What Can A Frog Teach You About Time Management Skills?

Sounds like a weird question doesn’t it? Even so, this question will stick with you after you read this post.

One of the coolest productivity training books I’ve ever read is called “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy – I’ll link you later, pay attention for now 🙂

This book covers a lot of time management and productivity enhancing methods, all of which are pretty good, but the one that the book is named for is the one that will likely stick with you the most. This, of course, is the mentality of eating a frog.

How a Frog Can Improve Your Time Management Skills

Think for a second how gross it would be to eat a frog.

Pretty disgusting huh? I mean unless you’re out at some snooty restaurant and they somehow make it taste like top shelf chicken, what can be more gross than eating a frog?

Well that’s the main lesson here – getting things out of the way you don’t want to do.

Unless you knock out everything every day, a to-do list will grow and grow and grow, much of the time getting filled up with things you keep putting off because you don’t want to do them for some reason (these are your frogs). Then you end up dreading getting up for work every day because your day is going to be filled with stuff you don’t want to do.

It’s not only bad for getting things done that need to be done, but it’s also bad for your own personal productivity.

You see, over time, these little annoying tasks that you – for some reason – just don’t want to do, end up cluttering up your to-do list and your daily thoughts. You know they’re lingering there, not finished, and you continue to dread doing them. They distract you from doing other things that need to be done because you continually worry about doing them, even though often times they’re not that bad in the first place.

Well – You’re not alone my future successful friend. It happens to all of us. Some things we just don’t like to do. It all depends on your interests.

But here’s the positive side of this whole frog thing – ribbit.

The sooner you eat that frog, the sooner you can stop worrying about it, and the sooner you can move onto the more enjoyable tasks of your day. Often times these tasks you’re dreading don’t end up being that bad in the first place. It’s usually just a matter of you worrying about it and building it up to be more than it is.

Once you get these things finished and out of the way, your mind will be totally free and clear to be wildly productive.

Eat Your Frogs for Breakfast

The morning is usually the best time to conquer those pesky tasks.

Why?

Because letting something linger on your to-do list the entire day means you have the entire day to let it distract you.

If you work in a position where you have the freedom to organize your own daily schedule (this is becoming more and more a reality), set your frogs at the top of your to-do list and get them done before anything else. Even though you dread doing them, you’ll feel so much better that they’re done. Getting these done and out of the way early means better focus for you throughout your work day.

Starting Eating Your Frogs Tomorrow

Try this technique on for size for a few days. Take note of which tasks you think are going to be distractions and get them out of the way early.

But don’t just do that. Also take note of how much better you feel throughout your day having done so. Take note of how much more you get done, and how much easier it is to prioritize your tasks without those pesky frogs lingering around in your to-do list.

I think you’ll notice a significant improvement. If so, send me a tweet or toss a comment on the blog. I’d love to hear your feedback.

To Your Success!

Cody

DISCLAIMER: No frogs were harmed in the writing of this post 🙂

PS – Here’s the book if you’re interested – Eat That Frog on Amazon