Book Summary | Eat That Frog
Do What You Can Do Tomorrow
The eye-catching title and The appeal lies in the fact that we are all guilty of putting off to tomorrow.
Last-minute panics
Rushing to complete tasks that we should have taken care of much earlier.
We don’t give our 100% to complete the task what we had to complete today itself. It helps us getting through that tendency to delay and put-off or tasks.
Top tips to overcome procrastination and what is needed to be done.
Why the Title – “EAT THAT FROG” – used as a metaphor for unpleasant tasks.
The Rules For Eating Frogs
Most of us might turn green at just the thought of eating frogs. Even non-vegetarians do not prefer eating amphibians/frogs.
“GET IT OFF YOUR PLATE FIRST” – Brian Tracy
This eases the meal as you are off to get on with the rest of your meal, once you choked down the frog
You get most unpleasant part of the day, out of the way!
“Instead of Delaying it, get it done first, EAT THE FROG AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE” – Brian Tracy
It seems easy to listen, but actually it is’nt. So, he comes up with certain rules for eating frogs.
2 rules-
Rule 1- When you have more than one frog on your plate
Which one to pick..? – the Ugliest and the Biggest i.e. you should begin with the tougher challenge first, when you are surrounded by multiple challenges.
To boost up your moral for accomplishing the rule one, he takes you to Rule 2.
Rule 2 – Don’t spend too much time looking at the frog you have to eat.
JUST GULP IT DOWN. If you are stuck with a tough assignment, HUNKER DOWN AND JUST GET IT DONE !
There is no profit in delaying the inevitable, it puts you in loss instead. There are innumerable benefits in swallowing your frogs quickly.
Result-
You now realize that by giving your entire attention to that super difficult and super important task, you have completed it. You have tackled the toughtest item of you to-do list, which gives you motivation to work even more. Now, the other tasks look much easier.
How to Think On Paper
Mental list of sorts v written list of goals
5-10x more efficient inspite of latter’s better education and abilities
Step 1- Decide what you want to achieve and what is expected of you
This becomes easy to decide if you ask you family, friends, boos or partner
Step 2- Jot-down your goals and objectives.
Step 3- Refine your thoughts so that the goals are clear.
Step 4- Shuffle these as per you priorities and importance, Don’t forget to set deadlines.
Step 5- Now, make a list of everything you need to do to achieve you targets. (Short-term goals)
Step 6- Frame the list into a Plan.
Plan includes- WHAT you need to do, by WHEN you need to do and How to do.
Your thoughts and thinking pushes you to a higher gear, it focuses your attention to what really matters and your thinking expands to include new possibilities and now, you are in position to EDIT, REFRAME and REFINE your ideas.
Writing your goals Solidifies you dreams into Intentions.
It’s easy for you to see, review and remembers, keeps you motivated so that you keep going even at times when you don’t want to.
It helps you eat the most unpalatable frogs, and pushes you nearer to your goals.
Review you goals every day.
It is not easy at times, but when you see items ticked and getting off your to-do list, you feel bliss! TRY IT, FEEL IT!
Making a Case for Clarity
Uncertainty equals unproductivity. Seek clarity, says Brian Tracy, in everything you do and understand the implications of what you are doing. Successful people have a clear sense of purpose at all times.
Think about your role at work do you know exactly what you are supposed to be doing? What are your responsibilities? What does your chain of command look like (above and below)?
Remember, Slightest ambiguity = Ineffective Management. Therefore, Seeking Clarity is necessary.
You need to know, what you have to accomplish and how it impacts those around you? For this, you need to have all-important conversations with the people who matter.
You cannot achieve goals if you are not clear about it. Sense of Purpose is the key to success that most successful people know about. They make sure that they do not deviate from their path and that, they are moving in the right direction as they ensure that they are following the self created roadmap to achieve their goals.
Your successive work depends on whether you have the clarity on your role and in just how what you do, makes the difference. Get that sorted and then, Get to work!
High Value, High Return Tasks
Are your daily agendas superpacked? Even with all the clarity on your role and deliverables? How do you prioritise?
“You need to pick out three that will have the most positive impact on your life and your career” – Tracy
Because 90% of what you contribute to your organization comes from the top three tasks. No matter what they are and what your role. Once you prioritize all three of them, train all your attention on them. You need not waste you energy any more on the other tasks. Your focus from now, needs to be only on these high value, high return tasks. And you see, That’s it! All your work is done, and you head towards productivity.
