In my last Job, I worked as the head of the high voltage lab in the University of Duisburg-Essen. The workload was pretty high. We always had multiple projects running in parallel. Having a family I love and care about set a pretty rigid time frame as to when I could work. Hence, I was pretty involved in finding the best productivity methods to squeeze as much work into the time I had. One of the things I stumbled upon pretty early was the so-called “eat the frog first” approach. Yes, it’s every bit as horrifying as it sounds, but we’ll get to that in a second.

Things that make the “eat the frog” method quite unique are the facts that it sounds dead simple, is likely one of the very first productivity methods you’ll come across and is always propagated to be an “one size fits all” approach. And to me this is a very dangerous combination that suggest that you are the problem if it doesn’t work for you.

Eat the frog for Breakfast

Let’s talk about eating the frog. The method is supposedly named after the productivity consultant Brian Tracy, referencing the quote from Mark Twain: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.”

As you might have already guessed, this isn’t about eating actual frogs, but the productivity method’s odd name is more of a metaphorical one:

Do the hard task first thing in the morning.

The idea is astonishingly easy: when you’re done with the things you don’t like, you only have nice tasks left. Plus, if you do it first thing in the morning, you’ve got a whole day of pretty things only ahead of you. So you basically pick the task you like least and put it on your todo list with top priority. Most productivity tools do offer some sort of template for eating the frog (Todoist for example) . I liked the explanation over at Todoist very much, check it out if you want in-depth information.

There is a catch to “eat the frog” though, as with every productivity method: it might just not be for you. At the time I came across the “eat the frog”-method, I still did not fully embrace this fact. And as I mentioned before, “eat the frog” often is told to be for everybody. If it doesn’t work for you, clearly your discipline is the problem! Well, let me tell you something: Your discipline is not the problem. “Eat the frog” in the morning likely just isn’t for you. And that’s totally ok. “Eat the frog” is like every other productivity method, it definitely isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. It’s that simple.

But, what alternatives do I have?

Thank you for asking. I asked myself the same question when I realized that ‘eat the frog’ wasn’t a good fit for me. This is where things start to get a bit more complicated, and I think that’s also a big contributor to the success of the eat the frog method. You don’t have to read much or understand any background for productivity. You see it, you understand it. But, there are alternatives to “eat the frog”. This is not rocket science, it’s just about getting to know yourself a bit better. Shall we?

Energy levels and cognitive functioning

Now that heading sounds terrifying. But, in a nutshell, you’re capabilities to tackle things is not constant throughout the day. As a note, in this context we assume that energy level and cognitive functioning does relate to each other. There might be situations where this does not apply, but these are a whole different cup of tea and are out of our scope for now.

Some of you may notice that in the morning, before having your first cup of coffee, tea, water, or whatever you drink, you can’t think straight. Or maybe after dinner you’re sleepy. The examples are numerous and different for everybody. These are examples for the lows in your energy levels and cognitive function.

Then there’s other parts of the day where nothing or nobody can stop you. Where you need to get something done, when there’s this itch if you’re just sitting around. These are the highs in your energy levels and cognitive functions. Some people have it in the morning after their first coffee, some in the noon, some in the evening or even during the night.

Usually there are multiple highs and multiple lows in a day, the intensity of them might vary though. If you want to visualize it, it might look like something in the graph below, where you’ve got the daytime on the horizontal axis and your energy level on the vertical.

Examples for energy levels

This is only an example, you will likely be different and that’s totall fine! But let’s say this is you, you get up in the morning, drink your magic cup of whatever and get to work. During this time the productivity is slowly rising and when you’re at work you’re full of energy and start hustling. Gradually you energy level decreases while you are working. In the afternoon you’ve got your first low. You go home and do some exercise or go for a walk and have dinner. Your energy is coming back and now you’re having more energy to spare, so you start working on your new workbench or whatever that you do in your free time.

Another example might look like the graph above. Your energy level throughout the day is comparatively low, but in the afternoon you get going and work into the night. You might have high energy throughout the day and then suddenly drop in the afternoon, leaving you depleted. There’s tons and tons of patterns. You need to observe yourself for a while here and make out how your daily pattern looks like. And, keep in mind that also each day is different, there might be days that don’t fit into the pattern.

So, reason number one, why the frog might not be for you is your energy level throughout the day.

Individual productivity rhythms

Another reason why you might have trouble eating the frog in the morning is your own unique productivity rhythm. Sometimes you may find the term “chronotype” in this context — whether you are a morning lark, a night owl, or somewhere in between. This concept is somewhat disputed. I personally also don’t necessarily think it does apply to me, but let’s go through it.

