Eat that Frog

How to stop Procrastinating & Get More Done in Less Time

Almost everyone today has too much to do and too little time. In this book, Brian Tracy presents 21 tips to help you stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. This practical action guide is built on 30 years of time-management study–it’s for anyone who feels overwhelmed or wants to be more effective in planning, prioritizing and achieving more results in less time. In this summary, we’ll highlight the 21 points, and zoom in on a few of them in detail.

The key to success is not to try to do everything, but to focus fully on the most vital tasks, take action, and complete them well. The analogy of eating frogs comes from Mark Twain, who says that if you can start your morning by eating a live frog, you’d have tackled the worst thing that can happen that day. Your frog is your most crucial task—what you’re most likely to defer, yet can create the biggest impact on your outcomes.

To form any new habit (including the habit of eating frogs), you need the 3Ds of New Habit Formation: Make a decision to build the habit of completing tasks, have the discipline to keep applying the ideas in this book, and have the determination to persevere until the habits become an integral part of who you are.

Rather then dwell on theory or concepts, Tracy zooms in on actionable tips, that you can apply instantly. Use the tips and take action immediately, as that’s the only way to get results. We’ll now zoom in on a few of the tips in more detail. Do get more details from the book or our full book summary.

1. SET THE TABLE

To identify your frog, you first need clarity on what you truly want. Clarity helps you to overcome procrastination and take concrete action, and it’s probably the most critical productivity ingredient. One secret is to think on paper. People with clear, written goals can accomplish 5-10 times as much as others. Use these 7 steps to set and achieve goals:

Decide specifically what you want.

• Write it down. Think on paper and make it tangible.

• Set a deadline for the goal, with sub-deadlines as needed.

•List down everything you may need to do to achieve your goal.

• Break things down into individual tasks, and arrange them in priority and sequence to form a plan.

• Take action immediately. No amount of thinking can outdo action.

• Do something everyday, however big or small, to move yourself toward your major goal. Don’t miss even 1 day.

2. PLAN EVERY DAY IN ADVANCE

The 10/90 Rule says that the first 10% of time used to plan your work can save you 90% of the execution time once you start. One minute of planning can save you 10 mins of execution time, and help you improve your “return on energy”. By setting aside 10-12 mins for planning, you can save 2 hours of execution the next day.

• Every night, list down all the items you must complete the next day. Allow your subconscious mind to work on the list while you sleep, so you can wake up with new ideas on how to achieve them.

• Use different lists, including a master list (of all the possible tasks you must do at some point), a monthly list (for the month ahead), a weekly list (for the week ahead), and a daily list (for the next day).

• Tick off the items as you complete them, to motivate and energize yourself on your progress.

3. APPLY THE 80/20 RULE TO EVERYTHING

Many people focus on their number of tasks and amount of activity, rather than the importance of the tasks or the achievements. The Pareto Principle or 80/20 Principle says that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results.

• Find the 1 top task that’s worth the other tasks combined—this is the frog you must eat first. Often, this is also the most difficult and complex task you’ll tend to procrastinate on.