How to Increase Productivity Using Eat the Frog
How to Increase Productivity Using Eat The Frog
Author, podcast guest and eat the frog expert Ashton August with her new book, A Year of Self Motivation for Women: Daily Inspiration, Courage, and Confidence.
03.10.2022 - By: Anastasia Barbuzzi
Do you find yourself procrastinating, like… a lot? Does it affect your productivity to the point where you’re ready to do something about it? Read this blog post. Once you learn how to eat the frog, you won’t start your day in any other way.
The first time I ever heard the phrase “eat the frog” was during my first podcast interview with Ashton August, author, friend and founder of YogiApproved. We talked about all things mindset, routine, and productivity in relation to personal finance, but I was perplexed when she mentioned the eat the frog method.
So, before we get into how to wake up and eat the frog, let’s cover what the saying really means.
What does the phrase eating the frog mean?
In simple terms, eating the frog means “just do it”. That big, scary, dreaded, or even uninteresting task that you’ve been putting off? Bad news: it’s probably the one you need to tackle most. The eat the frog theory encourages you to complete this task at the start of your work day for the many reasons you’ll read about in this post.
*Side note: This task might not always be big, scary, dreaded, or uninteresting. It could also be part of a bigger project or something that will require a lot of your time.
Where does the phrase eat the frog come from?
Numerous sources quote Mark Twain saying, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Truthfully, this quote illustrates the effectiveness of this method well.
In 2001, self-help guru Brian Tracy turned the concept into a book: Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.
How does eating the frog benefit you?
In terms of benefits, eating the frog allows you to focus on the big picture and prioritize your most important task of the day, which helps you hit even bigger goals. Your daily to-do list probably feels overwhelming and meaningless if you don’t understand what your objective is. This is where the eat the frog method comes in handy.
Ultimately, this time management strategy gives you an opportunity to focus undivided attention on one thing, and how often do we get to do that? In addition, eating the frog ramps up the momentum for the remainder of your work day and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
(@thisisamz/Instagram)
How to Eat the Frog
According to the Todoist, there’s only 3 steps you have to follow in order to successfully eat the frog:
1) Identify your frog - A.k.a your hardest, most important task for the day. It’s crucial to stick to just one.
2) Eat it! - Whatever you do, do not put it off till later.
3) Repeat this approach everyday - Consistency is key.
The eat the frog method is perfect for anyone who:
Struggles with procrastination
Gets a lot done but isn’t making progress on the important stuff
Has a hard time sticking to a productivity system
Has trouble deciding what to work on at any given time
Feels overwhelmed by their to-do list
Morning Routine Inspo: How Ashton August Eats the Frog
As I mentioned, Ashton (a highly successful entrepreneur with an extremely calm, grounded energy), chooses a frog to eat everyday. What’s equally as important is how she sets herself up to eat the frog.
Here’s some insight into her morning routine:
Ashton’s wake up call comes before 6:30 a.m. in order for her to feel abundant and spacious opposed to racing against clock.
She then completes a 30-second to 30-minute meditation. While she practices mindful breathing, she sets an intention like, what do I want out of my day?
Next, she brews a fresh pot of coffee. Ashton makes this a mindful process by smelling the beans and making herself present. She loves the non-jittery boost that CBD coffee by Good Vibe gives her. Frothy oat milk, vanilla extract, a scoop of collagen, and a dollop of coconut oil always make it into her cup.
A big glass of water comes right after to help her hydrate.
Post-hydration, a workout is in order. This could look like taking her pups out for a walk or a 30-minute yoga session. Moving her body is non-negotiable.
And before choosing her frog for the day, Ashton makes it a point to “switch things up” and turn on some music in the morning, diffuse some essential oils, or call a loved one. She goes with the flow.
Movement is a huge part of Ashton’s morning routine and prep to eat the frog. (@iamashtonaugust/Instagram)
Does eating the frog work?
In short, yes. Eating the frog works to increase productivity because it requires all of your mental resources to be focused on one thing. Oftentimes, text messages, DMs and emails distract us so much that we don’t have the time or the headspace to focus on our highest impact tasks. However, eating the frog forces us to prioritize and block everything else out.
Plus, eating the frog makes you better at setting your own agenda and ensures that you’re using your best hours to do your most mentally taxing work. The last thing you want to do when you’ve already exhausted your brain power for the day is to begin work on a monster task.
Lesson In Productivity: Eat the Frog in the Morning
Similar to how the earliest bird gets the worm, eating the ugliest frog first gets you ahead of the game. What’s not to like?
If you want to try eating the frog, make sure you pick a task that you can complete in 1-4 hours (or half of your work day). If necessary, break it into smaller steps and at the end of each work day, plan your frog for the next day (which may very well be a continuation of yesterday’s frog).
Books like Eat That Frog! for your enjoyment:
Have questions about how to eat the frog? Want more productivity tips? Leave them in the comments below!
Have you tested this strategy? Let me know how it works for you.
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