Swallow the Frog, but Not Yet

A simple strategy to crush your day

I am going to share something with you that has immensely increased my ability to be successful and accomplish more throughout the day. I’m sure you’ve heard this quote attributed to Mark Twain:

If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to 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.

In short the quote implies that one should take care of the worst or most difficult task of the day first, therefore making the rest of the day’s work seem more pleasant (I’ve discussed this idea with more detail here). It’s largely good advice. But I have found that modifying this approach slightly has made it even more powerful.

I tried following the “swallow the frog” approach for sometime. There were days that I did it better than others, but all in all I thought it improved my work and ability to perform. Where it lacked was when I had something really difficult and arduous on my list first. Often, when I would jump right in and get to work, I would find it difficult to stay on point, or found it hard to muster up the grit to get through the rest of the day. I know you’ve experienced the same feeling. What can be done to fix it?

Let us think about how an athlete performs. Do they go full bore before warming up? I would hope not. They warm up, they stretch, they prime their bodies to take a beating. You really need to do the same. Instead of “swallowing the frog” right away, prime your day first. Start with something so small and simple. Choose some work or chore that is easy to do, and requires little energy or time to get started. Before diving into that expense report, perhaps you should take 5 minutes and do the dishes. Or, before jumping right in to repaint the garage, try making your bed first.

I first heard about this idea from the Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn. In one of the episodes he discussed productivity tips that help him get through the day. One of them was doing a chore, like washing the dishes, before jumping into his work. I took this same approach and adopted it as my appetizer before I swallow the frog.

I believe the reason it works so well is that the mind and body have a hard time switching from rest mode to work mode. Getting over the inertia can be really tough, especially first thing in the day. Let your mind and body warm up, you will find that swallowing the frog, and everything thereafter will be much easier.

As a caveat, let me say that sometimes the primer and the frog can be one. Occasionally, the task your dread the most is simple, such as an uncomfortable phone call. That type of activity expends little energy and adequately puts your mind and body into work mode.

I usually tackle one of the following before going after the frog:

1. The dishes: I don’t know about you, but I can’t sit still when I know there is a mess in the kitchen. Not only does it prime my day, but it also puts me at peace of mind.
2. Organizing the workspace: Again the benefit is two-fold. It helps fight the inertia while making your workspace more efficient.
3. Pray: While not really work, praying helps center me and can help me transition my mind away from leisure time.
4. Exercise: Usually very brief, maybe 10 minutes. I will do just enough to elevate my heart rate and wake my body up.

What to be mindful of:

1. Do not pick tasks that distract you: Reading, e-mail, etc. I usually don’t read when trying to get into work more. It is distracting and pulls my mind further into rest mode.
2. Avoiding things that wear you out: The whole point the priming your day is to prepare your mind and body to do work. Don’t burn out in the beginning. As mentioned above, try a quick workout. Exercising all out can be detrimental because all your energy is expended while working out, making the inertia all the more difficult to overcome.
3. Procrastinating: The reason for choosing an easy task first is because there is little willpower needed to get started. However, since it can sometimes be viewed as unimportant, it can be easy to put it off. Just get up and do it now, no excuses.
4. Choose task that consume little time: How much can you really accomplish if you waste all your time just getting ready to do work?

I admire people who can resolve the most difficult tasks of the day first. While it is sound advice, I really encourage you to “warm-up” first. I think you’ll find that you will be able to work faster, work harder, and all in all get more accomplished!

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