Why should I start eating frogs?

Why should I start eating frogs?

Lots of people on Twitter seem to have been talking about eating frogs lately. Whilst I am very much a fan of French cuisine and have been known to munch a few escargot while in France, what’s all this frog eating got to do with serious business people? Why should I join the crowd and start munching frogs? And what happens if I am a veggie?

This frog eating refers to a book and concept by Brian Tracy called ‘eat that frog’.

There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do in the morning is to eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll do all day. Brian Tracy, in his book, takes this saying as a metaphor for tackling the most challenging task of your day – the one you are most likely to procrastinate on, but also probably the one that will have the greatest positive impact on your life.

As a start up business owner, you will need to eat a fair few frogs before you can get a team around you to delegate and outsource tasks to. I normally have only myself to keep me accountable and focused on what really matters. Some days I wonder whether there is anyone worse than me for procrastinating on the jobs that I don’t enjoy doing. I’m not asking to go back into corporate life or get another boss (heaven forbid!). I’ve been looking for a solution to help me with my procrastination.

After all, I have a reputation and image as The Efficiency Coach to maintain!

I can honestly say that on the days I choose (and that’s the key) to ‘eat my frog’, I am more focused and productive. But it’s more than that... the sense of relief that I get from getting the job done that I was putting off is palatable. The momentum of getting the task out of the way normally gets me through the next few tasks in double quick time.

So, if you have some important tasks that you are putting off, why not try to eat your frog first?

Heather Townsend, The Efficiency Coach

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