[book] Eat that Frog!

The ridiculously catchy title “Eat that frog!” caught my attention. I was looking for interesting books to read. In the wiki of a company book club, “Eat that frog!” was listed in the personal development section. At first, I thought it was a mistake. The title was so interesting, though. So, I looked for information about the book. The subtitle was “21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time”. Okay. This book is certainly about productivity.

I rented the audiobook at Libby app, and it was only 3 hours long. Sweet. Eating a frog may not be the most appetizing advice. 20 hours might be too long to hear how to eat that frog and why, but 3 hours might be okay. The author, Brian Tracy, had strength and confidence in his writing. I was convinced that this was the best thing I could do for my productivity.

Brian Tracy delivers a quite simple and clear message: ‘Eat that frog First.’ The frog is a task that has the greatest value for your success. Think of the highest valued activities. Family related, health-related, and skill-set-related. What you and only you can do. It’ll make a real difference If it’d done well. The frog is the most important task for your life and success. Frogs are important, but most likely not urgent. Less important tasks should just wait.

Early this year, I realized that I really need prioritization of my tasks. I often spent half a day (or a full day) doing urgent but not important tasks. I felt wasted and got depressed. The most important task got pushed back to tomorrow.

People I looked through for inspiration had something in common. They found the things that made them alive, like getting a stimpack in StarCraft. They planted their own seeds, kept themselves by doing it, tended to themselves, and grew into something lasting. Brian’s lesson is to do those things first in the morning.