Eat that frog :Brain Tracy ( Book summary)

 Quick Summary

Just like waves of the ocean, as you get immersed in tasks and responsibilities; newer ones show up. This is why you need to be picky. Always start with the bigger, more important tasks. The author used a live frog to create an analogy for this. If you have to eat a live frog -do an important task-, you better do it now, and not spend time looking at it. The key to being successful is working on one task at a time. The book consists of 21 strategies that the author believes are the road to success.

A myriad of studies showed that what makes successful people who they are is that they take action immediately. Many people hold countless meetings and make brilliant plans, but don't get the job done. To become productive, you must learn the habit of being productive. Practicing not to procrastinate, to set priorities and to tackle your most important task needs expertise. You must do such things multiple times until it becomes automatic.

Completing an important task triggers endorphin release in your body which, surprisingly, can get you addicted! What's better than being addicted to completing unfinished tasks? Nothing! Completing tasks, eventually, becomes easier than not completing them. Moreover, the three Ds to success is the decision to get the job done, discipline to do all that it takes to get the job done and determination until the job is done. Finally, you must visualize yourself as that successful person you dream to be. When you overcome procrastination and get your tasks done quickly; you accelerate on the road to success!

Set the Table

What's the first step a lion does to hunt lunch? That's right, choosing the prey. You must be clear about your target; then start working towards it with no deviation. Not only clarity towards your goal but also towards the steps needed to achieve it. There are 7 crucial stens that vou can follow to increase your productivity in a short time. The first step; decide on what you want. What's worse that can happen to a lion than chasing the wrong gazelle? The second step; write it down.

Writing your goal on paper gives it energy, makes it clear and makes it devoid it from impreciseness. Third step; set a deadline. What makes a lion so successful in hunting prey? It needs to hunt it NOW! The fourth step; make a list of the needed steps towards achieving your goal. The fifth step; organize the list. This turns it from merely a list into a plan. Organization should be according to priority and sequence.

This has to be done until the task is divided into smaller individual assignments; making it easier for accomplishment. The sixth step; take action immediately, not tomorrow, now in a few hours, NOW! The seventh step; decide to do something towards your goal everyday. Whether it's learning a few words in a new language or reading a few pages. What matters is once you start; don't stop. Small progress is still progress.

Plan Every Day in Advance

What's the easiest way to eat an elephant? Break it down into smaller pieces. This is how it works with goals. Breaking down your goal into smaller tasks is your most efficient way of overcoming procrastination. In addition, you have to start working with a well put plan. Not just any plan; the six P formula will save a lot of confusion throughout the day. It goes like this; proper prior planning prevents poor performance.

Writing down your tasks for the next day levels up your productivity by 25%. Your lists should be sub leveled; monthly weekly and daily. You transfer items from this list to that to create the most productive day you can think of. If you have a project to be done, the first step you should do is to write every single step that needs to be done to meet your goal. As you work through these steps, tick off the ones you accomplished which will make you feel more in control.

Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything

Imagine having important emails to read, and having to go to the supermarket to buy groceries. Without a doubt reading the emails is more important and valuable. This is the 80/20 rule; 80% of your tasks account for 20% of the value of what you do. You must always begin with the important tasks, the task that is worth all the other tasks put together.

People naturally procrastinate important tasks and make themselves busy with the less important ones. That's why they sometimes give you the illusion of being busy; without actually accomplishing anything of real value. Always start with the important tasks, motivate yourself by visualizing yourself getting it done.

Consider the Consequences

Successful people greatly consider the time factor in their decisions. After all. a company that can maintain its success in 20 years from now is better than a company who makes more revenue in the meantime but will vanish in a matter of 5 years. A crucial task will automatically have long term potential consequences with some short term sacrifices. Are you willing to make the deal? You should always start with the task that has the largest potential positive or negative consequences. Keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself of the positive impact such a task will have on your life. Don't let your mind fool you into thinking that you don't have time; as according to the law of forced efficiency, you always have time to do the most important things. Cramming all you work for the last minute could help you finish it; as proved by studies but most often this leads to huge losses that you might need to redo it. What's better is, organizing your work earlier and allowing time for delays.

Practice Creative Procrastination

What if you have many frogs that you got to eat on the same day? Eat the big one first. This is the difference between successful people and failures; everyone procrastinates, just choose what to procrastinate on. You must learn the skill of saying no! Say no to everything that is not worth your time, that doesn't add anything towards your goal.Cut down on time-consuming activities that don't add value to your life; like television watching. Replace that with more important tasks like reading.

Use the ABCDE Method Continually

Too many frogs? ABCDE method! As the name implies; A is your most important frog. B is a task you should do but won't severely affect your life if it isn't done. In other words, it's a should not a must. C is a task that would be nice to do but won't affect your life by any means. D is a task you can assign to somebody else. E is a task you can abolish and won't have an impact on your life. Youmust have the required strictness to start immediatelyand not to stop until you're done.

