Recently, I have been reading the book EAT THAT FROG! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, which is quite actionable, and as I go through it, I want to make a summary and a guide for fellow procrastinators who are untouched by this hidden gem.
This blog summarizes the book’s introduction and its first chapter’s learnings.
Introduction Summary
The author, Brian Tracy, starts his book by demystifying time management. What do successful people do that others don’t? Are they born that way? Or find extra time to do something unimaginable.
The book’s premises start with answering these questions.
No one is born different, and neither do they have a few extra hours in their days. The only thing they are better at is planning, prioritizing, and working diligently on the work, while the rest of us fall victim to procrastination.
The best thing about this book is that it focuses not on the whys of procrastination but on the hows of overcoming it.
His answer? Eat that frog!
If you have to eat two ugly frogs, eat the ugliest one first.
If you have to eat a living frog, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it for very long.
He uses the metaphor of a frog to represent this crucial task – the one you dread doing the most. If you have to eat a living frog daily, won’t it be better to eat that first?
If that is the hardest task, the first thing you should do is complete it.
Chapter 1 Summary
Before getting to eating, we first need to identify our frogs!!
Tracy has given a seven-step guide to doing so.
- Decide exactly what you want.
- Write it down.
- Set a deadline for your goal.
- Make a list of everything you can think of to complete that goal.
- Organize the list into a plan.
- Take action immediately.
- Making a resolution to do something every day will get you one step closer.
Once you follow these steps, you will see your tasks completed one by one. This will have a positive effect: a rush of adrenaline that is quite addictive—becoming addicted to productivity. This can be accomplished with three Ds.
The Decision to do something about it.
Discipline to make a plan and follow it.
Determination to see through it to the end.
The first chapter ‘Set the Table’ ends here, setting up the stage for the second chapter, ‘Plan Every Day in Advance.’ Let me know how you like the summary. It will motivate me to write further.
