4.19

1

Aug 30, 2012

A self-development book that seems like a long PowerPoint presentation, with tons of quotes from people I never heard of. So I'm supposed to be inspired and motivated by a certain Jonathan Smerkfeese who says "Procrastination. Such a bad, bad thing"?

What I learned from this book, however, is how to write a self-development book. Let me share these ten easy steps with you:

Step number one: Pick a title. Nothing revolutionary. Any mind-numbing sequence of words can turn into a title. The Princess A self-development book that seems like a long PowerPoint presentation, with tons of quotes from people I never heard of. So I'm supposed to be inspired and motivated by a certain Jonathan Smerkfeese who says "Procrastination. Such a bad, bad thing"?

What I learned from this book, however, is how to write a self-development book. Let me share these ten easy steps with you:

Step number one: Pick a title. Nothing revolutionary. Any mind-numbing sequence of words can turn into a title. The Princess in the Dungeon? Sure! This could be a book about spotting pedophiles.

Step number two: Start with an introduction filled with over-promises. Don't worry about under-delivering; it's the reader's responsibility to change, yours is to get them all psyched up about needing that change.

Step number three: Come up with chapter titles, and dig for random quotes to use at the beginning of each chapter.

Step number four: Write small paragraphs of supposedly motivating and inspiring bunkum. Write as many paragraphs as possible. Don't be shy, repeat the same point over and over again until you bring it home, then take it out again, then back home again.

Step number five: Do not forget to throw in as many general statements as possible. "A lot of Americans think... All successful people say... Everyone knows that..." The fountain of credibility. This is it. Drink from it and quench everyone's thirst.

Step number six: Include a step-by-step guide to something. Anything. The "step-by-step" part is irrelevant; the order doesn't matter.

Step number seven: Come up with an acronym, then design a method around it. Like, from the top of my head, the S.N.A.C.K. method. What is the mighty S.N.A.C.K. method you ask? I'm glad you got that curiosity gene in you! S.N.A.C.K. stands for Stare Nonchalantly At Cute Kid. Learn to identify people with the S.N.A.C.K. behavior, and you got yourself a certificate, delivered personally from me, on how to spot pedophiles.

Step number eight: Tell people what to do. Tell the reader to close one eye, lift an arm 67° in the air, lean on the fridge, and then proceed to remember all the people they saw in the mall that day, for potential pedophiles.

Step number nine: Go crazy with formatting. Bold, underline and italicize. As Rose Taxtbeest says, "When you italicize words, you actually put pretty dresses on them."

Step number ten: At the end of each chapter, no matter how short and irrelevant, present the reader with a quick summary. Then, add borders to that block of text. Whatever you said there has now become official and formal.

That's it. If you can write/type, you can be an author. There is a readership out there for every kind of hokum.
...more

3

Feb 08, 2012

I finished this book a couple of days ago..........and I wanted to put a review in right away to get it in at the top of the week, but there was the Super bowl, then Monday I had to make dog food (you did read that correctly), last night Justified was on.....and that needs your full attention. This morning I had class for my Ballot Judge position for the primary March 6 (that promises to be a clusterf#k my friends). Now I'm stuck at work, and have to type this out on my IPad which is not the I finished this book a couple of days ago..........and I wanted to put a review in right away to get it in at the top of the week, but there was the Super bowl, then Monday I had to make dog food (you did read that correctly), last night Justified was on.....and that needs your full attention. This morning I had class for my Ballot Judge position for the primary March 6 (that promises to be a clusterf#Â¥k my friends). Now I'm stuck at work, and have to type this out on my IPad which is not the fastest way to type, so that's annoying. Customers keep coming up, wanting to buy something.....the nerve.

Like majority of the human race, I have some procrastination issues,. So I thought I'd pickup the classic, but unfortunately named, Eat That Frog for some guidance. This book is full of great common sense tools to get yourself to do what you'd rather not do. Basically what you need to do is make lists. On the top of that list you put the thing you would rather avoid doing the most. This would be your "Frog". Then do that thing first, or eat that frog......then work your way down that list from the next slightly smaller, less ugly frog, down to prime rib, Oreos, tacos and cherry pie at the end of the list, if you could ever get there.

