21 Fantastic Ways to Stop Postponing and Complete More Tasks in Less Time From Eat that Frog Book Summary
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How frequently do you feel like you put off doing tasks? Is it possible to overcome your procrastination tendencies?
Imagine having to consume a live frog in the morning. Most likely, it will be the worst thing you do all day. This adage is used by Eat That Frog! as a metaphor for taking on your toughest assignments of the day. You are frequently most prone to put off completing these duties. But these are also the ones that will probably have the biggest impact on your life. Eat That Frog! offers 21 suggestions for structuring your life so that you may “eat that frog” more frequently and quickly.
Brian Tracy
The CEO and Chairman of Brian Tracy International is Brian Tracy. For both individuals and businesses, Brian Tracy International specialises in training and development. He has spent 30 years conducting research, writing, speaking, and writing in the fields of business, philosophy, psychology, and economics.
Brian held the position of Chief Operating Officer for a $265 million development company before to starting his own business. Prior to that, he held positions in management consulting, real estate development, and sales and marketing. Additionally, he has provided organisational development and strategic planning advice to a number of multibillion dollar businesses.
In order to assist both people and business leaders actively change procrastinating habits, Tracy wrote Eat That Frog in 2001. Today, the book is regarded as a global bestseller after selling over 450,000 copies. We’ve outlined the key points for readers below.
Place the table.
Productivity depends on clarity. Being clear about your goals is one of the best strategies to boost your productivity and efficiency. Your productivity will increase immediately if you can set clear goals and stick to them.
Setting the table refers to outlining your goals. Basically, this methodical procedure aids in the setting and accomplishment of relevant life goals.
- Choose what you desire. You can decide to discuss this with your boss or on your own.
- Put this choice in writing. Thinking out loud is what this is.
- Set a deadline and use sub-deadlines for this objective. Without deadlines, you can set goals without any urgency.
- List all the supporting duties necessary to attaining your life’s objectives. Continually add to this list as time goes on.
- Create a plan from your list of supporting tasks. The sequence in which you will finish the tasks should be taken into account in this strategy. Make a graphic representation of this plan as well.
- Implement your plan right now.
- Do something every day that advances you closer to your ultimate objectives. Include these objectives in your daily planning.
These actions help you stay motivated and stimulate your creativity. Importantly, they aid in increasing your productivity and decreasing your procrastination.
Make daily preparations
Your mentality, more than anything else, is what will help you beat procrastination. Your thinking, planning, and decision-making are guided by your mind. Your success will be greatly impacted by your capacity to set objectives, make strategies, and take action. Simply thinking and planning can have a good impact on your life. Specifically, planning and thinking boost energy and unleash your brain’s potential.
The significance of good planning is outlined by the Six-P formula. Correct Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance is the formula.
Making a list of each step needed to finish a task or project is the greatest method for planning. Make sure this list includes each and every stage, from start to finish. Next, order these stages such that the most important ones are at the top. Each of these actions ought to be included in a comprehensive plan. View the entire list of tasks in order of priority as you relax. After completing this, you should begin implementing this strategy, one task at a time.
An Approach to Planning in Steps
- Publish a list. Everything you need to accomplish before completing the goals in this plan should be on this list.
- Use a list as a guide. Your point of reference should be your list. You should always add new necessary tasks to the list as you think of them. Even if the task needs to be done right away, you should still put it to the list first.
- Think ahead. Make sure to start planning out your initial strategy well in advance. Try drafting your plan, for instance, no later than the previous evening. Your subconscious mind will be able to process this plan overnight thanks to this preparation. The next morning will be filled with brilliant thoughts.
- Refresh your list. Move undone tasks to your list for the next day while you continue to work on your plan.
Each of these actions is appropriate for the four distinct kinds of lists:
- Everything on your master list that you want to do in the future. This list includes every notion you have had and every duty that arises.
- The master list is used to populate the monthly list, which is used for monthly planning.
- Weekly List – This list is updated during the week and is used for weekly planning.
- This list is for your daily tasks. Mark tasks off as you finish them.
Apply the 80/20 Rule
Numerous occurrences fall under the 80/20 rule. Planning is the same way. You will get 80% of your results from 20% of your activity. Similar to this, the following ideas follow the 80/20 rule:
80 percent of your sales will be generated by 20 percent of your customers.
80 percent of your profits will come from just 20 percent of your goods or services.
The assignment known as the “frog” is the most important and will increase your chances of success. In particular, these tasks add five or 10 times as much value as the others. You will receive a frog every day. However, these assignments are frequently the most challenging to finish and comprehend.
As a result, it is crucial to allocate resources to these duties. When you still have jobs in the top 20% to complete, you should decline to focus on the bottom 80%. You can train yourself to focus on the most important things first by doing this regularly over time.
Think About The Effects of Your Tasks
Learning to foresee your next frog is most successful when you take into account the results of your activities. Additionally, it enables you to have a more detailed strategy for your long-term future. People who can manage their future objectives by taking the effects of their present goals into account are more likely to succeed.
