“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

About 8 years ago I heard a lecture on this quote, and it’s been one of the most helpful things for everyday life, and especially when it comes to running a business.  As much as I wish my job was all photographing & editing, there is far more time spent doing administrative tasks researching new equipment, learning new techniques, returning emails, or making phone calls.

That’s why I start each workday by ‘eating my frog first.’   If there’s something I’m dreading, I’ll do it first. It gives me such motivation & is a great confidence boost because I’ve already accomplished the biggest thing!  If I do the dreaded task right away, then it’s not in the back of my mind all day, & it can’t slow me down.  I can’t even say how many times I’ve put something off & didn’t even complete it by the end of the day.  Then I kept it on the to do list for the next day, and so on.  It’s an awful cycle and ends with knots in my stomach, slowing me down each day.

But when I complete it first thing in the morning?  I usually find that it takes less time than I thought, and it’s way easier than anticipated.  And the confidence boost is so helpful– I feel like I’m on top of the world & getting things done!  The rest of my day goes so much quicker and overall, I’m more productive.

So if it helps you, eat your frog first!