The problem with eating the frog as a school leader.

(This is my first use of Canva AI to create and image - I think my frog has an extra eye!)

The problem with eating the frog as a school leader.

One popular school of thought when it comes to tackling to-do lists is to swallow the frog - do the most undesirable, unappealing job on your list first and get it out of the way in the hope that you will then feel better for the rest of the day.

But as a school leader, I often did not finish my to-do list. Interruptions and unexpected events often meant that my to-do list expanded whilst my time diminished. There were days when I only ate frogs.

In her book, I Didn’t do the Thing Today - Letting Go of Productivity Guilt, Madeleine Dore suggests we start the day by eating clotted cream. This was inspired by a farmer who began his day with a blob of clotted cream on his porridge - he wanted to have something delightful at the beginning of the day and not wait until the end.

I was then reminded of one of my first jobs of the day in my last role in school - greeting the children at the gate. I loved it - there were often smiles and laughter. It lifted my mood if I was low and renewed my sense of purpose.

I am in favour of starting the day with more cream and fewer frogs - what is your preferred way to start the day?

If you are a school leader who would support working through the to-do lists and demands of the role then send me a message to find out more about my coaching options.