The concept is that if you’re either a morning lark or a night owl. If you’re a morning lark you might thrive on tackling tough tasks first thing. If you’re a night owl on the other hand, you may find your productivity peaks later in the day. This is somewhat related to energy levels, but one “layer” higher in your daily rhythm. It’s not so much dependent on your daily mood or feelings, but rather the rhythm of you body.

My personal take on productivity rhythms

My personal take on this is that you definitely do have a daily rhythm. You have your capable moments and your moments where it’s better not to handle something important. In my opinion, and from my experience, this is not something fixed; it’s just a matter of your habits and daily practice. If get up early and get going right off the bat, you’re a morning lark. But in my personal opinion, and also from my personal experience, this is definitely subject to change throughout your life.

Let me give you an example. Since my youth, I’ve been doing things in the evening. Our first child was somewhat difficult regarding sleep. So putting her to bed in the evening usually took quite a while. Getting up and out of her bed often was really hard, because I had almost fallen asleep myself. Getting things done in the evening in such a shape was even harder. So, at some point we decided that we’d just go to bed with her and instead get up early, like 2-3 a.m. early. In the beginning that was hard, yes. But today I can get things done as good as back then in the evenings.

So, your daily rythm in my opinion is in your hands. Make sure you get enough sleep. But, other than that, I think it’s up to you. As always, this surely does not apply to everybody. There might just be times during the day that just don’t work out for you.

Stress and motivation

Another definitely noteworthy aspect is your stress level. How you feel and how motivated you are usually is at least loosely coupled to that. I personally am a person that is quite susceptible to stress. So over the years I’ve learned tactics and techniques to avoid stressful situations, but also to deal with it should it come up. Now, my problem with the frog I didn’t realize for quite a while was that it put quite a lot of stress and pressure on me. You start you day off with staring at this daunted task that you do not want to do.

• Option 1: You just force yourself through this. Might work for you.
• Option 2: You do something else and feel bad and try to come back later to your frog.

Looking at the options

Both options are not exactly ideal for me, personally. Forcing myself to do a task I don’t like does cost me energy. I do have a pretty crowded life, having three kids does already take quite a toll in regards to energy. So just forcing myself usually doesn’t work. There are situations where it just has to work, but in my opinion there’s an alternative here. Option two would be to do something else for the sake of doing something and come back to the frog as soon as possible. This to me just feels like I’m trying to avoid the problem and that task is just lingering around in my mind all the time, which also is very uncomfortable.

These two options both still aim at eating the frog as soon as possible and keep the frog-free rest of the day as a kind of treat for you.

And that’s exactly the problem for me. I always have the frog swirling around my head, and I personally do sometimes have trouble concentrating on what I’m doing in such a situation. So, back to the question: What alternatives do I have?

The Alternatives

I for myself have two strategies, which one I use often depends on the size of the task or sometimes even how I feel that day.

The warm-up method

Instead of diving into the hardest task first, the warm-up method suggests starting with easier tasks to build momentum. Completing smaller tasks can create a sense of accomplishment and gradually prepare you for more challenging work. This method leverages the power of small wins to drive productivity throughout the day.

You can plan your day and schedule the hardest task in a time window where you’ve likely built up some momentum or just in front of a break. Just have a fixed time during the day where you think you can complete the task. Alternatively, depending on your work structure, you can just go by the day and see where you feel like you’ve got enough momentum handling your hard task.

Task Batching

Task batching basically is grouping similar tasks together and completing them in one session. By minimizing switching contexts and topics, this strategy can enhance efficiency and concentration. For instance, you might dedicate a time block to answering emails, another block to writing reports, and yet another block to attending meetings. Task batching helps in maintaining focus and improving workflow management.

Try embedding the hard task into similar, easier tasks. It might help you to overcome yourself easier and get the hard task done without much friction.

Finding Your Own Productivity Style

As I mentioned numerous times, productivity is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It’s important to understand your own productivity patterns and preferences. Pay attention to when you feel most awake and focused during the day, and try to schedule your most important tasks during these times. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you. Remember, you want to create a productivity system that suits you and your needs and helps you get your work done. It’s a tool, so it should be handled like one. You usually choose your tool to fit your needs. If the tool doesn’t work or is the wrong tool you switch to another tool.

Conclusion

While the “eat the frog first” strategy may have its upsides, it’s not necessarily the best approach for everyone. Understanding your own productivity rhythms and experimenting with different methods can help you find a more effective way to manage your tasks. Whether you start your day with easier tasks or batch similar activities, the key is to find a productivity style that fits your individual needs. Embrace flexibility and adaptability in your approach to productivity, and you’ll likely find greater success and satisfaction in your daily work.

I’d love to hear from you! What productivity strategies work best for you to overcome hard tasks? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below!