How to Eat the Frog: A Productivity Method to Improve Focus and Stop Procrastination
A simple productivity method to get your important tasks done
Background
Mark Twain once said 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 it is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.
Brian Tracy is a productivity consultant who invented the “Eat the Frog” productivity method.
It all boils down to this: Identify one important task for the day and do it first.
Who is Eat the Frog for?
Eat the Frog is perfect for anyone who:
- Struggles with procrastination
- Gets a lot done but isn’t making progress on the important stuff
- Has a hard time sticking to a productivity system
- Has trouble deciding what to work on at any given time
- Feels overwhelmed by their to-do list
How to Eat the Frog
1. Identify your frog
What is your hardest, most important task for the day?
Just one.
2. Eat it
Do your most important task first thing in the morning.
Don’t give yourself the chance to put it off for later.
3. Repeat every day
You’ll be amazed how quickly small steps taken consistently add up to big accomplishments
“We tend to overestimate what we can get done in a day and underestimate what we can accomplish in a year.”
Tips to staying focused
Set aside 1–4 hours for deep work.
Set aside time where you won’t do anything else.
No email, no social media, no distractions.
Break down the task so you can complete it within the available time
If you only have an hour, but the task will take 4 hours, break down the task into a smaller task you can accomplish.
Adopt a positive attitude
Having positive thoughts and feelings releases endorphins in your brain which make you feel happy.
Having a positive attitude makes your experience more pleasant and feel more clarity and confidence.
Stop looking for shortcuts
There are no shortcuts to lasting success.
No matter how many blogs you read or YouTube videos you watch, big wins come to those who are patient and take the time to become a master.
Plan your frog the night before
If you make your plan the night before, you can get started right away.
Eat your frog first thing
It can be tempting to get a small win early in the day.
This can prevent you from having enough time to work on the most important thing.
How to Eat the Frog with Twos
1. Put your important tasks in a list (i.e. Things to-do) or use a tag (i.e. #frog).
2. Pick your most important task and move it to your day the night before.
If the task will take too long, break the task into multiple smaller tasks.
3. Open up Twos in the morning and get started right away.
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