Let us understand this concept with an example-
A girl named Cynthia, who followed Tracy’s coaching, did just this! Cynthia had – 8 years of working, 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week in a tech company had left her drained with no time for her personal life. She listed down all her tasks and prioritized three out of them. She had a word with her boss to take away the other extraneous responsibilities and assured that if she only concentrated on the top three, she was confident of doubling her contribution to the organization. She also laid down a condition along with her words, that if she proves herself, she wanted her pay to be doubled as well. With all her attention upon her 3 key tasks, within the next month she doubled her contribution. Now, she had to work just normal hours, 5 days a week, no extra work load and her pay doubled!
Tracy recommends always to adding 20% to your estimate of how long a task will take. So, you now no need to focus upon low-value, low returns tasks. Switch to High- value and high return tasks. Utilise you energy in the right option. Remember eating the Biggest frogs first? Yea! That’s exactly you need to do here.
Well Prepared is Half Done
A comman defence we all have used when we don’t want to start a new task is “I am just not ready” or “I don’t have all the things I need for it”. Especially, if it is difficult, time consuming or boring.
We must not allow any sort of excuses that are eager to pop in our minds. Once you have set your goals, you must get to work in making preparations to accomplish them.
1. Gather all the material you would need.
2. Assemble it to one easy to access place.
3. Bonus points to you! If you arrange them in an order at a clean place.
4. Make sure you have everything you need in your hand and you do not have any unnecessary things around you.
5. You need to clear out all irrelevant and distracting materials. Stay away from distractions when you are hard at work.
6. From stationery to information, from ingredients to equipment gather all the material you may require.
7. Make sure you have no reason to get up once you sit down to your job.
8. Make you workplace as neat as possible. Because your surrounding has an impact on you.
9. Everything on your table should relate to only the single task you are up to tackle.
Preparation means- taking out extra time and it takes discipline, but it’s worth it. When you have everything little thing arranged, you are able to focus on the task in hand.
Just remember, you are here to eat frogs!
One Step at a Time
How do you go about a challenging project? Apply the rule 1 and bam, there you are! Get that unpleasant task out of the way first thing in the morning. But it is quite genuine to feel swamped if you have to eat frogs everyday.
You take up on big, difficult and immensely important tasks every morning, having done exactly that the previous day as well. It would be much simpler to throw your hands up and say you’re done.
But you can’t do that. Precisely because these big tasks are so very important. What’s the way then?
Take a deep breathe, go over your lists, identify the key tasks and do all the preparation work. Do not get overwhelmed by what you have to achieve and do not put off a task waiting for the right moment in which to begin because, there never is a perfect moment!
There will be no magical alignment of stars to guide you on you way. Well, Tracy has a way to help you get started.
Step 1- Pull out you list of incomplete and long-pending goals or project.
Step 2- Select any one and make another list of steps to complete the task.
Step 3- Complete any one of the steps on the list.
Sometimes, all it takes to get started is ticking off one item on the list. The sense of achievement keeps you going!
Once you do start, Do not Stop! To look what over you have done or to correct or revise it. Just focus on making a significant dent in your work.
‘The revision can wait till you’re about 80% done.”- Tracy
It may not be perfect the first time or even the first few times. But it does not matters. What matters it that YOU MADE A START!
It’s Time For a Digital Detox
It is easy to get lost in the maze of digital distractions today. Do you reach for your phone even before your eyes are fully open in the morning? Do you find yourself spending time way too much on social media than you intended? Do you finish your work and stay up late binge-watching shows?
If you answered yes, to any of these questions, it’s time to get a digital detox. You need to log out, disconnect, switch-off and take a break from all your devices right away. Technology is dangerously addictive. Studies say that people check their smartphones 85 times a day, which is twice as often as people estimated. This activity is a hude hindrance to productivity.
Tracy says that it takes 17 minutes to shift attention back to work after an internet distraction. It is also a great enabler to avoid doing anything you don’t want to.
Hours easily slip by as you switch from site to site as one link leads to another. What’s the alternative then? We obviously cannot quit our devices forever. Therefore, technology should be made our slave, not master.
1- Unsubscribe from the feeds that are a drain on your time.
2- Check your e-mail only twice a day.
3- Block distracting websites.
4- Close all non-work-related tabs on your computer when you are at work.
5- Disable notifications from social media.
6- Use the power of technology for good by downloading and learning to use apps and programs that improve productivity and efficiency.
7- Blocking large chunks of time on your digital calendar to complete tasks and projects. People who see this as a blocked slots on your calendar will automatically schedule shorter meetings with you.
8- Use social media to promote your life goals and issues that are near to your heart. Rather, than scrolling aimlessly through other people’s feed and feel bad about what you are missing.
9. Practice tech cleanses.
10. Switch off all devices for short periods everyday.
You will find yourself – calmer, sleeping better, more productive and improved work-life balance.
Worried about missing crucial updates? “If it is really important, someone will tell you.”- Brian Tracy
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