Midweek Special: Book Summary Series One

Eat that frog: 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time

Author: Brian Tracy
Chapters: 21
Pages: 145
Genre: Personal Development
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Hello, 😊 welcome to my blog and to this book summary! I do hope you had a safe landing.

This period is a wonderful time to be alive 'cos there has never been so many opportunities for our goals than what exists now. We are however overwhelmed with a pool of choices to make, too much to do, and too little time. Sadly enough, we give up or procrastinate.

What then needs to be done?

We need to be selective and choose the most important task at the moment, get started on it, and accomplish it well and quickly. Has the thought crossed your mind about the relation between 'eating a frog' and 'stopping procrastination'? Well, your 'frog' is the biggest, most important task which you're likely to procrastinate on if you don't do something about it.

The golden rules of 'eating a frog' states:

• If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first
• If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn't pay to sit and look at it for very long

We need to be selective and choose the most important task at the moment, get started on it, and accomplish it well and quickly.

To avoid procrastination, you'll need to:

• Take action immediately: Effective people are those who launch directly into their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily single-mindedly until those tasks are complete.
• Develop the habits of success: The habit of setting priorities, overcoming procrastination, and getting on with your most important skill is a mental and physical skill.
• Develop a positive addiction: The desire to always complete the most important tasks is one of the most important secrets of success.
• No shortcuts: Practice is the key to mastering any skill and you must be ready to give yourself in. 

Three qualities are needed to develop the habits of focus and concentration. They are decisions, discipline, and, determination. The Three D's of Habit Formation.

• Visualize yourself as you want to be: See yourself as that person who gets important jobs done well and quickly. This mental picture of yourself has a powerful effect on your behavior

CHAPTER ONE: SET THE TABLE

Hey reader! You probably have known what it means to 'eat a frog', however, you need to be 'clear' on which frog to eat before you dine. Only about 3 percent of adults have clear, written goals, and these people accomplish five to ten times as much as their equals or people with better education who have never taken the time to write out exactly what they want. Here's a great rule for success: Think on paper!

Only about 3 percent of adults have clear, written goals, and these people accomplish five to ten times as much as their equals or people with better education who have never taken the time to write out exactly what they want.

You can set and achieve your goals by using this formula comprising seven simple steps:

• Decide exactly what you want; your goals and objectives
• Write it down
• Set a deadline on your goals; set sub deadlines if necessary
• Make a list of everything you can think of to achieve your goal
• Organize the list into a plan; prioritize and sequence
• Take action on your plan immediately
• Resolve to do something every single day that moves you towards your major goal
• These should set your ball rolling into the court of success!

CHAPTER  TWO: PLAN EVERYDAY IN ADVANCE

Yipee!!! The table is set; my frogs all laid out 😄
Have you heard the old question, "How do you eat an elephant"? The answer is " One bite at a time". Eating your biggest, ugliest frog is done by breaking it into a specific step by step activities and going one after the other. Your mind, ability to think, plan, and decide is your most powerful tool for overcoming procrastination and increasing your productivity. You must note that your ability to make good plans before you act is a measure of your overall competence.

The six P formula says "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance". The way you plan your activities proves to be very helpful in increasing your productivity. Hard, is it? Nope, not at all. All you need is just a pen and a paper.

The first 10 percent of the time you spend planning and organizing your work before you begin will save you as much as 90 percent of the time in getting the job done once you get started.

Teach yourself to work from a list as it causes a 25 percent increase in your productivity (about two hours a day). The more time you take to make a written list of everything you have to do, the more effective and efficient you will be.

If however, you have a project of any kind, begin by making a list of every step that you will have to complete to finish the project, then organize the steps by priority and sequence.

One of the most important rules of personal effectiveness is the 10/90 rule which says that the first 10 percent of the time you spend planning and organizing your work before you begin will save you as much as 90 percent of the time in getting the job done once you get started.

As you work steadily through your lists, you will develop a positive forward momentum that enables you to overcome procrastination.

...to be continued...