Why “Eat the Frog” is the Worst Productivity Advice

In the cannon of terrible productivity advice, there are many contenders. But “eat the frog” may actually be the worst.

The guidance to “eat the frog” says that you should launch directly into your hardest task of the day as your first thing.

This advice ignores fundamental principles of how the physical and cognitive systems work in any human, but it’s especially harmful for people with ADHD.

For anyone with ADHD, the advice to “eat the frog” is a recipe for procrastination and avoidance. A task that feels too big can lead to overwhelm, which can shut down the brain and body.

To understand why it’s so flawed, let’s take it out of the realm of the mind and into the body.

The Key to Effectiveness: Priming

When it comes to our physical body, a proper warm-up helps us be more effective and prevent overload of the system.

The key to being effective in any physical activity is priming.

• You prime the body for the activity it’s going to do.
• You prime the mind/body connection to groove the movement patterns.

Here’s how this looks in a few contexts:

Weightlifting

When you’re doing any type of complicated physical activity, it’s best to start with a warm-up.

If you are lifting weights, you don’t walk into the gym, load up the bar, and do your heaviest lift first. That would be a recipe for injury.

Nobody does this.

Instead, you engage in priming:

Here’s how this looks:

At a bare minimum, most weightlifters will start with some basic joint mobilization and empty bar drills before building up to their top set.

More normal people might need a little more activation: perhaps some light cardio to get the nervous system going, targeted mobility or muscle activation drills, and some drills to work on the movement patterns before getting under the bar.

After working through the pieces of the movement patterns, you practice the movement with an empty barbell. You might even do some specific drills to break up the movement before you put it all together.

Then you load the movement.slowly, working up to your top set.

Yoga

Similarly, the first section of a yoga class is often comprised of “pratapana,” a Sanskrit words that translates to “stroking the fire.”

Pratapana refers to simple, repetitive movements that go through the six movements of the spine and help connect movement to breath.

Other Sports

Every activity or sport has its own movement patterns and drills that athletes practice before they start playing “for real.”

Before a game, baseball take batting practice and do fielding drills.

And when a pitcher takes the mound, he usually throws a few warm-up pitches, even though he just warmed up in the bullpen.

Other Activities

This concept also applies outside the realm of physical activities.

If you see a movie in a movie theater, you get previews before the main show. The previews do more than show you what’s coming. They allow you time to transition from the world outside so you can settle in for the main event.

When you go to a concert by a major band and you’ll likely be treated to a warm-up act before they take the stage.

Even Machines Need a Warm-up

Even machines need time to warm up and get going.

Your computer needs to boot up before you can use it.

If you’re going to print an important document, you might run a test page through the printer first to make sure everything is in order.

When you get online to deliver a webinar, you likely test your equipment.

A plane doesn’t just take off from a standing position; it moves slowly along the runway, and then starts to pick up speed before taking flight.

Priming the Brain

The brain is also a muscle. And, unlike many of our muscles, the brain works nearly all the time.

The idea that we should just launch into our biggest task is simply ignorant of how our system operates.

The brain functions best when we prime it for the specific activity we want to do.

Without priming the brain, we risk cognitive overload — the brain’s equivalent of an “injury.”

Priming the brain will look different depending on the activity. Maybe it’s free writing before writing an essay. Maybe it’s calling friend before you make your important calls.

You might rehearse before you deliver a talk or get on camera.

Maybe it’s just a simple meditation and visualizing the outcome.

Whatever you do, trying to “eat the frog” first thing is not the right approach, and could leave you choking on the frog.

“The key to success is to prime your body and mind for the activity you’re planning to do. Build up to the heavy lift to avoid the injury of cognitive overload.