“If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long!” ~Mark Twain
Some days are a struggle to get motivated to get anything done. On top of the dishes in the sink, the laundry, the cat puke in the corner, there are follow-ups with potential clients, networking engagements to meet new clients, and children to care for. Soon, the list of demands looks like Mt. Everest and I can’t find my hiking boots!
I like lists..they make me feel like I am in control. Problem is, there is always that task, that one thing that keep carrying over from list to list. You know, the one that makes you go all squidgy and twisty inside, turning you instantly into a 2 yr old stamping your feet saying “IDON”TWANNADOIT!!”
That’s your frog: the ugliest, nastiest, thing you have to do. Mina and I had this conversation about eating frogs the other night before bed. She loves reading and challenging herself with new books. Each night, while in bed before sleep, she is allowed to read 2 books before turning off her light. The other night, she wanted 3 books: 2 in English/1 in Turkish. I asked her which order she was going to read them from: Hard-Easy or Easy-Hard. It was the latter. So began our talk about frogs, and doing the hardest task first to get it out of the way.
I have found that if I can at least one hard thing done in the morning, just after dropping Mina at school, my day flows better. I am more productive because that heavy frog isn’t weighing me down (it’s the guilt of not doing it is demotivating). Most of the time, my “frogs” are items that I am insecure about and unsure of the outcome. Instead of dealing with it face on, I put it off. My example of the day: My Cottage Kitchen Application with Food and Agriculture. I sent it out January, followed up with emails feb and march, but still heard nothing. Did I fill it out wrong? Will they not approve me? Insecure thoughts prevented me from actually picking up the phone to talk with someone. Finally, yesterday, I called and the woman I needed to talk to picked up the phone!! Imagine that! She also had my application in front of her and apologized for letting it slip through the cracks. It looked like such a simple application that it was put aside to deal with other application. She remembered my application because of the spiral paperclip: it was nice, distinctive, and added a special touch to my application which made it memorable. We joked and laughed together about the power of paperclips and I realized a few things after hanging up:
- My fears and insecurities were unfounded and self created
- Laughing with someone makes the deal flow easier. I knew I would end up getting approved because I had made a connection over the phone.
- It’s the little things that set you apart from the others. In this case, it was a spiral paperclip. I immediately ordered more from Amazon-I was going to take this feedback and run with it!
So, in conclusion, Frogs are best eaten after a good strong cup of coffee. Hold your nose, close your eyes, and do the deed-get it done and then see how much easier the other projects seem on the other side.