Eat that frog 21 great ways to stop procrastination | Book summary | Free pdf
The following is the book summary of the book eat that frog 21 great ways to stop procrastination and get more done in less time. This book is written by Brian Tracy who has spent the majority of his lifetime reading articles and books so that he can find new ways to stop procrastination and increase productivity. All the principles mentioned in this book are tested by the author himself. It is generally said that you should eat a frog in the morning because after doing this you will find the majority of the hard things easy. In this book summary, your most important work is called the frog. I hope you will find the book summary of eating that frog 21 great ways to stop procrastination and get more done in less time useful.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 1-Set the table- confusion is the most common reason for procrastination. Being crystal clear about your purpose will not only gives you motivation but also eliminates procrastination. Being clear about your purpose will allow you to complete your work faster than the majority of the population. To avoid confusion just follow a simple process. Take a piece of paper and pen and write your goals on it. The power of written words is underestimated by our generations. Schedule your time on the paper the night before your sleep. Your subconscious mind will work on your schedule throughout the night and it will convert into reality.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 2- Plan your day in advance-It is possible to eat an elephant but we should eat one bite a time. The same applies to your goals. Your ability to think, plan, and execute is the most powerful tool of your brain to avoid procrastination. Taking actions to solve problems without planning will attract more problems. Ability to make efficient plans will increase your productivity. The six-p formula will help you to utilize your energy efficiently which states that proper prior planning prevents poor performance. If you will plan your day by using your 5 to 10 minutes in the night. It will save you at least 100 to 120 minutes on your next day. Always work according to your list. Move everything which you have not accomplished to the next day. When you will make your list in a drowsy state your subconscious mind will work on your list all night long and you may receive a new idea in your dreams which will help you to accomplish your goal faster. Create different lists for different purposes. Create a daily, weekly, monthly list, and make sure that you are completing those lists within the period specified by yourself. Many people have changed their lives dramatically by applying this formula.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 3-Pareto principal- Vilfredo Pareto who was an Italian economist noticed that the whole population of humans is divided naturally. There are 20% of people who own the majority of the money and the other 80% are just struggling for their meal. He later discovered that this law applies to almost everything. According to this law, your 2 most important tasks are responsible for 80% of your success and if we avoided doing these two important tasks then we may have to face some serious consequences. The funny part about this rule is that your two most important tasks will require the same amount of time as required by other tasks that are not at all important for your work. There are plenty of people in my neighborhood who are super busy but they have accomplished very little. This is because they are busy doing low-value tasks. The sad part is that 80% of the people spend the majority of their time doing low-value tasks which makes no difference in their professional life.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 4-The potential consequences- The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is the ability to predict the consequences of their actions. Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University after years of research concluded that a long-time perspective is the most accurate predictor of social mobility in America. People who are having a long-term view of their lives always can make better decisions about their time. Always have a clear idea about the impact and consequences of your decisions in the long term. Successful people can delay their short-term gratification so that they can enjoy bigger results in the long term. Always follow the law of forced efficiency which says that there is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing. Identify your most important work and start working on it at the start of your day. You can never eat all the tadpoles and frogs in the pond but you can eat the ugliest frog in the morning which will play an 80% role in your success. Most people think that they work great under pressure but the truth Is that we are more prone to make more mistakes and this might force us to do the whole project again so never wait for the last moment to complete your tasks.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 5-Procrastination is helpful- yes procrastination can be helpful but you should know to perform it constructively. Warren Buffet one of the richest men on the planet shared his secret of success. He said that he simply says no to the things which are not important to him at the moment. He procrastinates but, on the things, which are less important to him. These things might need a huge amount of time but they will not help you to increase your production. If you want to do anything new then you have to procrastinate on the older one. I started working out at the start of this year (2020). But after a few weeks, I saw a drastic decrease in my grades. After analyzing the situation, I concluded that I was reducing the time in my studies so that I can work out. So, I quitted playing video games and increased my grades gain. If you want to learn something new then you have to quit your previous habit. Chose that habit that is not at all productive to you.