I’ve always understood the logic behind the “Eat the Frog” rule: do your hardest, most dreaded task first and the rest of the day gets easier. This could be a tough workout, a difficult conversation or uncomfortable meeting.
The problem for me, is that first thing in the morning, everything seems hard and knowing which task I’m avoiding has never magically made me want to do it. I used to be a morning person, but lately, easing into the day with a huge cup of coffee feels like the most productive thing I’m capable of before 9 a.m.
In fact, the more important the task is, the more likely I am to circle around it with smaller jobs that feel productive but don’t actually move anything forward. I answer emails. I tidy up a document. I check Slack. I convince myself I’m warming up, when really, I’m procrastinating. While the Jeff Bezos' 'Day 1' rule has helped big time, I still need a boost first thing in the morning.
