Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
Summary
Brian Tracy is a management/personal development speaker. Eat That Frog is a simple method to prioritize your work.
Simply put, evaluate what needs to be done, prioritize, and then don't stop till you finish the most important one. Repeat.
Notes on Eat That Frog
1. Set the table.
1a. Decide exactly what you want.
1b. Write it down.
1c. Set a deadline on your goal.
1d. Make a list of all substeps.
1e. Organize the list into a plan.
1f. Take action on the plan immediately.
1g. resolve to do something every day that moves you towards your goal.
2. Plan every day in advance.
= Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
- Master List
- Monthly List
- Weekly List
- Daily List
3. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything.
- Pareto principle 80/20
- Resist the temptation to clear up small things first.
Time management = Life management.
4. Consider the consequences.
- Long term thinking improves short-term decision making.
- Future intent influences and often determines present actions.
- Failures do what is "tension relieving", while winners do what is "goal achieving".
5. Practice the ABCDE method continually.
A = must do tasks
B = should do tasks
C = nice to do tasks
D = delegate tasks
E = eliminate tasks
6. Focus on key result areas.
- Why am I on the payroll?
- Your weakest key result area sets the height at which you can use all your other skills and abilities.
7. Obey the law of forced efficiency.
- "There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.
8. Prepare thoroughly before you begin.
- Clean work area
- All the required tools.
9. Do your homework.
- "Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field."
10. Leverage your special talents.
- Focus on your best abilities.
11. Identify your key constraints.
12. Take it one barrel at a time.
- Oil drums to cross the desert - one step at a time.
13. Put the pressure on yourself.
- You have to leave for an all-expense paid vacation tomorrow!
14. Maximize your personal powers.
- Sleep enough
- One day a week: absolute vacation.
15. Motivate yourself into action.
- Look for the good.
- Seek the valuable lesson in every setback.
- Look for the solution to every problem.
16. Practice creative procrastination.
- You can get your time and your life under control only to the degree to which you discontinue lower value activities.
17. Do the most difficult task first.
- List everything you have to do.
- Review with ABCDE, 80/20
- Select A1
- Assemble everything needed
- Clear workspace
- Eat that frog.
18. Slice and dice the task.
- Salami slice - fixed units of work. at a time
- Swiss cheese method - fixed units of time at regular intervals.
19. Create large chunks of time.
- Set aside time for specific work.
20. Develop a sense of urgency.
- Get that mental state of "Flow"
- Develop a bias for action.
21. Single handle every task
- Start a high-priority task and persist till its 100% done.