Eat That Frog: Time Management and Productivity Technique

Eat that frog is a time management method that helps you overcome the worst. However, Brian Tracy is not talking about any frog here. He is referring to Mark Twain’s frog. He said, “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.”

What is Eat that Frog?

The Eat that frog method is a productivity technique by Brian Tracy, where the frog is a metaphor for your most significant, most important task that you are likely to postpone or delay. “Eat that frog” means stop procrastinating to tackle the crucial but off-putting tasks. In his book, Tracy explains more on this method, “Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.”

Why Eat that Frog?

Getting done with the worst can give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, unlike anything else. You can finally sit back and relax a little once the worst is over because a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You’ll feel less stressed and more optimistic from the confidence boost that finishing the worst can give you.

To quote Twain: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

If you are faced with two frogs, Tracy says you have to eat the biggest and the ugliest frog first. After all, no two frogs are the same. And always remember that you are only delaying the inevitable when you don’t eat your frogs. So, it is better to get it over with as soon as possible.

How to benefit from it?

Brian Tracy gives you suggestions on how to cope with eating frogs as well. He asks you to follow the given steps:

Step 1: Make a list of all your to-dos and actions.

Step 2: Label and categorize your list in the following manner:

The golden rule here is that one always eats the frogs (A) first, eats the tadpoles (B) next, and then moves on to C, D, and E. The Eisenhower method is very close to Tracy’s ABCDE and can be used alternatively. 

To be cured of procrastination you have to eat that frog.