How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

Practice #4: Eat the Frog
In his classic book on how to overcome procrastination, 
Eat That Frog!
,
Brian Tracy suggests that the best way to begin your day is to, well, “
eat
that frog
.” The idea stems from a Mark Twain quote:
If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go
through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably
the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.
Tracy’s point is if you can complete the hardest task first, then you’ll
begin with a major win that will make all the successive tasks or chores
seem less daunting. It also will be motivating knowing that you’ve already
tackled the one thing that you are most likely to procrastinate on.
This advice is perfect for anyone who frequently puts off tasks that
require focus and hard work. If you can commit yourself to just getting
started and working on your hardest task right away, then you’ll discover
that’s it probably not as bad as you thought.
Once again, let’s go back to my writing example. This is a task that I’ll
frequently dread or not want to do. But I also know that if I put it off for
later in the day, then I’ll increase the likelihood that I’ll skip it or get
distracted by another activity.
By committing myself to eat the frog first thing in the morning, I know
that after 30–60 minutes of effort, I’ve already completed the most
challenging task for the day.
Trust me: one of the most motivating experiences is knowing you’ve
already completed the hardest task before 9:00 a.m.

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