xenia beck

Mark Twain once famously said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

Which basically translates to — stop procrastinating!

Whether you dabble in it from time to time, or are a fully fledged culprit, procrastinating is something we are all guilty of (come on, don’t lie to yourself). We can all agree that it’s just too easy a habit to get into, especially with distracting devices available at our fingertips (smartphones, anyone?)

But why is this? Why do we put things off when we know they need to be done?

Well, according to Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, there are three types of procrastinators, and the category you fall into explains why you procrastinate.

1. “Arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
2. Avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
3. Decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.”

The term ‘eat that frog’ refers to getting your worst task out of the way first. The ‘frog’ is the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad task that you just don’t want to do — but know that you have to. It’s the one that holds the most consequence if you don’t complete it, and the one that is most likely to fall prey to procrastination. However, it’s also the task that will give you the biggest feeling of accomplishment once it’s out of the way. The one that will set the ball rolling for the rest of your tasks for the day.

This is why you should tackle it first.

The Eisenhower Method (made popular by Eisenhower himself) categorizes tasks by urgency and importance. By creating a similar matrix of need v.s. want, you can categorize your tasks into four groups:

1. Things you have to do, and don’t want to do
2. Things you have to do, and want to do
3. Things you don’t have to do, and want to do
4. Things you don’t have to do, and don’t want to do

The ‘frog’ belongs in the first group. Simply put, it’s the task you need to do, but don’t have any desire to do it whatsoever, which is the reason why you procrastinate.

Fast forward to about 100 years since Twain uttered his famous, froggy words, and the catchphrase ‘eat that frog’ has become a productivity mantra, coined most notably by motivational and self-development professional, Brian Tracy, in his book — aptly named — Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. So, when you hear the someone say, “eat that frog”, they’re not challenging you to a bizarre food contest, they’re telling you to quit delaying, and get on with it.

Here are some tips to help you eat that frog:

Know the difference between an activity and an accomplishment. For example, while it may appear that you’re accomplishing something by going through your inbox, you aren’t. You are merely faffing about and avoiding what truly needs to be done — the frog. Steer clear of checking your email first thing in the morning as it will clutter your mind and distract you from the things you need to focus on. Start your day off with clarity and space.

Whatever your frog is, ensure you have all the equipment ready the night before so there’s minimum fuss the next day. Let’s say, for instance, your frog is applying for a working visa — which can be an excruciating but necessary process — have your passport, credit card, and all the documentation laid out on your kitchen table so that you are organized and set to go right after breakfast (or during, which is even better!). The less things you have to worry about when you wake up, the more likely you are to actually getting to it.

Your mind is like a muscle, which means you can train it to do things. Just like procrastination itself, stopping it is all about habit. Once you get into the routine of eating that frog first thing, it will come naturally to you. And once you realize just how satisfying crossing off that big task on your list is, it’ll give you great motivation.

The more assistance you have with a task, the better your chances are for yielding the motivation you need. Whether it’s something to simply remind you of important dates, or you’re looking to digitalize your to-do list, using a project management tool like Zenkit can get you one step closer to eating that frog!

Try your luck with one of the tips above, and see how you go. If you have any other tricks on how to ‘eat that frog’ then please do share in the comments section!

Remember, getting out of the habit of procrastinating won’t happen instantly, it is something that we have to stick to in order to reap the rewards. It is also something that won’t happen on its own, it’s a process that requires you to take the first hop🐸

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team

At the core of every philosophy is a manifesto — a declaration of values and principles that expresses its stance, views, and intentions. Agile development is no exception. If you work in the software industry, or are an avid reader of Zenkit’s content, you may have heard the term ‘Agile Manifesto’ being thrown about once or twice. Let’s dive into it a bit, shall we?

Formed in 2001, the Agile Manifesto was authored by 13 software development connoisseurs in a ski lodge in Utah. But before we continue with the manifesto, let’s do a refresher on the philosophy itself.

Agile development was created as a response to the inadequacies of the Waterfall method. The pre-Agile era saw software development primarily led by the Waterfall method, which is a linear approach where progress flows largely in one direction, downwards (like a waterfall!). While a great method for projects that require a sequential design process, there were some in the industry who felt that the model could not keep up with the demands of software development. Because of its linear approach — with the final product not being revealed until the very final step — the Waterfall method left little room for flexibility when it came to progress reviews and changes. Developers saw the need for a speedier, and more efficient way to getting things done that could align with how quickly software could be altered. Enter Agile development.

Due to its customer-centric nature, Agile became a quick favourite with software development teams. Using frameworks such as Scrum, and systems like Kanban, it was the complete opposite of the Waterfall approach, where it focused on iterative development, welcomed changed, and believed that effective collaboration amongst the developers and customers would produce a higher quality product.

Let’s go back to that ski lodge in Utah in 2001 where the ‘Manifesto for Agile Software Development’ was born. Many of the participants were already leaders in the software community who had already washed their hands of the Waterfall approach. Although the exact purpose of the meeting wasn’t necessarily to cement a new public declaration, all 13 individuals agreed that they wanted a process set in stone that legitimized what they were already practicing.

“When it was written down on that whiteboard, some people were out in the hallway on a break,” Ward Cunningham, cofounder of Cunningham and Cunningham Inc, and also famously known for originating the phrase ‘Agile Manifesto Wiki’, recalled.

“And I was out in the hallway, and [someone] said, ‘Come here, and look at this. Look at what we wrote.’ And we were just standing around looking at that whiteboard, in awe at how much that summarized what we held in common. It was such a dramatic moment, you know, that instead of everybody talking in small groups, we stood around that whiteboard and studied it.”

Made up of four foundational values and 12 key principles, the ‘Manifesto for Agile Software Development’ aims to uncover better ways of developing software by doing it, and helping others do it.

The four Agile Manifesto values are:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan

Accompanying the values is this sentence, “That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.” Which is basically saying that although processes and tools, comprehensive documentation, contract negotiation, and following a plan are imperative to a project’s success, in adhering to the values of the Agile Manifesto, we believe that individuals, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change is what will give the product value and the desired result.

Derived from the Agile Manifesto values are the 12 key principles which serve as a guide for methodologies that follow the Agile approach. With the focus on customers and welcoming change instead of avoiding it — which is largely what the Waterfall method supposed — the Agile Manifesto principles are:

1. Customer satisfaction through early and continuous software delivery
2. Accommodate changing requirements throughout the development process
3. Frequent delivery of working software
4. Collaboration between the business stakeholders and developers throughout the project
5. Support, trust, and motivate the people involved
6. Enable face-to-face interactions
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress
8. Agile processes to support a consistent development pace
9. Attention to technical detail and design enhances agility
10. Simplicity
11. Self-organizing teams encourage great architectures, requirements, and designs
12. Regular reflections on how to become more effective

The basic goal of the Agile methodology is to deliver better software, and it does this by offering up a structure that aims to be clear and measurable by placing an emphasis on iterative development, team collaboration, and embracing change.

For any development team that is after an alternative solution of a faster process, it’s worth having a gander at the Agile Manifesto values and principles. Anyone who’s already done that, of course, we encourage you to share your findings with us in the comment section below :-)

Cheers,

Dinnie and the Zenkit Team