A Mark Twain mural in downtown Angels Camp, California

Hundreds of quotes have been attributed to Mark Twain, including this one:

“If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”

Sound guidance, Mark. Thank you.

With inspiration from Twain, prominent motivational author Brian Tracy wrote a short book called Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. A basic idea of his book is that all of us have “frogs” -- those things that we tend to procrastinate on -- and that we’re best off by getting these things off of our plate first thing in the morning. Once complete, you’ll get increased energy and momentum for the rest of the day. You’ve probably experienced this when you start the day with a clean desk, a sorted email inbox, or a good workout.

Over the years I’ve benefited from this strategy. My “frogs” tend to be operational things: writing proposals, updating our CRM, reviewing the budget, etc. If I can knock those things out before the day gets rolling, then the rest of the day feels better and more productive.

I love the mornings and have always gotten up early ever since I was a paperboy in San Diego as a teenager. I currently have a block on my calendar from 5:00-6:30 AM where I address some of those operational things. I also have a spreadsheet where I track my progress and then discuss those things with my team. This combination of structure and accountability really helps me get things done that I’m not as likely to do otherwise.

It’s not always easy -- and I don’t follow-through 100% of the time -- but I definitely make much more significant progress on my “frogs” then what I would do otherwise.

That said, where this approach tends to fall down is that, in the end, it’s still a drag to eat a frog.

As Valerie Alexander writes in her article, Stop Eating Frogs! Just Be Happy, a key tip is to shift your mindset so that you see the frog in a new and much more positive light. If you can reframe the value of those things that you’re putting off, then your resistance to doing them will decrease. That’s great advice.

To help me shift my mindset, I will sometimes ask myself:

What is the benefit of this for our team and customers?
What do we all lose if I don’t do it?

Those two questions have helped me positively reframe those things that I would otherwise put off.

In summary, I’ve found that the combination of these two strategies -- scheduling/taking action first thing in the morning and shifting my mindset -- have led to the most satisfying results.

Please share your comments below about your strategies for eating frogs.