Eat the frog
Eat the frog is a productivity method: do your hardest or most dreaded task first thing, before anything easier. Once the frog is gone, the rest of the day feels lighter. Brian Tracy made it famous in his 2001 book Eat That Frog!, and it fits study sessions well.
In more detail
The saying is often credited to Mark Twain, though no known source links it to him. Tracy's version is a rule: if you have two frogs to eat, eat the ugly one first. A frog is the task you are most likely to put off, and the one that would make the biggest difference if it were done.
For students the frog is easy to spot: the problem set you keep opening and closing, the essay outline, the lecture you did not understand. Starting there spends your best energy on the task that needs it, and it stops the dread from growing as the day goes on. It also leaves procrastination fewer hours to work with.
Two cautions. The hardest task is not always the most important one, so pick the frog by what matters for your next exam. And if the frog is too big to start, shrink it to its first step, such as writing the first line of the outline, or it will keep sitting there. Pair it with a timer or a Pomodoro block so that starting feels small.
Example
Lena has a statistics exam on Friday. On Monday her list says: read one chapter, tidy her notes, redo last year's hypothesis testing problems. The problems are the frog, because she keeps avoiding them. She does them first, in a 45-minute block, before email or tidying. The chapter and the notes feel easy by comparison.
How to use it
- 1
The evening before, list tomorrow's study tasks and mark the frog: the one you are most likely to put off.
- 2
Check it against your exam. If another task matters more for the grade, make that one your frog.
- 3
Do it first, before messages, snacks or easy tasks. Set a timer so that starting only means 25 minutes.
- 4
If you cannot start, shrink the frog to its first step, such as opening the problem set and doing question one.
- 5
When the frog is done, take a short break and then work through the easier tasks.
How StudyPDF does this
StudyPDF helps you find your frog. Quiz results list your weakest concepts first, and the Plan tab, built from your exam date, hours and study days, gives topics you keep getting wrong earlier and repeated sessions. Each session names its activity (read, flashcards, quiz, exam, review or rest) and opens the material it belongs to, so starting takes one click.
See also
Put it to work on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.
Common questions
Who coined "eat the frog"?
The phrase is often credited to Mark Twain, but no known source links it to him. Brian Tracy turned it into a method in his 2001 book Eat That Frog!, which gives 21 ways to stop procrastinating.
Does eating the frog first work for studying?
It works when the frog is both hard and important and you can actually start it. Doing it first uses your freshest energy and removes the dread. It backfires if you pick the hardest task instead of the most useful one, or if the frog is so big that you never begin. Shrink it to a first step.