Member-only story
Which of These Two Approaches to Procrastination Works for You?
There is more than one way to eat a frog.
We’ve all dealt with procrastination. It’s that thief of time and energy that saps our productivity and can leave us feeling utterly powerless and pessimistic.
And it’s likely that we’ve all gotten a piece of advice about how to deal with procrastination. Friends, family, partners, and colleagues have probably offered you any number of suggestions. Perhaps you should read this interesting article in the Harvard Business Review. Perhaps you need more sleep. Perhaps you need to count down from 5, then just do it!
All of these pieces of advice can usually be lumped into one of two basic categories. While each of them can be helpful at times, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for beating procrastination. However, if you can identify some of your own traits and tendencies, you can choose which of the two approaches can work best for you, and more importantly, when.
The Two Basic Approaches to Dealing With Procrastination
I’ve found that the advice I’ve seen on how to deal with procrastination falls into one of two approaches. At various times in my life, I’ve found them both appealing, and it seems to depend on my state of mind as to which one works for me.
The Frog-First Approach
The first approach comes from the well-known Brian Tracy book Eat That Frog!— which takes its name from a quote that people mistakenly attribute to Mark Twain: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
The idea is simple: do the big, hard, scary thing first — no matter what. That thing you tend to procrastinate about, or just have a hard time starting. After that, you’ll feel so good and productive that things will come easy for the balance of the day.
Whereas if you don’t eat the frog first, all the less unpleasant and less scary things you do throughout the day will be tainted by the knowledge that the frog is waiting for you. Those well-versed in procrastination likely know the feeling.
