First, Eat Your Frog: And Other Pearls for Professional Working Mothers

by Elizabeth Kagan Arleo

FIRST, EAT YOUR FROG is a meticulously referenced book presenting eight lessons (or "pearls") learned by a successful woman in medicine--Dr. Elizabeth Kagan Arleo. Benefits to the reader include improved work-life integration; more easeful relationships at work with colleagues and at home with family; better time management in both spheres; and core tenets for thriving as a professional working mother.   The chapters cover eight key lessons the author has learned in her ongoing journey as a mother of three, practicing physician, and editor-in-chief of Clinical Imaging , 1.     Eat your frog 2.     168 hours--you have more time that you think 3.     If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail 4.     Remember the pre-meeting meeting 5.     Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good 6.     Stop over-apologizing 7.     It doesn't hurt to ask politely 8.     Have a growth mindset   In FIRST, EAT YOUR FROG, Dr. Arleo gives ample credit to the authors and mentors who inspired the lessons and provides explicit guidance -- and highly entertaining stories -- to help readers move toward less overwhelm and more work-life balance.

151 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2023

Reviews

[Elisabeth Valienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, but you can absolutely tell that the author is a medical professional. It's so dry... I couldn't focus enough on it to actually get anything useful out of it.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brief book offers 8 pearls of wisdom for professional working mothers. While none of the advice was revolutionary, it was well-researched, well-organized, and easy to read. I will definitely be returning to some of Arleo's advice, such as her organizational tools. I particularly love the idea "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" as this is one I struggle with professionally and personally. Though many of her examples are from the health field, I was able to easily apply them to the education field. I will be reading some of her suggestions and recommending this quick read to friends.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be quite helpful, even as someone who doesn’t have children. The book is easy to read with well thought out references and a well-organized structure. I work in a healthcare field so some of the references to healthcare organizations were more familiar to me, but I think she does a good job providing context for those who are not in healthcare. The book provides useful next steps that I plan to put into action to calm some of the chaos in my life.

[LA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I am realizing I am not especially interested in the "random person shares what they have learned in life in a list" genre of books at this point in my life and was hoping for something a bit more scientific from a doctor. That said, I didn't find any of the advice majorly problematic and it did have fun-mom-group-text vibes, so I would probably recommend it to certain friends.

[Amy Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So similar to my approach, except a Civil Engineer instead of a radiologist.

[Hunter Cochran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the small phrases from this book that really stick with you. Very easy to implement into your life. Great for busy working women!! Many typos