On Purpose and Time: Lessons from "Eat That Frog!"

Dr Virág Blazsek in Conversation with David Bearman.

Earlier this year, the School of Law welcomed back alumnus David Bearman (LLB, 1990), Centre for Business Law and Practice Advisory Board Member and Founding Partner of Firefly Capital, for a public conversation with Dr Virág Blazsek on time management, productivity, and purposeful living. Read on for Dr Blazsek’s reflections on the event. 

Our discussion centred on Brian Tracy’s influential book Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. First published in 2001, the book advances a simple but powerful proposition: time is our most valuable asset, and self-discipline is one of the most important skills we can develop.  

Both David and I have experienced significant career transitions. David moved from corporate law into investment banking, wealth management, and entrepreneurship. I left legal practice to pursue a career in academia. Despite our different paths, we found ourselves returning repeatedly to the same question: how do we decide what deserves our limited time and attention? 

One of the most striking themes of the discussion was the importance of clarity. David repeatedly returned to what he sees as the central lesson of Tracy’s book: before deciding what to do, you must decide what you want. David explained that every year he revisits the book and writes down his goals for the coming year. He carries them with him and reviews them regularly throughout the week.  

He told the audience: 

You drive your own car. You are in control of your own life.

For David, goals are not simply aspirations. They are a commitment. They provide a framework through which everyday decisions can be evaluated and prioritised. 

I have arrived at a similar conclusion through a somewhat different route. I tend to revisit my priorities every week or two. The questions remain the same: What am I trying to achieve? Which activities move me closer to those goals? Emails and meetings provide quick rewards. They can be completed, crossed off a list, and forgotten within hours. Long-term projects are different. Writing a book, completing a PhD, or developing a substantial research project requires sustained concentration over months or years. Precisely because these tasks are difficult, they are often the ones most likely to be postponed. 

On procrastination 

There is a psychological dimension to procrastination that is frequently overlooked. During the discussion, I reflected on the fact that procrastination is not always laziness. Sometimes it is rooted in fear of failure. Equally, a person who strives for perfection but fears falling short of that standard may postpone important work indefinitely. In that sense, often, procrastination can be linked to past difficult experiences. The task itself is not necessarily the problem; the emotions associated with it are. Understanding that distinction can be an important first step towards changing the habit. 

One of the book’s most memorable insights is that everyone procrastinates. The difference, according to Tracy, is not whether we procrastinate, but what we procrastinate on. He advocates for what he calls “creative” or “strategic” procrastination. Productive people consciously postpone less important tasks in order to focus on work that matters more. 

Academic life provides countless opportunities to stay busy while postponing difficult, long-term projects. One can answer emails, reorganise notes, update references, or review administrative tasks while postponing the difficult project that matters most. David recognised the same pattern from his own experience. Earlier in his career, while running a highly regulated financial services business, he often found himself surrounded by compliance obligations, board meetings, regulatory requirements, and operational demands. Important strategic decisions could easily become tomorrow’s problem. 

Doing the most important things first 

Over time, David consciously developed a different approach. “I now do the most important things first,” he explained. “I don’t do anything else until that’s done.” This is the origin of Tracy’s famous metaphor. The “frog” is not necessarily the most unpleasant task. It is the task whose completion matters most. Tracy’s advice is to tackle that task first, before easier and more enjoyable activities crowd it out. 

Both David and I agreed that productivity is not simply about doing more work. It is about creating the conditions that allow meaningful work to happen. David described a carefully structured morning routine combining exercise, meditation, and planning. The purpose, he explained, is not efficiency for its own sake but creating the right mental environment for decision-making. 

He said: 

The goal is not simply productivity. It’s entering the right headspace.

That idea resonated strongly with me. During the discussion, I suggested that protecting attention has become one of the central challenges of modern professional life. Digital calendars, communication tools, and online resources can dramatically improve efficiency. Yet the same technologies can also fragment concentration and consume attention if used without intention and discipline. 

Perhaps the most valuable lesson from our conversation was that time management is ultimately about purpose. Goals matter. Habits matter. Discipline matters. But all of these are secondary to a more fundamental question: deciding where you want to go in the first place. Everything else follows from that decision. 

Read the full article, “On Purpose and Time: Lessons from Eat That Frog!” by Virág Blazsek here.