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 6-ABCDE method- take a piece of paper and pen and write your tasks on the paper which you want to accomplish in your next day. Then place A, B, C, D, E next to each item. An A item is your most important task. This task can create a major difference in your professional life. This is your biggest and ugliest frog. A B item can be defined as something which will have mild consequences. They are the tadpoles. Someone may get disappointed but it will not create a very big difference in your work life. Simply divide your work into C, D, and E according to their importance. Discipline yourself and start eating the biggest frog. Focus yourself to perform the most important task at the start of your day. Finish task A and move to task B. It will generate a sense of pride and it will help you to maintain discipline. In this way, you will be able to do your most important work.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 7 -Focus on key result areas- you are hired by your company so that you can produce some useful product by using your skills and Only you can perform those functions efficiently in your company. Your skills will help your company to produce a product which will help the company to gain profit. Working of key results is similar to the organ system of our body. If one organ will not perform at a required rate then the whole body will not be able to function properly. These skills are responsible for your promotion. If you failed to use these skills then you may get kicked out of the company. The key results areas of management are planning, organizing, staffing, delegating, supervising, measuring, and reporting. If the manager failed to perform even one of the functions mentioned above then this will lead to underachievement. Find your key result areas and start working on them. You may be one skill away from achieving success. Poor performance is the major reason behind procrastination. If you are not performing well in your key result areas then instead of defending your weakness try to learn about the ways by which you can convert your weakness into your strength. The same thing is mentioned in the book rich dad poor dad. A fantastic writer was just a skill away from her goal.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 8 -The law of three- Your boss may have given you 10 tasks to perform but the thing is that only 2 to 3 out of the 10 tasks can increase your production to another level. Just read this true story. Author Brian Tracy shares the example of a woman who was working 12 hours a day and 6 days a week. Due to her workload, she was not able to spend time with her kids and husband. After taking a lecture from the author she told her boss that there are only three tasks that can drastically increase the production of the company. She demanded from her boss that she should be given time to focus on three exclusive tasks and other tasks should be eliminated or assigned to any other person. After one month her boss decided to give her a raise as the profits went up. she was also having extra time which she spent with her children and husband.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 9 -Prepare thoroughly before you begin- you might have heard you should prepare your clothes at night so that it will save your time in the morning. This is the best way to overcome procrastination. When you are fully prepared, you are like an archer who is about to take a shot. Begin by clearing off your desk. Get all the emails, documents, water bottle which you will need during your work. Take your time to organize your workplace which will eventually motivate you to get your things done. Once you have prepared your workplace then without wasting a second start working. Do not wait for the perfect setup. Instead, work with whatever you have and create a perfect setup. The author shares his rule which is to get 80% right and correct it later. Don’t expect perfection the first time. You will be horrible the first time but you will eventually become better.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 10 -By the yard, it is hard- don’t focus on the difficult task. Instead, focus on a single task which you can do. It will motivate you to perform a hard task. A journey of thousand stairs begins with a single step. Discipline yourself to take one step at a time. Let me share a true story with you. Once I went to the village with my father. It was a hot day and I was dying for water and we had to walk for another 5 km but my father told me that it is just 2km away. And when we crossed 2km, he told me that we are just 49 meters away. He just fooled me but we were able to cross 5 kilometers easily. In the same way, we have to trick your brain. Yes, it can be fooled. I Was 12-year-old at that time so you have to fool your brain creatively.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 11 Upgrade your skills- lack of confidence will invite procrastination. Feeling week will demotivate you to perform any task that’s why you should upgrade your skills at a constant rate. It doesn’t matter how good or talented you. Your knowledge and skills are becoming obsolete at a rapid rate. The moment you stopped upgrading yourself you will become worst. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement if you want to achieve something good. Dedicate your 30 minutes to 1 hour for learning. Learn about the new ways and strategies by which you can grow your business or perform well in your office. Take every single course or seminar available in your area because your brain is the single most valuable asset to you. Invest in it as much as you can.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 12-Identify the key constraints- Certain things determine your speed in achieving your goals. Ask yourself a question that what is the one thing which will improve your productivity if you start doing it. Study the factors which are holding you back. After identifying the factor, you must then focus all your energy to remove that constraint. Every business has a limiting factor. It can be a marketing or method of production. Removal of a single constraint will drastically improve the performance of the company. Apply the 80/20 rule which says that 80% of constraints are internal and 20% are external. Your personality, body language can have a serious impact on your progress. Be careful while identifying the constraint. If you identified the wrong constraint then it will lead you in the wrong direction.