A glimpse into the life and thoughts of an artist

Eat That Frog (or Toad)!

In 2007 Brian Tracy published the book, Eat That Frog. We don't have frogs in Hawai`i (at least we wish we didn't have the coqui frogs). We have "giant" Bufo Toads. Bufo toads are about 4" high when sitting down, and are poisonous, so please DO NOT eat these toads! 

Whether you think frog or toad, Mr Tracy's idea is the same ... the best way to tackle a task before you is to "Eat It". Allow me to explain... 

Shortly after the last, Set Yourself Up for Success email went out, long-time reader Michael wrote to say:

Dear Frustrated,

I feel your pain, I really do. I have been there, and suspect many of us have been. The malady you describe is called...

Procrastination!

You do it, I do it, most of us do it. The burden of procrastination is a heavy one. When the emotional weight of putting things off gets too heavy, when it wakes me up in the middle of the night, that's when I finally take action. 

Why wait? What exactly are we waiting for, or running from?

Truly, when we procrastinate we are afraid of something. Fear of making a mistake, fear of failure, is the likely culprit.  

Procrastination often ensures that failure, or less-than-spectacular results, will occur.

We know we cannot run from our problems and fears. We know the value to be had when we face them.  

Is procrastination nothing but a bad habit to be broken? What is the antidote?

"I do it now, I do it now! I think I can, I think I can...."

Procrastination is the temporary feeling of relief. Actually DOing the task at hand is the permanent relief.

Is procrastination a symptom of our in the moment, instant-gratification society?

What do we miss by procrastinating? We miss a sense of completion, of success; a movement forward, our next steps; the energy of NOW.  

When we put something off, we risk all of this!  

We risk our now moments by gambling on a future time - a time that will likely be just as busy and no less harried. In fact, as we all march toward our future, our current timelines are getting shorter.

Just how much are we going to pack into our last moments on Earth? Seriously!

Everyday, or so it seems, we hear someone lament about how fast time goes. Maybe that is true, in part, because we have put so much off that it is starting to catch up with us. The burden of all we have put off until tomorrow is weighing heavily upon our shoulders.

Could our weight gain is connected to this? (I'm just saying...)

How can we playfully overcome procrastination?  

When we were kids, gold stars and balloons were the gimmicks that marked our success. Today we are more inclined to celebrate with cake or champagne.   

My waistline can't take cake every day of the week, yet things come up every day that deserve tending and celebrating.

Do we take the time to feel our accomplishments before rushing off to tackle the next item on the to-do list?   

Do we take pride in a job well done? Perhaps tuning into and really feeling relief, pride, or joy is what we need to do.

Where in the body do you feel your accomplishments? Is a weight lifted off your shoulders? Is your head clearing and your headache easing? How about that pain in your neck or back?

Try saying this to yourself, "I move forward in life with joy and with ease."  Does it feel true for you? Would you like it to feel true for you?

In the end, tackling the hard tasks first, eating that frog, boils down to making the decision to do so, and then sticking to it!  

We can do this!  

It is time to take the long view; to decide which of the tasks on our to-do list will make the biggest difference in our life or career and
"Eat That Toad"!

We can still procrastinate (it is hard to totally eliminate habits). Just be sure to procrastinate the small toads, not the big ones. Save the small toads for later in the day when our energy is waning.