Quote
“If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for very long.”
— Brian Tracy, in Eat That Frog! (2001) · Eat That Frog! →
Why it was said
This is Brian Tracy's second rule of frog eating, which follows the first (eat the ugliest frog first) in the introduction to Eat That Frog!. The frog is the most important task of the day, the one you are most likely to put off.
What it actually means
The first rule is about order; the second is about delay. Looking at the frog means the time spent reviewing, preparing, tidying and thinking about a hard task instead of starting it, and that time makes the task feel bigger than it is. Tracy's point is that the discomfort of starting is usually short, while the discomfort of postponing lasts all day. The quickest way to shrink a task is to begin it.
How to use it
- 1Start your most important task within ten minutes of sitting down, and before email.
- 2When you notice yourself still preparing to start, take the first concrete step instead, however small.
- 3Set a timer for twenty-five minutes and work on the hard task until it rings.