Mark Twain famously said that if the first thing you do in the morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you. Meaning, your frog is your worst task, and you should do it first thing in the morning. It can be so tempting to put everything else in front of “your frog.” You’ll procrastinate your way right out of doing it, right? Wrong. You’ll stress yourself out worrying about it with the hope that you can get out of ever having to do it again. Not only is that a dangerous and unimpressive course of action, but you know you’re better than that! So how do you stop procrastinating and eat the frog?
Make Productivity a Habit
Getting things done is a habit, and if you start every day by accomplishing something important, you’ll get more done than 90% of the people in the office. Instead of choosing to be your own worst enemy when it comes to accomplishing your to do list, choose to find a process that works for you. Depending on what you need to get done in any given day, you might have to alter your routine. However, commit to accomplishing “x” number of things today, and move in a direction to rule your task, not let your tasks rule you.
Ask yourself this Question
Start simple. Ask yourself, “What needs to be done now in these three minutes?” Why start there? As Chris Winfield explains in his article, “How to Stop Procrastinating in 3 Minutes with One Simple Question,” if we are procrastinating, we are afraid of something. Winfield writes, “Procrastination is almost always based on some kind of fear. Our minds make all our future tasks big and scary. So we procrastinate. We try to avoid the pain that we know is surely going to come.” If you acknowledge what you’re afraid of and own it, then you can go to work on it. Chances are, your “frog” isn’t nearly as scary as the consequences you’ll experience if you procrastinate so long that you can’t recover.
Visualize How You’ll Feel Once it’s Done
Ashley Stahl writes in her article, “How to Stop Procrastinating Right Now,” that visualization can be the key to kickstarting your productivity. Stahl says, “Sit back, close your eyes, and imagine yourself at the completion of a project in as much detail as possible.” It’s not so different than choosing to count sheep in order to fall asleep. If you can will your brain to fall asleep, you can will your brain to start getting to work on even the most difficult task. Choose to fast forward past the ugliness of the task, and see yourself crossing the finish line. Carry that feeling of accomplishment with you while you’re tackling your undesirable project, and you will actually be at the finish line before you know it.
Start to evaluate how and when you’re procrastinating. If you can understand what you’re afraid of, organize your day so you can “eat your frog” first, and picture yourself being successful, you will arrive at a place where you feel more in control of your own destiny, more organized, and will be taking one step closer toward crushing it professionally.