You should think about how you and your team manage your time. Your Time Horizon is the way you view time. Your actions and decisions are significantly influenced by the Time Horizon. People who make decisions with the long term in mind typically do better and lead more happy lives.
For performance in the immediate term, long-term planning is essential. Successful people have the ability to postpone gratification. Long-term success is supported by short-term sacrifices.
To increase productivity and start eating your most important frogs first, ask yourself the following three questions:
- What are the activities I value the most?
- What can I—and I alone—do that, if done effectively, will actually make a difference?
- What is the best thing I could be doing with my time right now?
Put the ABCDE Method to use.
You can choose which jobs to put off by using the ABCDE approach, which is a prioritisation method. Everyone delays doing things. The fundamental reason why people choose to put off some chores determines whether they succeed or fail.
Priorities must be set, but so must posteriorities. Your top priorities are the things you need to get done right away and regularly. In contrast, posteriorities are things that you don’t have to accomplish right away. It’s not totally up to posteriorities to determine your success.
Using the ABCDE method, you can priorities your tasks after listing all of the things you have to get done that day.
A – The most important tasks are those that you must complete. You can further sub-prioritize these frogs by giving them the letters A1, A2, and so on. These frogs are your life.
B – things you ought to do. These, according to Brian, are tadpoles.
C – tasks that are great to complete.
D – Delegable activities that will allow you to concentrate more on the A duties
E – tasks that you can cross off your list. They are activities that once had significance but are no longer necessary.
Always work on your A1 projects first thing in the morning. Complete these duties as soon as possible.
Emphasize key outcome areas
The area of work for which you bear complete responsibility are known as key result areas. This work won’t get done if you don’t complete it. Additionally, these tasks’ output is essential for their input into other people’s tasks. These workspaces are necessary for you and your team to function effectively as a consequence.
By making a list of your most important output tasks, you can pinpoint significant outcome areas. Take into account the outputs required by others to begin particular jobs. To have a better understanding of what outputs are essential to finish their work, you can ask for advice from others. You must score yourself on a scale of one to ten in each of these important result areas after identifying them.
One indicates that you are really weak in this area, while ten indicates that you are incredibly strong in this area. The height at which you can employ all of your other skills and abilities is determined by your weakest key result area.
Follow the Rule of Forced Efficiency
To do everything you want to achieve each day is challenging. There might be a time limit on you. There can be interruptions or unexpected priorities. Or you might simply not perform at the same level of productivity every day. That is why it’s crucial to complete the item that takes up the most space on your daily to-do list. You will always be further forward today than yesterday if you can complete the most important task each day.
Every tadpole and frog in the pond cannot be eaten. However, it is conceivable to make sure you consume the largest and most repulsive frog in the pond. You’ll position yourself for ongoing success if you do this.
Complete Your Preparation Before Eating
Procrastination can be avoided by making preparations in advance. Having everything you need on hand before starting a task will help you do it more quickly.
The following advice will help you get ready to eat your biggest frogs:
- Make sure your workspace and desk are free of clutter. You might have to lay everything out on the floor to accomplish this.
- You can begin preparing your designated workspace for this job after clearing your current workplace. Make sure it is both cosy and appealing. It ought to be a place you enjoy spending a lot of time working in.
- Assume a high-performance body language. To do this, you must sit up straight, in front of your chair, and away from the back.
Prepare your homework
Life is about doing research for your own undertaking. To succeed, you must dedicate your life to learning your craft. Inability in a crucial area of a task is a main cause of procrastination. You can be deterred from starting a job just by feeling inadequate or poor in one area. You will get better at eating a specific kind of frog as you continue to hone your craft. Additionally, you are more likely to begin and complete these undertakings the better you are.
Since anything may be learned, you should enhance all fundamental abilities that support your primary tasks. Here are some pointers on how to start honing these crucial abilities:
- Spend at least an hour every day reading books and articles about your field of expertise.
- Take every training and lecture on your main talents that is offered.
- Attend business gatherings and conventions hosted by your employer.
- Attend each workshop and session. Take notes, participate in these sessions, and sit at the front.
- While driving, listen to instructive audio.
Utilize Your Unique Talents
You are a remarkable person with unique skills and abilities that no one else has ever possessed. This implies that having specific skills or learning them will greatly increase your value. You must develop the ability to recognise your areas of specialisation before deciding to focus on them.
Your success hinges on your capacity to consume particular frogs more quickly and effectively than others.
Here are some queries to help you pinpoint your areas of distinctiveness:
- What do I excel at the most?
- What has historically contributed the most to my success?
- What would I do if I could do any job at all?
Always concentrate your attention on the important projects that best utilize your skills. You can’t devote all of your time and attention to every task, so focus on doing it well.
Determine Your Primary Constraints
Your task is to determine the obstacles you must overcome in order to accomplish your main objective. To determine your main restrictions, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is preventing you?
- What determines how quickly you accomplish your objectives?
- How quickly you go from where you are to where you want to go depends on what.
- What prevents you from consuming the frogs that have the potential to change things?
- Why haven’t you reached your objective yet?
