‘Eat the frog’ is a rather revolting visual analogy coined by motivational speaker Brian Tracy.
The frog is the difficult, frustrating or tedious task or tasks that you keep putting off.
The ‘eat the frog’ theory is that you do these difficult or boring tasks first before the tasks you’d rather do, getting them over and done with.
I hear a LOT about ‘eating frogs’ as a tactic for overcoming procrastination and increasing productivity. It’s part of my own productivity toolkit.
It often works and we usually find that the boring or difficult tasks when we knuckle down to them take less time and are not as difficult as your mind leads you to believe. And it’s a relief to ‘tick them off the list’.
I run ‘get it done’ sessions in the Lucidity Network – my membership community. People sometimes use that time to eat frogs and the feedback is always ‘that was easier and took less time than I thought! – thank you’
Yay! eating frogs works! Apart from when it doesn’t.
Like anything, eating frogs can work for some people and not for others. Some tasks are definite frogs to be eaten quickly. Others need a bit of working up to. The time of day and our energy levels play a part. I believe it’s really important to choose your tasks based on your energy. If your energy is low in the morning eating a frog might not be your best strategy.
There was an insightful chat in the Lucidity Network community recently about how whilst the ‘eat that frog’ principle might work really well for some people, for many it is another stress and anxiety trigger that can be more harmful than helpful. Here’s some of the thoughts from the excellent leaders in the Lucidity Network.
‘My brain wants to eat the ice cream first cause it’s much better for pushing my Dopamine. Then I’ve got a win, and my brain is in ‘I can do this’ mode.’ (then I can eat the frogs)
‘A small win or progress in the right direction first makes absolute sense. At the same time getting the difficult thing done works for me first thing in the morning when I’m feeling more robust. So much context through – how difficult is the thing and how important?
‘I had this very conversation with a team member last week, I prefer to eat the frog first thing as, otherwise, knowing I have to do it at some point hovers in the back of my mind spoiling my other tasks, whereas my colleague much prefers to get a couple of easy wins under her belt first thing, as the satisfaction of ticking things off makes the frog so much easier to eat!’
‘It doesn’t work for me. Working my way UP to the big thing is far more effective for me, not the other way round.’
‘I like the theory but my best thinking tends to be at the end of the day so doing something first thing doesn’t always help! I also need to “clear the decks” before I can focus on the big thing.’
‘There’s so many contextual things which make it a very individual preference but let’s not forget the poor wee frog 🐸;-)’
Well frog fans, it would appear when it comes to eating frogs (and absolutely everything) that we’re all different. If you lead a team, or work with others, knowing yourself and others preferences when it comes to how we work, including frog eating can be incredibly helpful when creating a positive team culture and a productive work environment.
Some people love eating a frog before breakfast. Others need a Dopamine reward before they can tackle a frog. Some people do their best thinking later in the day which is their optimum frog eating time.
Models and theories can be really helpful. They can make excellent conversation starters. They can help us explore our own preferences. At the same time don’t just assume that they will serve you well.
We’re all unique human beings. I encourage you to understand the models, theories and revolting analogies, and test them out. Are they helpful for you? If they are then that’s excellent. If they’re not you have permission, in this context, to set the frog free.
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Understanding yourself is an important element of the Lucidity Success System™ (LSS) – a wellspring of guidance for team leaders who need to cultivate confident leadership skills for themselves and resolve the obstacles to their teams success.
If you’re ready to cultivate your own leadership skills in a group of supportive peers, The Lucidity Network is where leaders like you leverage the Success System as part of their own professional development. When you join the Lucidity Network you get access to the entire system.
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