This book is geared toward the work environment, specificity office type work, which is not what I do. I draw people for a living (from life), so when the author wrote about picking out the most difficult thing you would all day to do first, I imagined picking out the screaming two year old from the crowd first, followed by the stumbleing drunk......ect.

So, I do plan to eat some frogs right after I beat a few people on Words With Friends.

...more

3

Nov 25, 2017

I read this book and I think its not bad. It is full of useful tools and tips to get you to stop procrastinating. But there are better books out there. The best book I've read on this topic is the Procrastination Elimination Method by John Isaac. It's not really famous.. its like a hidden gem. It addresses the core experiences and perceptions that cause procrastination to begin with.

I give 3 stars to Eat That Frog because the author seems to have put in a lot of effort.

4

May 06, 2010

Nothing revolutionary, but a good (and quick) recap of the things we need to do to get stuff done.

The key premise is that if we ate a live frog first thing in the morning, everything else would be easy compared to that. It's a good reminder to concentrate on the most important task instead of getting mired down in the smaller, unimportant ones.

The author gives 21 steps to getting things done:

01. Set the table (spend some time writing out your goals for year, month and week). Prioritize those and Nothing revolutionary, but a good (and quick) recap of the things we need to do to get stuff done.

The key premise is that if we ate a live frog first thing in the morning, everything else would be easy compared to that. It's a good reminder to concentrate on the most important task instead of getting mired down in the smaller, unimportant ones.

The author gives 21 steps to getting things done:

01. Set the table (spend some time writing out your goals for year, month and week). Prioritize those and concentrate on the most important ones.
02. Plan your day in advance (on paper).
03. 80/20 rule: 20% of your work will constitue 80% of your acheivements. Concentrate on that 20%.
04. Consider the consequences of what you choose to work on.
05. ABCDE method. Organize your tasks by value (a,b,c...) and priority (1,2,3...).
06. Focus on key result areas.
07. Obey the law of forced efficiency.
08. Prepare thoroughly. The 6Ps: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. If you're Rob Lowe you can use the 7Ps ;p.
09. Do your homework! If you're not improving, you're getting worse.
10. Leverage your talents.
11. Identify your key constraints.
12. Take it one barrel at a time (baby steps).
13. Put pressure on yourself.
14. Maximize personal powers. Select the key times of the day when you are most productive and work on your tasks at those times.
15. Motivate yourself (be your own cheerleader).
16. Practice creative procrastination. You're not going to be able to get everything done so put off the less important tasks.
17. Do the most difficult task first (eat that frog).
18. Slice and dice your tasks. Break your tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.
19. Create large blocks of time to get your work done.
20. Develop a sense of urgency.
21. Single-handle every task.
...more

