The Lewis Consulting Group : LIVE FROGS FOR BREAKFAST

Do the hardest, most difficult, and ugliest task first.

I think it was Brian Tracey who is generally credited with the Live Frogs for Breakfast concept--

“If you gotta eat a live frog, looking at it for a long time won't make it taste any better.”

Neither will putting it in your morning cup of joe…

( I’m slimy, not delicious, full of caffeine and willing to fight to the end …)

A frog is, of course, a metaphor for our most difficult and unpleasant task. And, if that frog is the worst thing that you do today, once it is out of the way the rest of the day should be easier and a whole lot less stressful.

We often get trapped into pushing the things we consider the most uncomfortable off and then those tasks hover over us for the rest of our day like a dark cloud.

For me--it is the gym, any uncomfortable calls, or meetings, etc...

I tend to want to exercise about 5:30 am and start my calling at 7 am (decision makers tend to be in early). When I don't attack these tasks, they get pushed back, and back, until the day is over and I am anxious about getting the things I need done and worried that I will have to push them off until tomorrow–thus starting the cycle again.

By doing my most hated and uncomfortable task first, I tend to feel less anxious about my day, I am more productive, happier in my duties, and way less stressed. And often, those frogs aren't as bad as we think they are going to be. Plus, I get it over with early so I can't even remember the bad parts!!!

Now, of course, you can't always do the worst thing you need to do in the morning–life doesn't always work like that. If that's the case, put that frog on the top of your daily to-do list IN CAPS. Make sure you physically write, check, scratch, whatever it off –that will give you personal satisfaction with your day and make you feel calmer just knowing that the hardest task is done. Don't trick yourself into thinking that getting all the little things on your to-do list done will compensate for not doing the difficult, froggish task–if it is small, less important, and easily accomplished, won't it be even easier if the larger, harder task is already done?

If you don’t eat up that frog today, put it in BIGGER caps for the next day, AT THE TOP OF YOUR TO-DO LIST or put it down TWICE. Skip it again?--THREE TIMES. Scratching off large to-dos or multiple large to-dos will give you a greater sense of accomplishment. Remember, when you can't face the frog, it becomes more powerful than you.

And it's not.

It's just a frog.