Focus on Key Result Areas

When a lion hunts a gazelle down it doesn't think of killing it; it breaks down the job into simpler and easy to do tasks. For example, it thinks of needing to bite down its neck first, the wounding its feet and so on. Every job can be divided into five to seven key result areas.

You have to pinpoint your key result area, it is the most important output of your job; like establishing new accounts for a salesperson. Mastering all your key result areas is the key to a successful outcome. Prepare Thoroughly Before You Begin Just like when you prepare a meal, you allow everything to bein reach before starting to save

time and effort.   

Same goes with working; make sure that you have everything in reach before starting even if clearing your desk means putting everything on the floor momentarily. Your workspace must be enjoyable; spend time to makeyour workspace as comfortable as possible so that when you start, nothing can stop you! Body language plays its role in task finishing; always sit straight, with feet flat on the floor, back forward and away from the chair. Start, even you don't get it right. Do 80% of the job then correct it later. Don't let fear have its way into your mind.

Take It One Oil Barrel at a Time

There's an old saying that goes like "A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step" dividing a huge task that you have into smaller steps can be a great way to overcome procrastination and to guarantee success. All in all, success is summarized in 1. Taking the first step and 2. Taking one step at a time.

Upgrade Your Key Skills Another key to success is to never stop learning, after all, if you're not getting better you're getting worse. Work on your deficient areas and always try to be the best you can be. Never stop learning. Starting a task you're already good at is the ultimate motivator there is. Everything is learnable, with the proper effort and time.

There are three key steps to become a master in your field. First, read in your field for 60 minutes every day. After that, oblige yourself to attend all the courses and seminars available in that can teach you skills that will make you better in your field. Finally, listen to educational audio programs in your car to make use of the endless time spent in traffic everyday.

Leverage Your Special Talents

Like a sailor or a farmer, each knows his best skill and nourishes it with training and knowledge to become the best they can be. Take time to know your unique values; and then nourish them. Always start and concentrate on tasks that you get the most compliments for, the ones you enjoy doing, most importantly the ones that you think have the greatest and most positive impact on your world.

Identify Your Key Constraints

Every person has a limiting factor that holds them back from reaching their goals, like a lion and its poacher. To become successful, you must clearly consider such factor and work to alleviate it. Like a lion works its way deceiving the poacher; you must concentrate all your mental abilities to get rid of the limiting factors to be able to work towards your goal. 80% of limiting factors are internal; like qualities or abilities. 20% are external; like competitors. Youmust take your time to identify the correct chokepoint, so as not spend time and money in correcting something that's not the key limiting factor of your failure.

Put the Pressure on Yourself

Waiting for motivation that will never come is like waiting for a bus on the street that's not coming. You must learn the trait of putting the pressure on yourself, of becoming a leader. Your self-esteem is your reputation with yourself. Make it a habit to work a little late. Allow yourself to thrive, imagine you must leave town tomorrow, what are the things you'll make sure that they're finished before you leave?

Maximize Your Personal Powers

A machine needs fuel to work; your body needs food, water and REST. Productivity declines after the ninth hour of work, working for long hours can

mean accomplishing less in more time Identify your most productive hours of the day and don't stay up late if you don't find yourself productive. Go to bed early and take regular vacations to assure a productive lifestyle. Eat healthily and incorporate fitness sessions into your schedule. As easy and simple this may sound; this can be what's standing between you and your life goals. Motivate Yourself into Action

Talk to yourself positively. Interpret anything that happens to you positively. Become an OPTIMIST. Refuse to let any external circumstances affect your inner mood. Repeat phrases like "I feel terrific" and "I can do it"until you actually start believing them yourself. Becoming an optimist is a learnable trait, and it can affect every aspect of your life. To become an optimist; you need to look for the good in every situation, look for the valuable lesson in every failure and always look for a solution to every dilemma. Optimists always think and talk about their goals. They always think what's the next step, what they should do to achieve such a goal.

Get out of the Technological Time Sinks

Similar to a sword with double ended blades; technology can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Some of the world's greatest businessmen take time outs of their connected devices and on the other hand, some are always communicating with everybody. The key is to have your life under your own control. Never become too immersed in this virtual life, learn from and most importantly enjoy the current moment, anything else can wait. Learn to delegate the unimportant tasks to someone else.

This can be very beneficial to increase the value of your performed tasks by saving yourself a couple of hours each day. Refuse to become a slave of technology, just because somebody wants to communicate with you now, doesn't mean you owe him a part of your time. Means of communication should become your slave and not your master. Technology is here to make our lives easier, not to make us breathless and busy 24/7. Keep in mind this; if it's important, someone will inform you, if it's not, it's not worth your time.

Slice and Dice the Task

A big task and don't know where to start? Salami method! Break down your large task into smaller 'salami' pieces; then dedicate all your efforts into one slice of salami at a time. As you go through the slices, you will find yourself eager to finish the task. Another method of completing big tasks is the Swiss cheese method.

Just like you punch a hole in the cheese; you should punch a hole in your task. This gives you an insight into what you should do and gives you a push that can be helpful the next time you tackle

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