0

May 29, 2012

Think on paper.
1. Write down your goals, set deadlines, list steps to achieve goals, organize steps into a plan by priority and sequence, do something every day on your highest-impact goal.
Do now: list 10 goals. Pick your highest-impact goal, set a deadline, make a plan, take action.
2. Make a master list of everything you want to do, make a list for the coming month, make a list for the coming week and for the next day. When planning a project, list all the steps and organize them by priority Think on paper.
1. Write down your goals, set deadlines, list steps to achieve goals, organize steps into a plan by priority and sequence, do something every day on your highest-impact goal.
Do now: list 10 goals. Pick your highest-impact goal, set a deadline, make a plan, take action.
2. Make a master list of everything you want to do, make a list for the coming month, make a list for the coming week and for the next day. When planning a project, list all the steps and organize them by priority and sequence.
Do now: list everything to be done in the next 24 hours, list all projects. For each goal/project, prioritize and sequence the tasks involved.
3. Work on the 20% of the tasks that contribute to high value results first. Don't clear up small tasks first.
Do now: list key goals, activities, projects, responsibilities. Decide which 20% of these tasks will contribute 80% of results (Pareto principle).
4. Think long term: 5, 10, 20 years. 'The law of Forced Efficiency says that "There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing."' What are my highest value activities? What can I and only I do that will make a real difference? What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
Do now: Work on the most valuable task right now.
5. Outsource, delegate, eliminate.
Do now: Abandon activities that aren't contributing to goals.
6. ABCDE tasks: A tasks are high priority, B tasks must be done eventually, C tasks might be nice, D tasks can be delegated, E tasks should be eliminated.
Do now: go through your list of tasks and label them ABCDE.
7. key result areas of management are planning, organizing, staffing, delegating, supervising, measuring, and reporting.
key result areas of sales are prospecting, building rapport and trust, identifying needs, presenting persuasively, answering objections, closing the sale, and getting resales and referrals.
Do now: Determine your key result areas. Grade your performance in each area. Make a plan to improve in the areas where you're worst.
8. List the three most important goals in: career, family, financial, health, development, social/community, problems/concerns. Spend quality time at work and quantity time at home.
Do now: work when you're working
9. Prepare your workspace and get on with the job.
Do now: clean your desk.
10. Take it one step at a time.
Do now: select a goal you've been procrastinating on, list the steps, and do one.
11. Never stop learning. Read in your field one hour each day. Take courses and seminars. Listen to audio programs in your car.
Do now: identify key skills that you need to learn and make a plan to learn one.
12. What are you good at? What do you do easily and well that is difficult for other people? Looking back at your career, what has been most responsible for your success in life and work to date? What have been the most significant frogs you have eaten in the past? What is it that you do that gets you the most compliments and praise from other people? What do you do that positively affects the work and performance of other people more than anything else?
Do now: focus your plans so that you're doing the things you're best at.
13. Identify what is holding you back, what is the limiting factor.
Do now: Determine the constraint that is most impeding your progress toward your most important goal.
14. Create your own deadlines.
15. Take care of your health:sleep, eating, exercise.
16. Practice positive self talk. Positive mental attitude: look for the good in every situation, 'difficulties come not to obstruct but to instruct,' look for the solution to every problem, think and talk continually about your goals.
Do now: control your thoughts, accept responsibility for what happens to you, don't criticize or blame others, focus forward.
17. Don't become addicted to technology.
Do now: Turn off technology for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. Take a day off each week from keeping in touch with the world through technology.
18. Break down tasks in order to feel good about making progress. Salami: outline a task in detail and complete a slice. Swiss cheese: work for 5-10 minutes on a task.
19. Schedule blocks of time and eliminate distractions.
20. Build up momentum as you work fast. Create your own sense of urgency. "Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!" or "Back to work! Back to work! Back to work!"
Do now: When you are given a task or responsibility, take care of it quickly and report back fast.
21. Don't be stopping and starting your task. ...more

4

Jun 03, 2019

The whole book boils down to "do the hardest task first" and "make checklists." Not exactly rocket science, but I gotta admit I'm finding myself using the catchy phrase "Eat That Frog!" as a reminder to stop putting off daunting tasks. And I love checklists. Since I'm currently in a moment of high stress time management, it's exactly what I needed to hear. To really save time, listen to the audio version. It's unabridged and only 2.5 hours.

4

Nov 05, 2018

Brian Tracy gives simple and easily acted-upon suggestions for stream lining and maximizing your productivity. The title itself, Eat That Frog!, refers to completing the biggest, ugliest task you may have on your plate on any given day. If you do whatever that is first (the frog), in the morning when you're at your most energetic and before anything else distracts you, then at least you can say you got something done today. Most everything else will seem almost easy by comparison... at least, Brian Tracy gives simple and easily acted-upon suggestions for stream lining and maximizing your productivity. The title itself, Eat That Frog!, refers to completing the biggest, ugliest task you may have on your plate on any given day. If you do whatever that is first (the frog), in the morning when you're at your most energetic and before anything else distracts you, then at least you can say you got something done today. Most everything else will seem almost easy by comparison... at least, that's the theory.

At first, I thought all of the ideas in this book sounded almost too simple. But as the short audiobook continued, it became more clear just why Tracy is considered one of the leaders in his field of expertise.

Taken altogether, this book gives someone the tools to turn their life around (if they're in a bad place) or take them to the next level, if they're already on their way. It's not just about learning tools to boost your efficiency, it's also about discovering what you do best and then prioritizing doing THAT to the best of your ability.

