Eat that frog: Why tackling your most challenging task first transforms academic productivity

There it sits on your to-do list, day after day. Perhaps it's finalising your literature review chapter, analysing that complex dataset, or drafting the methodology section of your paper. You know the task - the one that makes you suddenly discover an urgent need to reorganise your reference library, clean your desk, or check your email for the twelfth time today.

We've all been there. As postgraduate students, researchers and academics, we face particularly complex and challenging tasks that require deep focus and cognitive effort. These are our "frogs" - and learning to "eat" them first thing in your workday might be the most transformative productivity strategy you ever adopt.

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What does "eat that frog" actually mean?

The concept of "eating the frog" comes from productivity expert Brian Tracy's book “Eat That Frog”, which was inspired by a quote often attributed to Mark Twain: "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."

In academic terms, your "frog" is that challenging research task you're most likely to procrastinate on; the one that requires significant mental energy, lacks clear structure, or feels overwhelming. Yet paradoxically, these tasks are often the most valuable to your research progress and career development.

The science behind "eating the frog"

This isn't just folk wisdom; research in productivity and cognitive psychology supports the approach:

• Willpower depletion: The social psychology model RF Baumeister refers to as “ego depletion” and defines it as a reduction in the self’s “capacity or willingness to engage in volitional action caused by prior exercise of volition.” Although researchers are not sitting around the same table on this, the model basically suggests willpower functions like a muscle that fatigues with use throughout the day. Tackling difficult tasks early capitalises on your peak willpower reserves.

• Decision fatigue: Research demonstrates that making decisions progressively depletes our cognitive resources. Starting with your most challenging task preserves these resources for when they matter most.

• Intrinsic rewards: Completing difficult tasks early releases dopamine and creates a sense of accomplishment that can fuel productivity throughout the day.

• Reduced anxiety: Research shows that pending tasks create cognitive load through the Zeigarnik effect - our tendency to remember uncompleted tasks. Unfinished tasks are also linked to stress and reduced wellbeing. Tackling the most anxiety-inducing task first reduces this cognitive burden.

Identifying your academic "frogs"

Your academic frogs typically share certain characteristics. They are:

• High-value tasks: Work that significantly advances your research or academic career

• Complex and cognitively demanding: Requiring sustained focus and analytical thinking

• Ambiguous or "slippery": Lacking clear start/end points or defined procedures

• Frequently postponed: Tasks that repeatedly migrate from today's to tomorrow's to-do list

• Anxiety-inducing: Creating psychological resistance or avoidance behaviours

When these characteristics combine in a single task, like drafting your discussion chapter or addressing reviewer comments, you have the perfect "frog" that's ripe for procrastination.

Common academic "frogs" for researchers and postgraduates

In the life of a researcher, postgraduate student or not, here are some common "frogs" - tasks we often find daunting, we don't know where to start, and we tend to postpone working on them, and in the meantime,e they cause a lot of stress:

• Writing the first draft of a challenging manuscript section
• Analysing complex quantitative or qualitative data
• Learning a new research methodology or statistical technique
• Addressing difficult reviewer comments
• Preparing for a challenging presentation or viva
• Creating comprehensive research protocols
• Working through dense, technically challenging literature
• Developing research grant applications

How to implement "eat that frog" in your academic routine

Identify your frogs the night before

End each workday by identifying tomorrow's most challenging and important task. Be specific, not just "work on thesis" but "write first draft of limitations section" or "analyse interview transcripts from participants 5-8."

As one of my PhD students discovered, this evening preparation creates what psychologists call "implementation intention", a specific plan for when and how you'll complete the task, which significantly increases follow-through probability.

Create the right environment

Set yourself up for success by creating an environment which is conducive to productivity:

• Eliminate distractions: Close email, silence notifications, and consider website blockers during your frog-eating session.

• Prepare your physical space: Ensure you have all necessary materials ready so there's no excuse to interrupt your flow.

• Establish temporal boundaries: Block uninterrupted time specifically for this task. I recommend 60-90-minute focused sessions.

Start immediately

Begin working on your identified frog as the very first task of your workday, before checking email, before administrative tasks, before anything else. Even five minutes of engagement can overcome initial resistance.

