Why You Should Eat More Frogs | by Jessica Okonkwo

Being able to stop procrastinating and getting your priorities in order can be extremely difficult. Many people struggle with this so you are not alone. However, once you can defeat procrastination and start ‘eating more frogs’ (that will make sense in a minute), your apprenticeship, and life, in general, will get a lot easier.  

In the 1400s, the word ‘priority’ was brought into the English Language. However, in the 1900s, we made the word plural and added ‘priorities’ into the dictionary. This is where we began to bend reality. Why am I telling you this? Well first, let's define what priority actually means. Now, the original meaning is as followed: “First in rank, order, or dignity.” There can only be one first thing—one priority.

Unfortunately, society has convinced us that we can have multiple priorities. These end up looking very similar to a to-do list. To avoid procrastinating, we must behave like essentialists! Pick the most important task, and do it first! Have one priority and give it your undivided attention. 

The book "Eat the Frog!" boils down to attempting the hardest task first. We tend to put off the most difficult and tedious tasks because they quite literally are difficult and tedious! However, this is just a form of procrastination. What happens is we get into a vicious cycle of ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ and that cycle doesn't stop, until we take charge and just get it done. 

Here follows some key tips that have helped me with prioritising and reducing the amount of time spent procrastinating:

1. Be brutally honest with yourself about your priority - it should only be ONE thing, not multiple! Don’t fall into the trap of having a priorities list, separate your to-do list from your number one priority. 
2. Stop falling into the paradox of guilt! Don't bury your head in the sand by trying to avoid the problem. The sooner you stop the ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’, the sooner you'll stop procrastinating.
3. Ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy? In essence, it's the idea that whatever you tell yourself you are, eventually, becomes your reality. And if you aren't careful, this can be extremely damning. Stop labelling yourself as someone who is lazy or procrastinates. 
4. Build a reliable system to accomplish tasks for the day. You can't rely on motivation, waiting for inspiration to strike before you act, it will leave you waiting forever. Try habit stacking, time blocking, and setting smart targets. 
5. Reward systems are vital. It helps with mindset shifting. A common example of this is exercise. How likely are you to exercise if you know after every workout, you'll reward yourself with a bar of your favourite chocolate? I bet you’d be more receptive to the idea of working out. Follow this same principle and reward yourself for doing that piece of coursework first thing in the morning or not responding to emails before 1 pm! You've got this!

As brutal as it sounds, we all have the same 24 hours, so lack of time isn't the problem; what's more important is being able to manage the time you do have effectively. This is definitely a difficult obstacle to face. But the sooner you are able to master this art, the easier life will feel as you will be more equipt to conquer tasks!
 

Jessica Okonkwo is a Data Fellowship apprentice at Multiverse and is writing for the Apprentice Lens. Here's a little bit about her: 'Who said a college dropout can't land their dream job? Take it from me, you can!  Follow me on my Multiverse apprenticeship journey where I'll write articles that provide you with practical measures you can take to land your apprenticeship and succeed both personally and professionally.'