The most intriguing idea in here, to me, was "practice creative procrastination". As we couldn't possibly get everything done that we ever have to do in one day, by doing the things that MUST get done, you can procrastinate on the things that won't sink the ship if they're left undone. You're doing things, yet not doing things and feeding the inner procrastinator. It's like having your cake and eating it too.

I'm not a big procrastinator. What I am is a collector of ideas and methods. I'm always open to improving myself or the way that I do things. In fact, I can be too gung-ho when it comes to implementing some of the ideas I read in self-help books. For example, a couple years ago I changed my life through "the magic of tidying up" and was so successful at removing the knick-knacks littering the house that my husband thought I was moving out.

But seriously, I can take things to the extreme. So, I'm encouraged that this book mainly consists of writing lists, scheduling and prioritizing tasks. That shouldn't freak out the hubby.

And I do find myself doing other, less important things when a big, fat frog of a chore is staring me in the face. At least now, I'm aware of what I'm doing and knowledge is the first step on the road to change.

Recommended for readers looking for a few simple tips to maximize their productivity. ...more

3

Apr 11, 2012

This book may be better for doers than thinkers. I read it about a year ago, and really liked it. A lot. It gave me a good kick start to getting things done. But then procrastination crept back, and the frog effect wore off. I'm a right-brain thinker, so I probably should have just tattooed the saying on the back of my hand.
I've just started reading "The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play" by Neil Fiore, and it's a better fit for me. "Eat This book may be better for doers than thinkers. I read it about a year ago, and really liked it. A lot. It gave me a good kick start to getting things done. But then procrastination crept back, and the frog effect wore off. I'm a right-brain thinker, so I probably should have just tattooed the saying on the back of my hand.
I've just started reading "The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play" by Neil Fiore, and it's a better fit for me. "Eat That Frog" is excellent, but it didn't sufficiently address the reasoning behind my not getting stuff done. That is: fear of failure, a terrible fear of being criticized for everything I do (geez, even when I grind my coffee I can hear my Dad's voice: "You need to grind those beans a little finer/coarser"), fear of doing something so well that I'll never be able to replicate the job, fear that if I complete "this task" that I'll then have to move on to "that hideous task" ...
Yeah, so I'm just doing a little self-analysis on myself, and once that's done I'll be perfect, and I'll probably reread this book on occasion just to keep me on track.

...more

5

May 19, 2012

"There is never enough time to do everything you have to do. You are literally swamped with work and personal responsibilities, projects, stacks of magazines to read....But the fact is you are never going to caught up. You will never get on top of your tasks"

The key is: Prioritize your tasks!

That's the book in three words! But how?! Brian Tracy will show you how in this book, Eat That Frog! The ugly one first!

Very practical book. You would love this book if you actually applied the exercises "There is never enough time to do everything you have to do. You are literally swamped with work and personal responsibilities, projects, stacks of magazines to read....But the fact is you are never going to caught up. You will never get on top of your tasks"

The key is: Prioritize your tasks!

That's the book in three words! But how?! Brian Tracy will show you how in this book, Eat That Frog! The ugly one first!

Very practical book. You would love this book if you actually applied the exercises throughout the book, and re-read it again and again. Books that are for personal development or business require active reading, taking notes, and reading again, until the knowledge you learn becomes a part of you. I have an audio copy and I still listen to it every once on a while, whenever I feel I'm getting behind on some tasks, or whenever I stop practicing some of it's methods. This books helped me a lot and it still helping me all the time. From the ABCD method, the creative procrastination, developing plans, considering the consequences, and much more.

This is my all time reference for better future, since I first read it. I wish I was told about this book early in time. Very early. It's a very useful tool, applicable methods. ...more

4

Feb 18, 2018

4,5 stars.

I haven't read many "self-help" books in my life, but I have to say that this one is the best of them all!
This Tracy guy made some research, but not only that. He has many experiences and from them he shows us how to deal with time. This book is talking mainly about being great on your job, but you can take it for other things as well.
Tracy is teaching us 21 steps that (combined in a way or another) can help us manage the time we have, how to stop wasting it away and start right away 4,5 stars.

