Rule No. 27 đź“” Do The Hard Things First.

The Principle: Make the tough call. Have the uncomfortable conversation. Fix the problem you’ve been avoiding. Do the hard work first. Don’t let easy work fool you into thinking you’re making progress. The hard stuff is often the stuff that moves the business forward.

Do the hard things first.

The Hard Truth

The hard thing you keep pushing to tomorrow is probably the thing running your business.

Executive insights 👥 Let me tell you how that played out in my company.

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đź“– the book behind the Rule

Eat That Frog!, by Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy delivers a blunt message: procrastination is the silent killer of progress. The book centers on a simple principle; identify your most important, most difficult task (“the frog”) and do it first. Tracy strips away the illusion of multitasking and challenges leaders to focus on high-value priorities, eliminate time-wasters, and build the discipline to act before excuses take over. It’s a practical guide rooted in timeless fundamentals: clarity, focus, and execution.

Executive Takeaway: Your effectiveness is defined by what you choose to start with. When you consistently attack the hardest, highest-impact work first, everything else in your day, and your business, falls into place.

“One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all.”

— Brian Tracy

The problem you keep avoiding doesn’t get smaller because you ignore it. It usually gets bigger. If you spend your mornings knocking out easy tasks while the hard problem sits there, you’re not getting ahead. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most, while your mind is sharp and your willpower is high, and…before you fill your time with excuses. Do the hard thing first. Every. Single. Day.

🎓 MASTER Rule No. 27 —Do the hard things first.

  • When to Apply | Red Flags
  • Rule Overview
  • Ask the Right Questions
  • Contrarian View
  • Actionable Strategies
  • Real World Scenarios
  • Leadership Team Discussion
  • Rules to Results Workshop
  • The Right Track | Green Flags
  • Key Terms
  • Book Summary
  • Author Links
  • Executive Insights
  • Worth Watching
  • Related Reading

October 2026

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Class begins Monday, January 4, 2027, with each Rule being built out as we go. Each will contain the study sections listed above and will continue to evolve through your contributions. As business leaders continue to challenge these ideas, the Institute becomes more and more valuable, not because it’s finished, but because it never will be.

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