The limiting element should be taken into account after you’ve determined your most crucial goal. This element determines how quickly you will reach your main objective. You should focus all of your effort towards eliminating this limiting factor after you’ve identified it.
Take Things Slowly and Step by Step
Always try to go forward incrementally. You can only see so far while you are initially chasing your ultimate aim. You will be able to see far enough to go further by practising discipline and moving forward one step at a time. The following phase will become obvious to you as time goes on.
You should use this strategy in all aspect of your life. For instance, if you save every month for several years, you can become financially independent. Similar to this, year after year you can improve your health by eating a bit less and moving a little more.
Put yourself under pressure
Only 2% of people can operate effectively without any supervision. Leaders are those individuals. However, this is not how humans are created. You can choose to behave in this way. Make it a habit to put yourself under pressure to do tasks on your own. You must decide which frogs to eat, and then you must make yourself eat them.
Additionally, you ought to hold yourself to a higher level than others do.
Increase Your Own Powers
Physical, mental, and emotional energies all contribute to an increase in personal performance and productivity. Like a machine, your body functions. Energy is produced by it via food, water, and relaxation. You need this energy to do your most vital activities. This is why being well-rested, hydrated, and fed allows us to be two or three times more productive.
Consider the value of your energy and take care of it. By working at your own speed, getting enough rest, and taking care of your physical health, you can avoid burnout at all costs. To make the most of your energy levels, you can also use some specific strategies, such as:
- Determine the times of day that you are the most active and productive. Schedule your most difficult tasks at this period of the day.
- Take a full day off each week and periodic year vacations. These getaways should encompass extended weekends and weeklong vacations.
- Five nights a week, get to bed early.
- Eat a balanced, healthful diet for yourself. When planning your diet, think about what you would feed a professional athlete before a competition.
- Regular exercise
Encourage Yourself to Take Action
95% of your good and negative emotions are determined by how you speak to yourself. Your emotions are a result of how you interpret your environment, not of your environment itself. You risk losing motivation if you respond improperly. You need to completely embrace optimism. By adopting this perspective, even the most difficult situations can serve as inspiration.
You can take a number of steps to begin developing your optimism:
- Find the positive in every circumstance.
- Find the lessons in every failure or challenge.
- Look seek a solution to every issue.
- Accept full accountability for everything that occurs to you as well as for yourself.
- Never criticise or assign blame to others.
- Instead of making excuses, resolve to go forward.
- Keep moving forward with your ideas and energies while letting the rest go.
Use innovative procrastination techniques
In general, procrastination is viewed negatively. But engaging in “creative procrastination” can be productive. Creative procrastination involves delaying the consumption of lesser or less attractive frogs in order to concentrate on the largest frogs. We might as well put off the less crucial tasks since we all procrastinate.
All assignments that are not urgently needed should be declined. By using zero-based thinking, you can determine whether a task is necessary. Ask yourself, “If I wasn’t already doing this, would I start it again today?” before starting any task. You should add this work to the pile of creative procrastination if the answer to this question is no.
Start with the most challenging task.
To start your work by tackling the most difficult assignment is to “eat your frog.” To develop the habit of eating your frog, adhere to the following five steps, which should be done every day for 21 days:
- At the end of your workday, list everything you have to do the next day.
- Review this list using the ABCDE method and the 80/20 rule.
- Select your A1, which is your most important task.
- Prepare yourself by assembling everything needed to start and finish the job. Prepare this straight after work on the day before rather than on the morning you plan to begin work.
- Discipline yourself to start with your biggest frog and work without interruptions.
Slice and Dice the Task
There are times when tasks seem daunting. It is possible to divide the task into more manageable components, though. There are two methods to reduce task heaviness:
- Detail the assignment.
- Choose one slice to finish right away.
- Repeat
Concentrating on a single aspect of your task is much simpler. Then, after finishing the first slice, you’ll probably feel like doing another. Soon enough you will complete the task.
Like a hole in a block of Swiss cheese, make a hole in your assignment. Spending a set amount of time on one task is known as “swiss-cheesing.” This might only take five to ten minutes. Simply finishing this small amount of work will give you momentum, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment. The likelihood that you will return to and complete this activity increases then.
Make Huge Blocks of Time
Aim to complete significant chores at designated times. Important tasks demand long stretches of uninterrupted time. This uninterrupted period of time will be quite fruitful. Make every minute count by blocking off time, using a timer, and using blocks of time.
Increase Your Sense of Urgency
‘Flow’ is a state of high and continuous activity while working on high-value projects. People who are successful are those who can enter this condition more frequently than the average person. A feeling of urgency leads to a condition of flow. Being urgent indicates moving swiftly, doing a task quickly, and concentrating on action.
Single-Handle Every Task
Single handling refers to focusing on a task without interruption until it is finished. When you find yourself slipping into procrastination, give yourself a little pep talk by reminding yourself things like, “Back to work.”
A task can be completed in half the time with single-minded focus. You should be aware that the “efficiency curve” slopes downward as you work continuously on a single activity. You must therefore keep trying. Every remarkable accomplishment is preceded by a lengthy period of intense, hard work.
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