie, if you do the most challenging task) first thing in the morning, the rest of the day will look pretty good by comparison. After all, what could be worse than swallowing a frog?

Start by putting each of your tasks into one of four categories:

1. Things you don’t want to do, and actually don’t need to do.
2. Things you don’t want to do, but actually need to do.
3. Things you want to do and actually need to do.
4. Things you want to do, but actually don’t need to do.

Then, first thing each day, do the most difficult task — the thing you need to do but don’t want to do. Set a time limit. I like to swallow my frog for 30 minutes. I believe I can do nearly anything within 30 minutes. Set whatever time limit that’s OK for you.

Frequently I’m not done with my frog in 30mins … but that’s OK. I simply continue and finish the task. Sometimes, I hit a dead end with my frog and I give myself permission to set it aside knowing I have moved it 30 minutes further ahead.

Whether it’s planning my daily tasks or taking some major life decisions, I’ve found the approach of swallowing the frog first to work like magic. But don’t forget, like any cool hack, this is one way of approaching the issue of task management … but it’s sure worth a try.

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