Prioritize Difficult Tasks

A simple but powerful productivity principle is to tackle your most difficult and important tasks first thing in the morning. This is often referred to as "eating the frog."

Benefits

• Peak Energy: You use your peak mental energy on the most demanding work.
• Sense of Accomplishment: Starting the day with a significant accomplishment builds momentum.
• Reduces Procrastination: Prevents you from putting off important work until the end of the day when you have less energy and focus.
• Increased Productivity: Ensures that the most critical tasks get done, leading to better results.

Implementation

• When planning your day, identify the most challenging task on your list.
• Schedule it for the beginning of your workday.
• This principle is closely related to the The 80-20 Rule (Pareto Principle), as the most difficult tasks are often the ones that produce the most significant results.

This is a core component of the Six Steps to Great Time Management.