Take a 30 second trip down memory lane with this doozy.
Crazy catchy, isn’t it?
Forget the pure cheese of the commercial, if you were part of the tv watching public back then, you probably have never shaken that jingle.
If you are younger than 20, then sorry that you probably missed that gem. It’s iconic.
So what does that commercial have to do with increasing your productivity?
Well grasshopper, by the end of this post, maybe you’ll be able to take the productivity pebble from my hand.
2 Ways to Increase Your Productivity
As we learn through life, we hear a lot of wisdom. How many of these have you heard?
– Practice makes perfect
– If you love something, set it free
– Don’t eat yellow snow
– Eat that Frog
I read an article recently about a technique to jump start your work day. It’s called ‘Parking Downhill.’
The premise of Parking Downhill is that in the beginning of the day, you work on a few small tasks. It will warm you up for the day, so to speak. You’ll feel some immediate benefits of success and gain some quick momentum.
All of that will help set up a productive day.
This is the opposite of the Brian Tracy method to Eating that Frog.
Tracy espouses to Eat That Frog, a concept where you tackle the most important thing you have to do, first thing.
From his book, he writes:
“Your ‘frog’ is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it now. It is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and results at the moment.”
*Please note that there is much more than this concept in the book. It speaks to habits, mental states, discipline and more. A highly recommended read that you can get through in half a day.
So, you are probably asking yourself, “which is the better way?”
Should you be a frog eater or a downhill parker?
How do you become more productive for the entire day?
If you eat that frog, you will be successful. I have no doubt in that.
If you park downhill, you will be succesful. I have no doubt in that either.
To worry about choosing the best method is the unsuccessful solution.
My biggest piece of advice here is not to pigeon-hole yourself into a ‘best’ method. Just think about what feels right that particular morning and go that route.
It should be noted that if you choose a few small tasks, we’re only talking a few things that will take no more than 30 mins in total. Ultimately, you NEED to eat that frog.
Also, let’s make sure you already know what to do for that day by writing down your most important items the night before.
Sing the jingle daily
“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”
Let’s face it, you aren’t the same person every day. I’m not talking about what you have to do, people you need to see, etc.
You feel different all the time.
The power in that slogan isn’t saying that you always like nuts or you always don’t. It implies that you like both but it’s dependent on how you feel at that time.
This weekend, my todo list was huge. The tasks were big and small, important and not important.
On both days, I felt like a downhill parker.
I didn’t fight that feeling. If I tried to force myself into being a frog eater, I would’ve failed. Instead, I got a ton accomplished, big and small.
This morning, I had to crank out this blog post. This was my frog. Today, I was a frog eater and wrote this first, before any of the other tasks on my list.
As with most things, options and choices are your best friend (although I would argue that a 10 page diner menu is my worst enemy).
Hum that jingo every morning.
Get a feel for how you are feeling (weird statement).
Eat that frog or park downhill to increase your daily productivity.