“Eat that Frog”. Eat the what I hear you say. As you are all aware, at Green Taylor Partners we try and be as proactive as we can for our clients. Part of this is doing additional reading which not only includes compliance related information, but ways that we can generally assist our clients. Whilst doing some additional research I came across a book called “Eat That Frog” written by Brian Tracy. This book looks at ways to stop procrastinating so you can get more done in less time.
I am sure that we are all guilty of procrastinating at some time or another. Whilst we can come up with excuses with the common ones being I have no time or not sure what to do, it most likely is that we do not feel like doing it, even if it is important. There is an old saying that the first thing you should do when you wake in the morning is eat a frog, nothing worse then can happen for the rest of the day. Brian Tracy has suggested that eating a frog is equivalent to the most difficult task of the day, the one you are most likely to procrastinate about. Therefore if you do this first, it will give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. If you don’t and you let it sit there on a plate looking at you while you do other unimportant things, it will drain your energy as it will always be on your mind. I personally tend to start the day of with something very simply and quick then concentrate on the difficult tasks. Leaving the more easier task to later in the day. I guess I start the day easy and finish easy. However you need to find the best way that suits you as long as the difficult task is completed early.
Another way to assist in beating procrastination is to break the project into smaller tasks. You may recall in a previous Blog I made mention of Chris Foster at our office having the difficult and daunting (but no doubt enjoyable) task of restoring a car. Chris broke it down into manageable parts which made it appear easy to complete. As each task is completed, cross it off your list showing that you have not only met the challenge but conquered it. Procrastination is a self-management challenge that can be overcome and will allow you to achieve more. Remember though, “Eat That Frog” first. And if you have two frogs, eat the ugliest one first.
Following is a link to a YouTube video that runs for five minutes to help you eat that frog.