I haven't read many "self-help" books in my life, but I have to say that this one is the best of them all!
This Tracy guy made some research, but not only that. He has many experiences and from them he shows us how to deal with time. This book is talking mainly about being great on your job, but you can take it for other things as well.
Tracy is teaching us 21 steps that (combined in a way or another) can help us manage the time we have, how to stop wasting it away and start right away with the things that actually help us in life. This book is great! I want to reread it and study it more.
Tracy teaches us about the ABCDE method, about how to take big things step by step, how to cut the quest in slices and many other great advice.

It is called "Eat the Frog" because when you have a big issue to solve and you feel like not doing it, it's like a big frog in front of you.

As a conclusion, take a notebook, a pen/pencil/marker/whatever, this book and go study it. Eat this Frog! ...more

4

May 21, 2011

Brian Tracey puts together a book full of useful ideas on how to be more productive.

His chapter summaries on p113 are a good resource to review.

1. Set the table: Decide what you want
2. Plan the day in advance: Think on paper
3. Apply the 80/20 rule: 20% of activity produces 80% of the results
4. Consider the consequences: of your 20% activities
5. Practice creative procrastination: put off things of low value
6. Use the A B C D E Method continually: prioritize
7. Focus on key result areas: Brian Tracey puts together a book full of useful ideas on how to be more productive.

His chapter summaries on p113 are a good resource to review.

1. Set the table: Decide what you want
2. Plan the day in advance: Think on paper
3. Apply the 80/20 rule: 20% of activity produces 80% of the results
4. Consider the consequences: of your 20% activities
5. Practice creative procrastination: put off things of low value
6. Use the A B C D E Method continually: prioritize
7. Focus on key result areas: concentrate on results you HAVE to have
8. The Law of Three: ID and focus on the top three before anything else
9. Prepare thoroughly before you begin: get set up to get things done
10. Take it one oil barrel at a time: do it one step at a time
11. Upgrade your key skills: sharpen your sword to do more and better
12. Leverage your special talents:do things are good at wholeheartedly
13. Identify your key constraints: get rid of bottlenecks, choke points
14. Put pressure on yourself: think like you are on vacation tomorrow
15. Maximize your personal power: work hard at your best times of day
16. Motivate yourself into action: look at the positive now and move on
17. Get out of tech sinks: tech stuff can be time killers
18. Slice and dice the task: break it down, do one piece
19. Create large chunks of time: to focus on certain things
20. Develop sense of urgency: move fast on key tasks
21. Single handle every task: start and fully complete most imp't task



...more

3

Sep 26, 2011

I saw the author, Brian Tracy, several years ago at a seminar as a motivational speaker and became a fan. Needed some extra motivation on getting tasks done recently and 'Eat That Frog' definitely helps with re-prioritizing things on the task list and making a plan to get them done. Listening to the audio book is even that more effective. Here are the notes I made while listening (his major principles):

Decide what I want. Plan every day in advance. 20% of my activities are 80% of my results - I saw the author, Brian Tracy, several years ago at a seminar as a motivational speaker and became a fan. Needed some extra motivation on getting tasks done recently and 'Eat That Frog' definitely helps with re-prioritizing things on the task list and making a plan to get them done. Listening to the audio book is even that more effective. Here are the notes I made while listening (his major principles):

Decide what I want. Plan every day in advance. 20% of my activities are 80% of my results - and these are the tasks we usually procrastinate the most on. Consider the consequences of not completing the tasks. Prioritize the task list, start with the most important. Focus on my key result areas. Always do the most important things first. Continually upgrade my skills, even if only for 15 minutes a day. Leverage my special talents. Identify the constraints and find ways to alleviate them. Break down huge tasks into smaller steps. Pressure myself with a sense of urgency. Figure out my high points of energy in the day and schedule my most demanding tasks then. Be optimistic and focus on the solution, not the problem. I am allowed to procrastinate on low value tasks. Do the most difficult task (frog) first thing in the mroning. Create larger blocks of time for key tasks. Do nothing else until your main task is done - no multi-tasking. ...more

