🐸 Eat That Frog: Why Tackling Tough Tasks First Works
Inspired by Brian Tracy's bestselling book Eat That Frog, this approach to time management is simple but powerful: start your day with your hardest task—the one you’re most likely to avoid. Why? Because procrastination has ripple effects. When you delay the hard stuff, you don’t fully enjoy anything else.
Imagine three plates: one with steak, one with chicken, and one with a frog. You must eat all three. If you start with the steak or chicken, you’ll be distracted by the frog waiting for you. That’s how procrastination feels—you can’t enjoy the easy wins when the hard task looms. So, eat the frog first.
💡 Why This Works
- Clear your mental space: Avoiding tough tasks builds anxiety and wastes brainpower.
- Boost momentum: Starting with the hardest task gives you a productivity boost for the rest of the day.
- Increase confidence: Each time you complete a frog, you prove to yourself you can handle discomfort.
🗓️ Practical Steps
- Each morning, identify your “frog” — the task you dread but need to do.
- Block time for it first thing—before emails, meetings, or busy work.
- Turn off distractions. Even 30–45 minutes of focused effort helps.
- Repeat daily. Build the habit.
Explore our Time Management training material package for customizable slides, trainer guides, and ready-to-use exercises.
🐸 Are you avoiding your frogs? Try our free self-check: Do You Procrastinate?
👤 About the Author
This article was written and published by TrainingCourseMaterial.com, a trusted source of ready-to-use training resources for team leaders, facilitators, and HR professionals worldwide. All content is created and reviewed by experienced instructional designers and field practitioners.
Last reviewed: August 2025
