Full disclosure: I don’t feel like writing this column.
I’m tired, and it’s only Monday lunchtime, which means I have LOADS of time to get it done before it flies into your inbox at 4pm tomorrow. (Or right now, for you.)
I would much prefer to be making my way through some of the more straightforward tasks on my Work To-do list for the day – pay bills, tidy office, create/chase invoices, confirm podcast guests and so on. You know, the small stuff.
But instead I’m here, because as promised I want to share with you the second life-changing habit that I’ve managed to - mostly - stick to over the past few years. (The first one, in case you missed it.) And by writing right now, I’m actually putting it into practice…
My most successful productivity habit?
Tackling my biggest, most demanding and mentally taxing task first.
Now let me be very clear - this is not something I am naturally inclined to do. When I sit down to work what I really want to do first is (as above) make my way through small tasks on my To-do list. I want to complete it, video game style.
From a neurological standpoint, this makes sense – our brains release a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine whenever we complete or achieve something. It’s normal for me to want to start the day by working through the quick and easy items on my To-do list (cue Mario Bros sound effects), because by doing so I’d be rewarded with a ton of quick and easy highs.
Which of course would make me feel great!
At which point you may be wondering: what on earth is wrong with that you ascetic?! Isn’t it a good idea to start the day feeling good? As if you’ve achieved a lot?
Well yes, but also, no.
Because although I may think I’ve gotten a lot done, although I may feel as if I’ve been very productive, in reality I’ve done jack sh*t.
I’ve done all the small stuff, the things that are not particularly important or urgent, and in doing so I’ve wasted my brain power and energy and neglected the task that a) I actually care about and b) needs my brain power most: e.g. writing this column.
So although I pretty much never want to start the work day with my most important, mentally demanding project, I almost always do.
I either write, interview guests or workshop plan in the first few hours of the day, because those are the tasks require creativity, energy and imagination. And if I don’t do them first, then by the time it comes to tackling whatever my biggest task is, my energy levels are so low that I either don’t produce my best work or I have to work twice as hard/long to get there!
(As as far as I can tell, there is (annoyingly!) no magic trick to this. It’s simply sheer will and repetition to build a habit – in that the more you start your day with a big task the more you get used to doing so.)
This approach is certainly not new, and while I’m not quite sure where I learnt it, I first saw it articulated by Professional Development coach Brian Tracy in his 2001 book, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. (This is one of more than 70 books Tracy’s written on productivity, so I think he knows a thing or two about the subject! Or he just really likes writing books.)
The title references a quote from American novelist 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”.
Without dwelling too much on the subject matter (um, why exactly is it your job to eat a frog?), the lesson is that when you have something unpleasant or difficult to do it’s best to get it over and done with, after which your day can only improve.
Tracy took this literary insight and created an strategy to help people increase their productivity and concentration: Twain’s “frog” became the biggest, most important and beneficial task on your To-do list.
Tracy argues that developing a “lifelong habit” of tackling your major task before anything else is the key to reaching high levels of performance and productivity. Now I’m not anywhere near that, but I do know that guarding my morning time for my biggest tasks leaves me feeling more connected to, and on top of, my priorities.
The frog metaphor works really well for me for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, as James Clear says: "You have to show up before inspiration will." Yes sometimes I might feel inspired to work on a difficult project or column, but most of the time I have to start and wait for the inspiration and joy to come. (Or not!)
Secondly – like most people – when I procrastinate over something important it builds up and up in my mind and begins to feel really intimidating and stressful. If I rip the plaster off and get it done first then it doesn’t have a chance to build up, and also I feel proud and satisfied (read: smug).
And then once I’ve completed, or as near as, my biggest task, I’ll give myself an allocated time slot of 15-30 mins to work through all those smaller ones that give me the quick, dirty highs and serve as a form of reward for working on my bigger task.
(If helpful: in order to make this work the first thing I actually do – after coffee – is write my To-list for the day on a piece of paper. I scribble P1 next to the biggest priority task and P2 next to the second biggest one, and then I put an asterisk next to all the small ones I’ll attempt to complete in my allocated time slot. I find that if I have that To-do list next to me it’s easier to ignore my brain when it tries to distract me.)
As with anything, this productivity hack will look different from person to person. I’m a morning person – it’s when my mind is sharpest (by afternoon I’m sluggish, by evening I’m for all intense purposes completely useless). If you’re more productive and creative in the afternoon, then tackling your biggest task first isn’t going to be of any benefit. It’s all about finding your own rhythm that works for you and your life.
To finish, let me quickly disclose that while I’m pretty good at frog eating in my professional life, I’m quite bad at applying it to my personal life. I have plenty of big, important tasks – such as creating kids photo books – that I put off for as long as possible so that they build up in my mind and lead me to feel stressed at myself for not prioritising them.
Clearly, an area to work on…
A coaching question for you: What’s the biggest task you need to prioritise today? What’s your frog?
P.S: This lovely think piece by Jeanette Winterson is bringing me joy in these dark January days.
OMG needed this right now. I am just doing all the minor tasks and letting the day go by being reactive rather than tackling the bigger things.