The first thing that I do in the morning is to eat the frog. I kid you not! If you are familiar with time management techniques, you would understand what Brian Tracy’s (the help guru) ‘Eat That Frog’ technique means.
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‘Eat That Frog’ technique implies that for being successful and highly productive, you have to tackle the hardest or unpleasant tasks of your day first, without giving in to procrastination.
I have realized that this rule applies not just to my professional life but also the personal one, especially to my health, wellness and self-care.
Let me give you an example: Even though I used to understand how important it is for me to exercise daily, yet I struggled to make time for it, as I found it to be somewhat difficult and unpleasant.
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Bad habits have consequences, and they had started showing on my face and body. I recognized that deep down, the issue was that I was not prioritizing self-care, and my own health and wellness enough.
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The Mental Checklist and Its Prioritization
Once I had this revelation, I began creating a mental checklist for myself every day, where health and wellness were the topmost priority.
So every morning when I wake up, I go through the checklist and prioritize my activities, based on their importance, urgency, their benefits and my feelings towards them.
I then make sure that I do everything related to my health and wellness and self-care before starting anything else, or before allowing myself to relax. For instance, this is what a typical morning looks like for me:
My Morning Routine Transitioning Into the Rest of the Day
- I begin my morning by drinking lukewarm water the first thing in the morning before breakfast.
- I make sure that my breakfast is nutritious and balanced. This means boiling an egg for my breakfast, fruits and nuts before reaching out for a cup of coffee or toast.
- I move my fitness and exercise routine to the top of my day.
- I put on upbeat music while exercising, as it feels pleasant and it helps me move fast.
- I take my supplements in the morning, right after my breakfast. I even sort them out in a pill organizer the night before.
- I struggled to include fresh fruits and veges in my diet. So now, I dice everything up in the form of a colorful salad of varied textures. I do this before even cooking the main course, to not end up with lack of energy or time or an excuse towards the end.
- I set out a portion and food group-based plate before a meal so as to prevent myself from eating unhealthily or overeating.
- I start a meal with salad and then end it with salad, so as to not over-stuff myself with carbs.
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A healthy start to the day makes a monumental difference to what the rest of my day looks like or how it goes. Likewise, I try to get the majority of my tasks out of the way before noon, so that my evenings are relatively less hassled.
As a mom who works from home, who juggles multiple responsibilities, this one technique has helped me tremendously over the last few months.
Creating this kind of self-care and health-centric mental checklist every day helps me stay focused and motivated throughout the day. It feels great knowing that I am doing everything right, especially related to my health and wellness, at the start of each day.
It is better than waiting until the end of the day, only to realize how much is left to be done and to feel overwhelmed and disappointed consequently.
Conclusively, the ‘Eat the Frog’ technique has changed my lifestyle majorly. Give it a try and let me know how it went for you! Let’s get talking!