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 13-Lead the field- the majority of the population is waiting for some who will guide them to achieve their goals. They are waiting for a bus but the problem is that no one is willing to drive a bus. If you want to achieve more than you should have the ability to motivate yourself. Arrive early at your workplace work harder and enjoy late nights while doing your work. Creating imaginary deadlines is the best way to overcome procrastination. Imagine each day that you have a very limited time. It will create a sense of urgency and it will motivate you to work faster.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 14-Motivate yourself- Next time when someone will ask you how you are feeling today. Always respond that you are feeling terrific. Use your freedom to interpret things positively. We do not see things as they are but we see things as we are. Refuse to complain about your problems. Nobody is interested in your problems. 80% of the people don’t care about your problems and 20% may feel glad about it. In a study, it was found that optimism is the most important quality for personal and professional success. Optimistic people always try to find the benefits of their problems. They know that problems don’t come to obstruct but they come to instruct. Motivate yourself by visualizing your goals.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 15-Technology is a terrible master- Technology was created to connect people but it is now disconnecting them from their loved ones. A researcher asked the group of CEOs to completely reduce the consumption of technology. It helped them to improve their memory and relations with their loved ones. Social media addiction is just destructive. The majority of the population checks their phones after waking up. They are using Instagram instead of taking the shower. Unsubscribe yourself from all unwanted newsletters and turn off the notification of the apps which are not at all productive to you. It is just reducing your ability to focus.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 16-Technology is a wonderful servant- you can learn anything by using technology. Now you don’t need a college degree to earn money. Communication has become easy. The world has been converted into a global village. Use technology to remind you of the high-value tasks. Efficiently organize your digital workplace. There is no harm in using email but the compulsion to check your mail every 1 hour is wrong. Block those websites which are draining your time. Invest your time in those websites which will help you to learn and upgrade your skills. Use technology to read a book and listen to the speeches of great peoples.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 17-Focus your attention- focused attention is the key to remain productive. Studies have proved that continuous use of messaging apps and emails has reduced the attention spans of humans. Due to this we often find it difficult to complete our work. When you check your emails in the morning it releases a shot of a dopamine hormone which is related to addiction. When you start your day by replying to emails your mind finds it difficult to focus your attention throughout the day. Some people are living in the illusion of multitasking. It has been proven by recent studies that multitasking is dangerous for your brain. Do not shift continuously between the tasks as it will reduce your efficiency and increase the time required to complete that task. Do not open your email in the morning before you take shower and always perform one task at a time.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 18-Slice the task- you will find it impossible to perform any hard task. Just divide the work into segments and start working on it. Start with the easiest task. Psychologically you will find it easier to do a simple piece of a job rather than doing the whole stuff at the beginning. Develop your urge to complete your task. You will feel a sense of pride and improved self-esteem when you will complete a certain job as it will trigger endorphins in your brain as mentioned earlier. Completion of an easy task will provide you the momentum which will help you to keep going.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 19-Let’s create time blocks- Plan your day and decide how much time you are going to dedicate to a particular task. Create time blocks for your particular tasks. Use a time planner and plan every minute of your life. Perform one work at a time. Dedicate particular times for phone calls and social media. Focus your attention and accomplish one particular task at a time.
21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 20- can’t avoid flow state- almost every person has experienced this state once in their lifetime but successful experience this state more often. It is a state of mind in which you will feel energized and creative while doing your work. continuous and distraction-free work is the key to get into this state. Ideas that have changed our lives are experienced in this state.
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21 great ways to stop procrastination chapter 21-Self-discipline Is the key-once you identified your purpose start working on that project and continue until you have completed your work. Once you have decided your priority than working on any other task will be a waste of time. Discipline yourself and keep your eyes on the prize. Every achievement of mankind is the result of hard work and self-discipline.
I hope you enjoyed the book’s summary of the book eat that frog 21 days to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time by Brian Tracy. Do leave your comments regarding this book summary
Originally published at https://www.bookshustler.com on November 1, 2020.
