Eating Frogs
Dec 10, 2020
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.
Applied to modern marketing, your frog is your most daunting task. By this logic you should do it first thing in the morning, while your brain is fresh and before the distractions of the day. But how do you know what your frogs are, and what if you have more than one? Read on for some of our favorite time management techniques.
Naming Frogs: To-Do List Organization
If you have tasks on your to-do list that "roll over" from day to day, never getting crossed off, you may be trying to do too much. Streamline by identifying the tasks that are urgent, important, and can only be done by you -- those are your frogs! (If you're having trouble prioritizing, we love the Eisenhower Method.)
Catching Frogs: Action Planning
Knowing about your frogs is important, but it's only the first step. Next, you have to catch them! Proactive planning will take the guesswork out of your mornings so you don't have to think about which frog you are going to eat that day, you can just get down to business. On a daily or weekly basis, write down the urgent, important tasks you want to accomplish first thing each morning and then take action. (Don't over-think it!)
Eating Frogs: Building Healthy Habits
Accomplishing something important early in the day builds confidence and clears your mind -- allowing you to be more creative, productive, and happy for the rest of your day. Building healthy habits takes time, but becomes easier with practice and consistency. The same is true for time management. Once you get in the habit of eating your frogs, they will seem less daunting.
Bon appétit!
