Eating Frogs for Breakfast

Being a grown-up is overrated. I find myself saying this a lot lately, and I shouldn't... even though it's entirely true. Or am I the only one who thinks this? I mean, if responsibility and bills are your thing, feel free to have mine. Anyway, since there's no getting around being a grown-up, I figured I should change my attitude. So I did.

I started eating frogs for breakfast. And toads on Tuesdays. Okay, I actually eat eggs whites from a carton (and sometimes maple bars), and I like turtles more than I like toads. I digress. But here's what I mean...I stumbled across an article the other day, written by someone I can assume is way smarter than me, about what successful people do during the first hour of their work day. Since the first hour of my day looks a little something like this, I knew a quick read couldn't hurt.

Two things stood out to me. First, the part about eating frogs, inspired by a Mark Twain quote: "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." Translation: clear the worst thing from your plate first thing, and the rest of your day will be a piece of cake. I do love cake. Being the save-the-best-for-last kind of girl that I am, I've embraced this eating frogs idea whole-heartedly. I pick the things I want to do least and do them first. I've also decided to tackle all the most terrible tasks (or toads, for metaphor's sake) on Tuesdays. I would do them on Monday, but I think transitioning from weekend to the work week is the biggest frog of all.

Now, conquering the worst thing first thing isn't exactly easy. Sometimes finding the energy to even get started (or out of bed) is a task in itself, and if you've got an ounce of procrastination in you, there's a good chance you won't get anything done at all. Talk about your all-time backfires. Which brings me to the second thing that grabbed my attention: Gain Awareness, Be Grateful. The article suggests setting up "mindful first hour rituals" to get motivated, which can be a personalized mix of exercise, meditation, prayer, and self-reflection.

So instead of spending twenty minutes in the shower every other morning, wishing I could crawl back under my duvet from heaven, I've been spending that time thinking about everything I'm grateful for - in life, in love, and in my job. I could count blessings till the water ran cold. I'm beginning to cherish this time. It helps me put things in perspective and helps me prepare to dominate my to-do list. If I'm still struggling to get the ball rolling, I spend a few minutes indulging in a few simple pleasures that inspire me, like cupcakes and cashmere, compelling travel articles (Why You Should Travel Young), or Dan Patrick's Wall of Morale. No wonder Dan Patrick is so successful.

And when all else fails, just add coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

So just how much does the first hour of every day matter? As it turns out, a lot. My new routine has made a huge difference. I feel productive, disciplined, smart, and happy. That last one's kind of a big one.