Eat the frog explained
Willpower and quiet time tend to be highest early in the day. Spending them on your biggest task means the rest of the day can only get easier.
The "frog" is the task you are most likely to put off. Finishing it first removes the background dread that comes with procrastination.
Try it today
- The evening before, name tomorrow's frog: one task, not three.
- Start it before you open email or chat.
- Work on it until it is done or you have made real progress.
Where it comes from
Brian Tracy popularised the phrase in his book Eat That Frog!, first published in 2001. The book credits Mark Twain with the line about eating a live frog, but Quote Investigator found no evidence that Twain said it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is eat the frog?
- Eat the frog means doing your hardest or most important task first thing in the day, before easier work and distractions take over.
- Where does eat the frog come from?
- Brian Tracy popularised the phrase in his book Eat That Frog!, first published in 2001. The book credits Mark Twain with the line about eating a live frog, but Quote Investigator found no evidence that Twain said it.
- How do I start with eat the frog?
- The evening before, name tomorrow's frog: one task, not three. Start it before you open email or chat. Work on it until it is done or you have made real progress.
- Which tools help with eat the frog?
- Tools in our directory that help include Todoist, TickTick, Things 3, Sunsama. Each has its own page with pricing, pros and cons.