A PhD student I supervised struggled with manuscript drafting, especially when a blank page was involved, until adopting this approach. By opening her document first thing and writing for just 30 minutes before any other work, she completed her first draft in half the time of previous papers.

Use the 15-minute rule

If you face extreme resistance to a particular frog, commit to working on it for 15 minutes. This removes the psychological burden of completion and often creates enough momentum to continue past the initial time commitment. I go as far as setting a timer for 15 minutes, and once over the initial resistance,  it is easy to continue working for longer.

Celebrate completion

Acknowledge your accomplishment when you've eaten your frog. Positive reinforcement helps build the habit and creates positive associations with difficult tasks.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Pitfall 1: Mistaking urgent tasks for important frogs

Solution: Distinguish between true priority tasks (important for long-term goals) and merely urgent tasks (time-sensitive but not necessarily high-value). Use an Eisenhower Matrix to categorise tasks by both urgency and importance.

Pitfall 2: Choosing frogs that are too large

Solution: Break down massive frogs into "froglets", smaller, manageable tasks that can be completed in one sitting. Rather than "write literature review," try "outline section 2 of literature review" or "summarise five papers on theoretical framework."

Pitfall 3: Succumbing to distractions during frog-eating time     

Solution: Use focused work techniques like the Pomodoro method (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break) and technology blockers during these periods.

Pitfall 4: Failing to maintain the habit

Solution: Track your "eaten frogs" in your research journal or productivity app. Seeing your progress creates positive reinforcement and helps maintain momentum.

Adaptation for different academic work styles

For night owls

The traditional advice to tackle frogs "first thing in the morning" should be adapted to your personal peak productivity period. If you genuinely work better in the evening, schedule your frog-eating for the beginning of your productive hours, whether that's 10 AM or 8 PM. Working according to your energy levels is another super productivity strategy.

For researchers working on collaborative projects

When working in research teams, coordinate "frog-eating" sessions where the team focuses collectively on challenging aspects of a project without distractions, followed by debriefing and celebration of progress.

For teaching academics

During teaching-heavy periods, identify smaller frogs that can be tackled between teaching commitments in the available time slots, rather than waiting for mythical "perfect" research days that rarely materialise.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How do I choose between multiple important frogs?

A: Apply Brian Tracy's original advice: "If you have to eat two frogs, eat the biggest, ugliest one first." Which task would create the most significant progress in your research? Which would most relieve your anxiety if completed? Prioritise that one.

Q: What if my frog requires resources or input that's unavailable first thing?

A: Prepare alternative frogs for such situations. Always have an important backup task identified that doesn't depend on external factors, so you're never left without a meaningful morning task.

Q: How long should I spend on my frog each day?

A: Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes and ideally 60-90 minutes of uninterrupted focus. Meaningful progress requires enough time for you to achieve a flow state. If you experience lots of resistance, commit to starting with only 15 minutes.

Q: I tried this, but still procrastinated. What now?

A: Examine whether your frog might be too large or ambiguous. Try breaking it down further or defining more precisely what "done" looks like for this task. Sometimes, procrastination indicates that we're unclear about what exactly needs doing. Explore what’s behind it all in this blog post on procrastination (which I wrote while procrastinating on implementing reviewers' suggestions).

Q: Can I eat more than one frog per day?

A: Focus on consistently tackling one significant frog daily before attempting multiple challenging tasks. Once the habit is established, your capacity might increase, but consistency with one frog is more valuable than occasional heroic multi-frog days. I always say, “Marginal gains persistently lead to high impact consistently.”

Conclusion

Academic work presents unique challenges that make the "eat that frog" technique particularly valuable for researchers and postgraduate students. You create meaningful momentum in your research practice by consistently tackling your most challenging and valuable tasks first.

This is not about working more hours; it's about working more effectively during the hours you have. After adopting this approach, one of my doctoral supervisees remarked: "I'm not working more, but my thesis is growing faster."

I encourage you to identify tomorrow's frog today, and commit to tackling it first thing. Your future research outputs and your stress levels will thank you for it.

If you're looking for more in-depth support on your research journey, check out the Research Masterminds Success Academy. We've got lots of resources waiting to support you through every step of the PhD journey!

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Thank you for the cover photo by Akbar Nemati.