In his book “Eat That Frog!”, Brian Tracy rifts off of a Mark Twain quote addressing procrastination – You are given a list of tasks to complete for the day and one of them is to eat a live frog. Which task do you do first? Always eat the frog first!
We ALL have examples of spending time and energy avoiding tasks we don’t want to do. The irony of this week’s video was the several tasks I avoided early in the week delayed me in getting back out to the park to record the Spring Peepers calling. If I had done the uncomfortable tasks first, I would have been able to get to the fun stuff!
What tasks are you avoiding at work or home? Are there conversations with clients or family you are avoiding? You spend energy each day dreading, avoiding, and probably making things worse by procrastinating on getting the tough stuff done. There is a tangible benefit by doing the unpleasant task first. It removes that energy drain and creates the opportunity to be more productive and enjoy the day.
Unfortunately, knowing there is a benefit to eating the frog first and actually do is a problem. Unless you show yourself the benefit of doing the tough task first and create the motivation and accountability to actually do it, those frogs will still be there at the end of the day.
What is your biggest frog? What will it take to eat the frog first? – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life