1

Feb 11, 2013

I gritted my teeth through this whole book. Having just re-read the exceptional Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen, this book felt poorly-written, poorly-organized, and poorly conceived. The author is brutal and his suggestions mostly make me want to run the other way. Get up early. Stay up late. Nose to the grindstone. Work work work work work work work. The most successful people work work work work work work work. He offers billions of made-up statistics I gritted my teeth through this whole book. Having just re-read the exceptional Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen, this book felt poorly-written, poorly-organized, and poorly conceived. The author is brutal and his suggestions mostly make me want to run the other way. Get up early. Stay up late. Nose to the grindstone. Work work work work work work work. The most successful people work work work work work work work. He offers billions of made-up statistics (citing no sources) for what separates the productive people from the unproductive people. Ugh.

But, I kept reading because, (A) the book is very short, and (B) I got a couple of useful ideas from it. I would give the book one and a half stars, if I could, because the two ideas I got from the book that were useful were, actually, very useful:

Eat that frog: Do (or begin) the hardest thing you have to do or the thing you are the most inclined to procrastinate about first and then everything else you have to do will feel easier by comparison.

80/20: There are many things on your to-do list, but about 20% of them will have more of an impact on your life than the other 80%. Those are the ones you are most likely to procrastinate on, because they are the things that have the most weight to them, but they are not necessarily any more time-consuming than the rest of the tasks you have to do which will have less of a positive impact on your life. Aim to do more of the tasks in the 20% and de-prioritize the other 80% of the tasks.

Now that you've read my summary of the best points in the book, you don't have to read the book, yourself. Save yourself the trouble. Read The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, instead. It's much better. But even that's not as good as Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Nobody does it like David Allen. ...more

4

Jun 12, 2019

Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy is about time management and personal productivity. If sometimes you find yourself cleaning your house, organizing files on your PC etc. instead of doing really important things that you should find this book really useful. Although many of these tiny activities seem to be productive they aren’t the best use of your time. So what you really should be doing is eating that Frog which means doing your most important task. Simultaneously, it is the task which has the Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy is about time management and personal productivity. If sometimes you find yourself cleaning your house, organizing files on your PC etc. instead of doing really important things that you should find this book really useful. Although many of these tiny activities seem to be productive they aren’t the best use of your time. So what you really should be doing is eating that Frog which means doing your most important task. Simultaneously, it is the task which has the greatest influence on your current situation.

Anyway, the book has 21 chapters and each of those chapters covers one specific tip on how to get more done, to stop procrastinating and use your time more wisely. The chapters are easily digestible, they all have actionable tips that you can apply to get better at your time management. The flip side of that is 21 things is pretty a lot and that might be a bit overwhelming. I have also found the chapters a little bit redundant and had the impression that the book might be compressed even more.

So there are a few general principles which you have to follow in order to get more done in less time. First, you have to assign your priorities by taking a few steps. For instance, make a list of things to do and consider the consequences of doing nothing with these tasks. Which of these unfinished tasks could be the worst to your role within your company. Then, use the Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) – in this example it means to focus on 20% of your tasks as they deliver 80% of your results. When you have your most crucial task defined plan them in advance. A day without a plan can easily be a wasted day so make sure that you have time in your day to take care of your priorities.

The interesting thing was the argument that we should avoid multi-tasking. You should devote all your attention to one thing at a time and you would be amazed at how much more you could accomplish than if you were trying to do five things at once. Easier said than done, nevertheless, the examples provided by the author were worth reading and pretty convincing.

I have touched only a few of rules provided by Brian Tracy but if I had to choose around 10 out of 21 the most important tips on personal productivity it would be:
1. Plan every day in advance
2. Consider the consequences of doing nothing
3. Apply the Pareto principle
4. Focus on key results
5. Upgrade your key skills
6. Identify your key constraints
7. Get out of your comfort zone...(if you like to read my full review please visit my blog https://leadersarereaders.blog/eat-th...) ...more

