The Best Daily Discipline

Leaders,

Our work can take up a lot of our time and there can be an endless list of things we need to get done. There are always those important items which we don’t enjoy doing, procrastinate over or find difficult to action because they’re complex or we don’t have good next steps. That’s why the first thing you should do in the morning is Eat The Frog.

Leadership is not about getting a 101 things done on your to-do list, that’s busywork. It’s about working on the critical items which will make a meaningful difference to your organisation, your people and the customer experience.

What does all this mean? Why are you telling me about eating a frog? If you didn’t know by now it’s just a metaphor to doing something important first that you are putting off or procrastinating over. It’s doing the worst thing first.

“If the first thing you do in the morning is to eat the frog, then you can continue your day with the satisfaction of knowing that this is probably the worst thing that will happen to you all day”. - Mark Twain

Behind the metaphor is the principle that you are in your best shape, most energised and creative in the morning. Rather than focus on the secondary unimportant and easy tasks, you should start with the one thing you have been putting off or struggling with as you are in your most optimal and resourceful state to do it.

Top 4 tips to eating more frogs

1) First things first - eat the frog first thing in the morning before you tackle or approach any other tasks. Get that challenging task or thing you have been putting off out of the way.

2) Next Steps - set yourself up for success. Line up the next steps on that task you are putting off the day before. As soon as you hit your desk in the morning you have your next steps lined up and will hit the ground running and start strong.

3) Environment - remove your phone, inbox, slack, and any other distractions. Clear your desk so it’s a calm and clean space to work.

4) Focus on one thing - multitasking is a myth. There, I said it. To truly focus on 1 item will help you get into a flow state. A flow state is where your body and mind are totally absorbed and totally focused on 1 thing, beyond the point of distraction. In this state, you can be incredibly productive. Do 1 thing well at a time, rather than trying to do 3 things badly.

So tomorrow morning confront that task that you have been dwelling on or waiting for the prime time to do it. Kick start your day by getting it done. The sense of accomplishment is much better than the smaller secondary tasks.

By eating more frogs every day you will not only become more efficient with your time, but you’ll also become a lot more effective as you are now focusing on the important and challenging work, rather than the urgent and busy work which tends to actually matter less. You’ll also see your confidence levels increase as you have moved from focusing on the easy instant gratification tasks to tasks that make you feel a little more uncomfortable. This shift can have a dramatic impact on your effectiveness as a leader and a person.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Book - Eat That Frog by Brian Tracey - this book shows you how to organize each day so you can zero in on these critical tasks and accomplish them efficiently and effectively. 21 ideas on how to overcome procrastination and get more things done.

• Book - 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. This book goes into the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.

• Mindful App - your work can be stressful and it’s difficult to switch off in the evenings as our emotions run away. Meditation has historically had a bit of a stigma attached to it, but it is becoming more and more mainstream. The benefits are overwhelming including reducing anxiety and better focus and self-esteem. Years ago running/jogging was not very mainstream, now look at it. I favour the Calm App as Tamara Levitt is a calming influence on me. Try something new today!

Quote of the Week

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