What are you dreading most today?

Is it that tedious project that’s hanging over your head? Or a mile-high status report for your boss?  Is it getting to the gym?

Whatever it is, do it first. Wake up, hop out of bed, grab your cup of joe and dive in to your worst task. Mark Twain said it best:

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

The frog is your worst task. That item on your to-do list that leaves a permanently bad taste in your mouth like you’re four weeks into the Atkins diet. It’s a pain. It’s frustrating. It has to be done. So do it. Right now.

It’s going to be difficult to be motivated, but it will be worse if you wait all day long, dreading it, losing focus because you can’t stop thinking about it. You have to get it done, so why not get through it as soon as possible?

Here are the five best reasons to eat frogs for breakfast:

  1. Peace of mind. There’s nothing worse than dwelling on the most painful thing you have to do all day long. You lose focus. You get distracted. You’re more irritable than a snowman in the summer. Don’t let that happen any more. Once you finish the frog, you’ll be much more relaxed.

  2. Focus. Early in the morning, before anyone in your house is up or emails are flying in, is a fantastic time to get things done. Even if you aren’t a morning person, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to get things done (especially tasks you’re dreading) when you aren’t being distracted.

  3. Tone for the day. There’s nothing like finishing your worst task and knowing it’s all down hill from there. You’ve accomplished something huge before you’ve even had your mid-morning snack. No matter what you get done for the rest of the day, it has already been crowned a success because you took your biggest issue down to Chinatown.

  4. The feeling. The feeling of victory after getting that frog out of the way is indescribable. A weight is lifted off of your shoulders. You’re untouchable. Rainbows will surround you as you prance through a field of daisies. The sooner you get it done, the longer that feeling will last.

  5. The taste. Once you get into the habit of doing your worst task first, you’re going to acquire a taste for it. You won’t be able to imagine your days of procrastinating until the 11th hour or your mornings without that feeling of a frog sliding down your throat. Savor the taste of getting that frog down before anything else, and enjoy it for the rest of your waking hours.