Eat That Frog!
Hi There,
This moment in time is challenging. Often, I feel emotionally exhausted, unfocused, and, well…blah. In a nutshell, “no salt, no pepper”. I thought it was just me, but Adam Grant’s NYT article about Languishing illustrated how I’m not alone, by a longshot!
Languishing affects my productivity. Not only am I having a hard time focusing on the work at hand, but my tendency toward procrastination is becoming more evident. I find myself repelling and resisting tasks that I’d ordinarily do without too much self-convincing. Upon reflection, I’ve come to recognize that the avoidance itself is the exhausting part.
And if this resembles some of the procrastination propensities you’re managing, I’d like to introduce you to the Frog-Eating Theory.
Brian Tracy, author of Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, was inspired by Mark Twain's quote: “If the first thing you do in the morning is to eat the frog, then you can continue your day with the satisfaction of knowing that this is probably the worst thing that will happen to you all day.”
While it’s not always first thing in the morning, I do have a bubble right in my habit tracker devoted to “eating a frog” daily. This means that I strategically schedule a task that seems absolutely unpalatable, and make sure I do it. My two-step strategy is:
1. I’ll decide on the frog the night before, and prep for the act. I’ll schedule it onto my calendar just like a coaching call or a workshop delivery. I’ll open a file, pull up a website, get the phone number out…whatever I need to do to prepare to attack that frog. I’ll then ask myself what I want as an outcome after the scheduled period of time.
2. I’ll set myself up for my “focus work” time. When the timer goes off, right before I give myself an “atta girl”, I intentionally tune into any pleasure, no matter how small, that I found in doing the task. Here’s the interesting part: Upon reflection, the frog in hindsight is neutral at worst— not that big a deal and, more often than not, it turns out to be pleasurable!
Think about what your own frogs are. Does the solution resonate with you? I’d love to hear your feedback. Also, don't forget to read DRIVEN's April blog article to help with your intentionality.
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
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