Eating Frogs for a Week

You might click on this thinking exactly what the title has led you to believe. But congrats on making it two sentences in the article; Most people would just scan to the bigger font or the...

1. first number on the list.

Did I get you there?

Now, my idea of eating frogs might be much different from yours and at this point you're probably asking yourself, "What the heck is she talking about?" or the more likely, "Has she lost her marbles?"

I can assure you, I have not...?

So I shall explain without any further delay. This week I challenged myself to complete one difficult task each morning and to see how it may or might not change my thinking and motivations to get things done first thing.

The phrase "eat your frog," is one stemming from a quote by none other than Mark Twain.

"Eat a live frog every morning,

and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."

Going off of that, the main "chore" doesn't have to be a bad thing, it could be just a big project or task you've been putting off for a while, many of those are exactly what I have on my list below!

Here is the list of "frogs" I ate!

Wednesday: Finished editing two recipe videos for my Mom

Thursday: Finished editing my YouTube video for April (Usually I put it off till the final week then become pressured to finish leading up to posting.)

Friday: Penciled out some detail on a "bigger" art project I'm working on for a three hour chunk.

Saturday: Cleaned up documents and organized photos on my external hard drive.

Sunday: Took new headshots for my tech and acting resumes.

Monday: I'll admit, I didn't eat any frogs.

Tuesday: Tailored some of my clothes; First time trying this and it worked out splendidly!

Things I Discovered

1. It is 90% easier to eat your frog before 2pm, if you can. I find that my motivation in particular dwindles as the day progresses.

2. If distractions sneak up on me (like YouTube videos or watching an episode of a show), I use that desire as a prize or reward for when I'm finished. It really fuels me to get my task done if I know I get to do what I want later.

3. I caught myself starting to take part in my "leisure" activities (on day 3) before I was finished eating my frog. However, I found that my motivation returned after a few hours so I was able to come back and finish later with just as much vigor as before; The desire to laze around didn't overwhelm me like I thought it would!

4. Sometimes an unproductive day is okay. If you are go-go-go all the time, you can get drained. So if you are feeling pressured to finish something, take a step back, breathe, then go in when you're ready.

A Helpful Link: Start Your Day By Eating a Frog