You may have heard the instruction “eat the frog first”. It’s a favourite of the productivity bros and there’s a bestselling book by the name Eat that Frog.
The idea is that you do the most difficult, horrible task first and get it out of the way, then the rest of your day will be plain sailing.
In my early days as a business owner, that instruction — together with Eisenhower’s matrix of important/urgent stuff — was shoved in my face over and over and over again by about 3,381 different people and when I STILL couldn’t do the things, I learned that I was the problem.
I was lazy.
I did not want it enough.
And therefore I did not deserve the results I was not getting.
If you tell me to “eat the frog” first, here’s what’ll happen:
- Anxiety and the flavour of sweat that makes you smell like a cornered animal that died in a sewer and festered in the summer heat.
- Faffery.
- A crick in my neck.
- Possibly the shits.
- An internal monologue and self-talk that would get me arrested if I were to spew it at my enemies.
- Tears.
- More tears.
- Nausea.
- Fear.
- The brand of overwhelm that puts a pain in your chest that makes you wonder if you are in fact having a cardiac event.
- Absolutely nothing useful or productive or joyful.
I know “eat the frog” is useful advice for many; there wouldn’t be a bestselling book about it if it wasn’t.
MY problem is the way it’s presented to everyone: do it this way. This is the only way to get done the things you want to achieve. If you’re not doing the things exactly this way, you’re the problem.
Well, with absolutely no due respect, fck THAT.
If “eat the frog” works for you, that’s brilliant — keep doing it.
But not everyone’s brains are the same and some people’s brains (mine, I’m some people) short-circuit if they’re made to work this way.
Took me FAR too long to realise that if I wanted to write consistently and if I wanted to do hard things, I would have to find my own methods.
Took me even longer to learn THAT’S OKAY. Not everyone works in the same way, which is super annoying for the education system and corporate world, but amazing for people like me.
WE’RE NOT THE PROBLEM.
The systems we exist in, and the staggering lack of empathy displayed by those pushing one piece of advice as if it’s universal, are the problem.
Which is where my cool little MicroBook Don’t Eat The Frog came from.
It’s also why I get such great results with my clients.
Not everyone finishes their book with me, for a bunch of reasons — but the vast majority do, and they have a whale of a time doing so.
Because I don’t try to fit everyone into a box that doesn’t suit them (I learned that lesson long ago).
I have so many tools, techniques, suggestions, games, and fun things to try when my writers get stuck, it’s very rare that I can’t get someone writing again and loving it.
So when you’re looking for help to write your book (or to write anything, really) consider where that help is coming from:
- Do they make space for all learning styles and neurotypes?
- Do they have experience working with lots of different types of people; or have they just written books themselves and got excited about it and want to share? (Totally understandable, just not always useful.)
- Do they have rigid frameworks and systems and blueprints that don’t allow for different ways of working, experience, and circumstances; or are they flexible, listening to what you need?
I’m not for everyone (obviously, nobody is) but if you want to write a book and you’ve always felt like the odd one out or an alien in a skin suit (as I do) then I might just be the right person for you.
I have two spaces for Book Coach In Your Pocket this August and three for September.
If you’d like one and you have questions about whether we’d be a good fit, reply to this email and ask away.
Or, you can find all the details and the booking link here — plus payment plans:
How to work with The MicroBook Magician
Nonfiction Book Ghostwriting: Idea to book in just 20 weeks
Buy My Book: How the hell do you write a book?
VIP Book Breakthrough Day: Make a quantum leap in book progress in just one day
Book Coach In Your Pocket: Your first draft done (or all but) in just 30 days
MicroBook Magic: Write your MicroBook in just 6 weeks
Creative Playground: Write every day + get advice, support, and bonus access to my workshops! (1 week trial for £1)
p.s. Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, I have plenty of tools that can help you. If you’d like to work with me on that, check out Book Coach In Your Pocket: