Hello Thursday! 

Here’s the thing—some tasks are so unpleasant, I’d rather stab my eyeballs out with a spork or lick hot pavement in August than deal with them. Not hard. Not even time-consuming. Just… ugly. Soul-sucking. Emotionally draining. You know the ones.

I’ve been trying to live by this rule: Eat the frog first. It’s credited to Mark Twain, who said:

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if you have two frogs, eat the biggest one first.“

The “frog,” if you haven’t figured it out yet, is the task you keep side-eyeing but won’t actually do. Those prospecting calls you’ve been dodging. The marketing project you’ve been ignoring. The CRM you’ve been trying to get in gear—or the email you’ve reread four times but still haven’t responded to.

What I’ve learned: when I don’t eat the frog, the rest of my day feels like wading through sand. The weight builds and drags into the next day, week, or month.

But when I do eat the frog—when I face the tough thing first—I win. Every time.

I still use Post-it notes and legal pads for lists (I’m old school). I put them on my computer or even my fridge if I’m working from home. (Right now, “TAXES” is taped to my fridge. Ugh.)

Here’s the reminder (for you and for me):

• If it’s on your list and makes your stomach turn, that’s your frog.
• Don’t dress it up with distractions. Don’t multitask it. Eat it. First thing.
• It’s never as bad as you think.
• And once it’s done? That is fulfillment in a Ferrari.

You may still have a full plate—but at least it’s frog-free.

Now go on. Eat the frog—and own the day like the professional frog slayer you are.