There are some sounds you can’t un-hear. One of those is a bull frog being squashed.

Maybe that is why when I came across the Parable of the Frog it stuck out to me and has become one of the most helpful tools I have used to get things done. The parable goes like this…

Imagine each day you are given a frog to eat. Eating that frog is the most important thing you have to accomplish. It won’t take too long, but admittedly it won’t be pleasant.

If you don’t eat that frog, tomorrow when you wake up he will still be there looking at you. Except now he has grown a little larger and today’s frog has joined him.

You still have to eat the first frog, but because you procrastinated the task is worse. And, if you fail to eat the frog and his new friend today, tomorrow…

And on and on it goes.

The moral of the story is, eating one frog (your most important task) each day is better than allowing things to pile up and becoming a slave to the tyranny of the urgent.

Here are 3 tips I have found helpful for eating frogs:

1. Eat them for breakfast.

Eat your frog early in the day. Don’t put it off to later. Many people find themselves most productive at the beginning of the work day. Use that focused energy to knock out your most important task.

2. Chew as little as possible.

We savor things we enjoy. We choke down things we don’t. If your most important task is something you don’t naturally enjoy (a phone call, a conversation, a huge stack of paperwork) don’t drag it out. Sit down and plow through it.

3. Bless your food.

Let’s face it. It never hurts to pray! Look for little ways that your work, even the parts of it you don’t enjoy can teach you about yourself. You may discover some hidden reason you are resisting this particular action.

If you would like a fuller treatment of the parable and how to apply it to your life check out Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time