Eat that Frog

Being productive is the most essential element we need to accomplish our goal. However, if you think about it, are all of us productive? Whether each one of us is able to achieve our goal? The answer is simply no. So, what makes us go away from our goals? It’s our inability to plan effectively. It’s our inability to focus our attention. In short, it’s our procrastination. The author, Brian Tracy, gives us 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and achieve our goals in a shorter period of time.

He begins by establishing clear and specific goals. In order to succeed, first we should determine exactly what we need. "If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster," as said by Stephen Covey. It is essential that we put our goals down in writing. Writing down our objectives gives us something tangible to work toward. There's power in it. Unstated objectives may lead misunderstandings and misdirection. In order to make our ideas instantly absorbed by our subconscious mind, the author advises using the present tense, the positive voice, and the first-person singular while writing our goals. A few examples are, "I will earn x rupees this year" or "I will gain or reduce x kg of weight in three months." After the goal has been written, it's time to assign a deadline. If there are multiple goals, first choose the one that, if accomplished, will have the biggest positive impact on life. After that, get to work on it.

Planning comes next. Brian Tracy advises us to schedule each day ahead of time. Bringing the future into the present through planning allows us to take action now. The 10/90 rule, which states that the first 10% of time we spend planning and organizing our work before we start will save us up to 90% of the time in finishing the task after we get started, is one of the most significant guidelines for personal effectiveness. The first thing we should do is compile a master list of all the activities we wish to do at some point in the future. Second, we ought to have the monthly to-do list for the upcoming month, which we create at the end of each month. Thirdly, we have to create a weekly list in which we pre-plan our full week. Lastly, we need to add items to our daily list from our weekly and monthly lists. These are the particular tasks that we plan to complete the next day. These steps seems to be unnecessary. However, as the day progresses and we cross tasks off our list, it gives us a sense of accomplishment and gives us energy.

It is possible to argue that there isn't enough time. However, as long as we manage our time well, we always have enough of it. If we look, we will see that eighty percent of our outcomes come from twenty percent of our tasks. This implies that, out of 10 tasks on our list, two will end up being valued far more than the remaining eight combined. The hardest and most complex things we can perform on a daily basis are frequently the most valuable ones. But there can be huge benefits and payoffs for finishing these jobs quickly. Therefore, if there are still jobs in the top twenty percent that need to be completed, we must decline to work on those in the bottom eighty percent. One must ask oneself, "Is this task in the top 20 percent of our activities or in the bottom 80 percent?". We can get our time and our lives under control only to the degree to which we discontinue lower-value activities.

One of the important techniques, the author says, to avoid procrastination is the ABCD method. As soon as we create a work list, we need to put an A, B, C, D, or E next to each task or activity. Select the A task and begin it immediately. The key point is that we should not do anything else until this one task is complete. The first rule of success is concentration: focus all of your energy on one goal and move straight towards it while keeping your eyes fixed on the present. 

There is a ton of information in this book about how to focus on your goals and avoid putting things off. It also covers topics like how to use technology as a servant, improve our key skills, inspire ourselves to take action, and engage in creative procrastination. Every chapter is concise and short. The author's message is easily understood by all, thanks to the simple wording. The fact that some elements in this book were repeated bothered me as a drawback.

When I heard the book name, the first thing that came to mind was, What is this book name? Why did the author keep this name? What is the frog he is referring to? As I read the book, I discovered the answers. I hope you pick up on the author's pulse as well and put the strategies he discusses in this book into practice.

Enjoy reading!