I picked up a great audio book over the weekend, entitled “Eat That Frog,” by Brian Tracy. Many people have told me that this little book has changed their lives. From the opening chapter, Brian is an unpretentious host. His humble background and day laborer school of hard knocks lays an interesting foundation. This guy is the real thing.
Brian starts off with the premise that there never is, or will be, enough time to do the things we have to do. In this modern world things come at us fast and furiously. He lays it out simply… “get over the notion that you somehow can get it all done… you can’t.”
His main point in the book is to take the ugliest task that you have and do it first. This is based on a quote from Mark Twain…
“If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful.” -Mark Twain
He paints a simple but effective picture. Eat your Frog first. This advice will help you overcome procrastination and become much more productive. Last time I looked, Frogs are really ugly which makes this a real challenge. Mr. Tracy goes back to Mark Twain again for another quote…
“If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it for too long.” -Mark Twain
This simple picture really brings the concept home. Brian has 21 points throughout the book to challenge you and help you with your daily task list. I found the book to be a great addition to my productivity toolbox. While there is nothing new or groundbreaking here, I found it to be a great reminder to do the unpleasant stuff first.
If you are a follower of the “Getting Things Done,” methodology by David Allen, you may find prioritizing lists a little arduous but the concept of finding the biggest frog works well for getting you started on your next action lists.
This is a great book to help you visualize why you procrastinate.
I am looking at one ugly frog… oh well… here goes… gulp…
Hey that wasn’t so bad after all!
Technorati Tags: procrastination, setting goals, time management
