Journalism & News from Bournemouth University

Why you should eat a frog before 9am

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a cluttered desk with picture frames hanging on a blue wall, words 'EAT THE FROG: A productivity tool' written over the image in green.
Eat The Frog - image by Grace Kehoe

Procrastinating writing your dissertation, putting off a big presentation at work, or a difficult conversation with a housemate. Juggling multiple responsibilities and tasks can be an anxiety-inducing nightmare.

‘Eat the Frog’ is a productivity tool that helps with procrastination and prioritisation.

This method was popularised by Brian Tracy in his 2001 book ‘Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time’.

So, what does ‘Eat the Frog’ actually mean?

It is a productivity method in which you identify your most important task for the day, often the one you are most likely to procrastinate on and complete it first.

Whether it’s BU coursework, picking up hospitality shifts or dealing with the mental load of living in an expensive coastal town, this method beats procrastination by ensuring that those high-impact tasks that can cause the most dread and frustration are done and out of the way.

In the world of a million ‘To Do’ lists, where the jobs feel endless, when one big thing has been ticked off, it can actually make the rest feel much more manageable.

Why should you implement ‘Eat The Frog’ in your life?

  • You’ll be able to manage your time better.
  • You become better at making decisions quickly, eating the frog fast, instead of overthinking everything.
  • It takes full advantage of limited working hours, using your willpower when it is at its highest in the day (the morning), leaving the less important stuff for a tired brain.
  • It’s simple and you can adapt it to whatever your day looks like.

Eating the frog does take a little bit of forward planning, so here are my five top tips:

  • Decide on your frog of the day.
  • Pick something you can realistically complete in under 3 hours, to avoid overload.
  • Break the big task down into smaller chunks.
  • Prepare for your frog the night before.
  • Eat your frog first thing, to focus all your mental energy on it.

If you knew you’d have to eat a live frog sometime in the next 24 hours, you’d want it done by 9am, right? Same principle. Pick tomorrow’s frog tonight. Eat it before breakfast. See what happens…