Every morning, I eat a frogāoften first thing, and ideally, before I even finish my coffee. (Donāt worry: itās a metaphorical frog. Though, sometimes, it doesnāt feel that way.)
The idea of āEat the Frogā is a reminder that if you tackle your most dreaded task of the day first, no matter what else the day brings, the worst part is over. (āWorstā doesnāt have to mean ACTUALLY terrible! It could be a bit boring, or requires a frustrating amount of precision like as an application or a query might, or is done via a communication method you donāt likeāitās all relative. But, getting that item off your to-do list would feel GOODāonce itās done.)
Please note: if you receive an email from me first thing in the morning, please donāt assume YOU are my frog. People seldom are! Instead, for me, phone calls are automatically frogsāeven those with my very favorite people. So, if I have to do one, I try to do it as early in the day as possible. Other typical āfrogsā for me include responding to emails Iāve let go too long (because I feel guilty when I go to respond and often feel like then I need to make my response somehow ābetterā than I otherwise would) and anything that has a deadline approaching in the coming week (because Iām easily stressed, but am also, unfortunately, very prone to FOMO).
But, I learned long ago that the only thing worse than doing something I donāt love is thinking about it over and over (essentially practicing the trauma of it in my head)āand then getting stuck doing it, anyhow. Maybe thatās why my favorite Frog (ha!) and Toad story has always been āTomorrow.ā
āTo-do list malaise,ā of course, is a natural part of the human condition. Some people tackle this by doing morning pages or by doing something they LOVE first in the day, and if thatās you, more power to you! But for me, nothing feels better than completing somethingāespecially something I kinda donāt want to do (or, at least, donāt want to do as much as, say, writing or taking a walk) and getting it off my plate. Then, when I write, I can write about happy or funny things, instead of writing under the influence of dread.
What about you? Do you eat frogs? And if so, what meal-time suits you best?
Your friend with a frog-in-her-throat,
Elayne
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Yeah, I'm the "do what I feel like" first kinda person. Which, I'm sure you know, has it's downsides ;)
lol.