Big, Icky Task? Eat the Frog First
Or, eat the biggest gummy bear first.
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, best eat the big one first.”
If we’re feeling stuck, starting small and easy or lowering the ask can sometimes be helpful places to start.
But what if you’re the kind of person who does best by jumping into something, feet first, before there’s a chance to back out? If that’s the case, this might be the skill for you.
How to eat a frog first?
A little set up goes a long way with this skill, so let’s break it down:
First: At the start of your work time, take a look at your to-do list, calendar, or take the running list of “I need tos” and write them down.
Second: Identify the most difficult or most important task of the day. The most difficult or important task is your ‘frog.’ The idea of doing that task first might be off-putting or kind of gnarly, but trying to avoid it is going to take a lot of effort, too. Frogs jump all over the place!
Third: Do that task first. Get it over with! With the frog gone, you can proceed about your day without trying to catch the frog every time it jumps out, or redirect your thoughts every time you remember you have to finish a particular task.
Why does this method work?
It uses momentum. Once you’ve gotten the big task out of the way, you may feel proud of yourself and relieved. That’s good energy to have.
It stops analysis paralysis. The decision is made already. You will know the biggest task of your day, or the one that you dread the most almost immediately when you look at your list. So that’s the one you do first. No more internal debate.
Having a clear guide on what to do first means you conserve energy. There’s less struggle.
There’s less to dread for the rest of your day. It’s gone- Poof! Vanished! And then you can do something fun (or eat a smaller frog) with less background noise.
Neurodiversity’s impact:
Eating the frog is a useful skill, and it often won’t be the best method for nerodiverse folks. Building steady momentum tends to be best for them. Learn more about building momentum in these posts: getting started, the easy way; steps skill; lowering the ask.
