Eating the frog: how to fight procrastination under pressure
Go on.
Do it. What’s stopping you? Grab that frog by its legs, that’s what I say. Go on, open wide.
The empty, blank pages taunt you. Line after line of desolation. The frog is squatting in the corner. Translucent gloop seeps from its body as it heartily laughs. It’s safe from you. You’d rather recite ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe whilst playing the entire score of Hamilton on the harp – with your eyes closed – than eat the frog.
Of course, I’m not asking you to eat a frog (it would be too chewy) - it’s a metaphor. Eating the frog is getting done that thing you’ve been dreading the most. Easier said than done. Right now, I have my frog locked away in the back of a cupboard (but denial is a whole other kettle of fish, or rather, kettle of frogs).
Application and perseverance
Linking this somewhat confusing metaphor to everyday life is not hard, I can assure you. It doesn’t necessarily mean the big things that we can all get bogged down by. Nor does it mean looking at your endless tasks on Firefly and prioritising either by deadline or how scared you are of the teacher. It means getting over that fear of failure that is drilled into our heads, and getting, at least, something down on that piece of paper. Forget about the consequences of having to hand in another half-hearted attempt at simultaneous equations because you were too busy stressing about the stress that was building. It happens to the best of us. But eating the frog means that this can be avoided.
Fighting the stigma of laziness
Procrastination. It’s a scary word, right? If we could count the amount of times we have been accused of laziness when really we’re just overwhelmed, the number would be… well, a lot. I like to think of procrastination as having The Frog just silently crap all over your brain. I mean, no-one wants to work if they’ve been crapped on. So, think of planning as being that lemon-scented wet wipe, ready to clean it all away. And if you’re using your time to get to the end goal, it’s not allowed to be called procrastination.
Take that daunting, inevitable English assessment you’ve got due in soon, for example. Create a mind map; who doesn’t love mind maps? Break it down into subjects per paragraph, and then points to include, and then elaborate on those points. Before you know it, you have your whole assessment there on the page. And it was staring right at you this whole time. Sweet, right?
Anxiety surrounding the frog
I get it though: the frog is a frog for a reason. It’s growing in your head and it’s getting to the point where it’s going to eat you before you ever manage to eat it.
I promise you that magically getting the flu on the day it’s due because ‘one day more is all you need to finish it’ will not work as many times as you or I would like it to. Instead, tell someone. You might be surprised when you learn that the smartest kid in your class has a frog of their own. As soon as we realise that we’re not alone, we can start to do something about it.
The next step
I’d be lying if I told you that reading this article has miraculously given you the power for your fingers to automatically churn out essays, or complete hundreds of science papers. In fact, reading this might have been simply a way to procrastinate. But that’s okay. All you’ve got to do is get back on that proverbial horse, break it all down and eat that frog.
Cal Carvey, Year 12
Do it. What’s stopping you? Grab that frog by its legs, that’s what I say. Go on, open wide.
The empty, blank pages taunt you. Line after line of desolation. The frog is squatting in the corner. Translucent gloop seeps from its body as it heartily laughs. It’s safe from you. You’d rather recite ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe whilst playing the entire score of Hamilton on the harp – with your eyes closed – than eat the frog.
Of course, I’m not asking you to eat a frog (it would be too chewy) - it’s a metaphor. Eating the frog is getting done that thing you’ve been dreading the most. Easier said than done. Right now, I have my frog locked away in the back of a cupboard (but denial is a whole other kettle of fish, or rather, kettle of frogs).
Application and perseverance
Linking this somewhat confusing metaphor to everyday life is not hard, I can assure you. It doesn’t necessarily mean the big things that we can all get bogged down by. Nor does it mean looking at your endless tasks on Firefly and prioritising either by deadline or how scared you are of the teacher. It means getting over that fear of failure that is drilled into our heads, and getting, at least, something down on that piece of paper. Forget about the consequences of having to hand in another half-hearted attempt at simultaneous equations because you were too busy stressing about the stress that was building. It happens to the best of us. But eating the frog means that this can be avoided.
Fighting the stigma of laziness
Procrastination. It’s a scary word, right? If we could count the amount of times we have been accused of laziness when really we’re just overwhelmed, the number would be… well, a lot. I like to think of procrastination as having The Frog just silently crap all over your brain. I mean, no-one wants to work if they’ve been crapped on. So, think of planning as being that lemon-scented wet wipe, ready to clean it all away. And if you’re using your time to get to the end goal, it’s not allowed to be called procrastination.
Take that daunting, inevitable English assessment you’ve got due in soon, for example. Create a mind map; who doesn’t love mind maps? Break it down into subjects per paragraph, and then points to include, and then elaborate on those points. Before you know it, you have your whole assessment there on the page. And it was staring right at you this whole time. Sweet, right?
Anxiety surrounding the frog
I get it though: the frog is a frog for a reason. It’s growing in your head and it’s getting to the point where it’s going to eat you before you ever manage to eat it.
I promise you that magically getting the flu on the day it’s due because ‘one day more is all you need to finish it’ will not work as many times as you or I would like it to. Instead, tell someone. You might be surprised when you learn that the smartest kid in your class has a frog of their own. As soon as we realise that we’re not alone, we can start to do something about it.
- Tell a teacher/parent/friend that after a deadline is set you might just need a few check-ups! Studies show that if you let someone ask you how much you’ve done towards a project and talk them through your plan, the information is more likely to stick - and you can even clarify things for yourself as you say them out loud.
- If you’re not a reward-scheme kind of person, that’s okay. It takes the control of a saint to work solidly for an hour with the typical distractions constantly on your mind. So, don’t get angry at yourself if you cave. Simply take yourself back to your workspace and let that warm feeling of the frog getting smaller and smaller fill you up inside. (Paradoxical, I know.)
- As I said before, the task is always going to seem big and ugly as it looms over you like a noxious cloud. But turn on that fan and breathe happy. Not a real fan, of course. That was a metaphor again. Unless cool air grounds you and helps you think – in that case, go nuts! I really mean use techniques to help you focus and relax you. For instance: soothing music; rain or storm noises; stand up comedy; a podcast...
- Keep in mind that it will get better. Once that frog is gone, you are left with ridiculously easy and even fun things to do. Just because you are struggling with one thing, it does not make you any less capable of incredible things!
The next step
I’d be lying if I told you that reading this article has miraculously given you the power for your fingers to automatically churn out essays, or complete hundreds of science papers. In fact, reading this might have been simply a way to procrastinate. But that’s okay. All you’ve got to do is get back on that proverbial horse, break it all down and eat that frog.
Cal Carvey, Year 12