5

Mar 25, 2008

Great book for anyone trying to tackle their personal obstacle that's keeping them from moving faster towards their goals, whatever those goals may be. The book is based on the saying by Mark Twain that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with teh satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the wost thing that is going to happen to you all day long. The book contains lessons on prioritizing, how spending a couple of minutes outlining and Great book for anyone trying to tackle their personal obstacle that's keeping them from moving faster towards their goals, whatever those goals may be. The book is based on the saying by Mark Twain that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with teh satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the wost thing that is going to happen to you all day long. The book contains lessons on prioritizing, how spending a couple of minutes outlining and prioritizing what you need and want to get done will let you get double done that day. There's also a lot of cute little snippets of wisdom concerning optimism, attitude, service, energizing your day, clarifying your goals, creating healthy habits, and making your contribution to your family/community/career as maximized as possible without necessarily spending more time on it. ...more

5

Apr 04, 2012

Updated review 31 March 2016:

If you follow the 21 rules, your life will be as productive as u wish.
Though, I followed some of the 21 rules for a short time then I went back to my old Procrastination, maybe they have to be 'revised' from time to time ;)

4

Aug 30, 2019

Irony: I owned a copy of this book about not procrastinating for about five years before I finally read it.

0

Jul 30, 2019

I failed this book. I started listening to it in December and then got distracted (which goes against the concept of this book). I picked it back up 7 months later and finished it. *facepalm*

Kind of funny when I think about all the skills the book is teaching a person on how not to procrastinate and it took me 7 months to finish it.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's a commentary on the book but more on me. I guess I should probably read it again at some point and try to do a better job I failed this book. I started listening to it in December and then got distracted (which goes against the concept of this book). I picked it back up 7 months later and finished it. *facepalm*

Kind of funny when I think about all the skills the book is teaching a person on how not to procrastinate and it took me 7 months to finish it.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's a commentary on the book but more on me. I guess I should probably read it again at some point and try to do a better job sticking to it before I rate the book.

...more

5

Mar 07, 2012

You will often see me post online that today I have to "eat a few frogs". This is now a way of life for me! I think Brian Tracy is a genius!

5

Sep 09, 2013

I was biased toward self-help books, to me, they were useless. Just common sense put into different words that people with midlife crisis deemed as gospel for about a month until the next motivational self-help book came along. Eat that frog cracked that bias, and 8/10 is the highest rating I could give, at the moment, to a book that I had a disdain for before I even started.
The book was a surprise, it lead me to understand the appeal of self-help books. You cannot see these types of books as I was biased toward self-help books, to me, they were useless. Just common sense put into different words that people with midlife crisis deemed as gospel for about a month until the next motivational self-help book came along. Eat that frog cracked that bias, and 8/10 is the highest rating I could give, at the moment, to a book that I had a disdain for before I even started.
The book was a surprise, it lead me to understand the appeal of self-help books. You cannot see these types of books as instruction manuals or encyclopedia of advice, you have to see them as salesmen and hypnotists in paper form. This book's primary objective isn't to tell you what to do, it is to coax you, persuade you, and draw you the image of the person who you COULD be. People fail in life not because they don't know to improve their lives, it's because of various factors that influence their decision to be lazy. These factors are deep-seated within our Western culture and exemplified by the frequent reminders to do what you enjoy best. This is not what successful people do, you have to scrub away these factors and change the foundation of your work ethics to succeed, and this is what the author, Brian Tracy preaches.
8/10 ...more

5

May 17, 2014

Absolutely essential reading for anyone who's human. Fantastic insight so typical of Brian Tracy. Go through this repeatedly, until it becomes a part of you.

4

Mar 01, 2008

If you're looking for quick tips for maximizing your daily output then this book is a great start. Each chapter is about three pages long with two ideas to implement what was just learned. I've read a bunch of Tracy's material and have profited from a lot of it; however, his underpinning philosophical outlook is largely panentheistic (god is in all things). There are other serious philosophical issues Tracy is just wrong about, but very little of his "New Age" ideas spill over into this book. So If you're looking for quick tips for maximizing your daily output then this book is a great start. Each chapter is about three pages long with two ideas to implement what was just learned. I've read a bunch of Tracy's material and have profited from a lot of it; however, his underpinning philosophical outlook is largely panentheistic (god is in all things). There are other serious philosophical issues Tracy is just wrong about, but very little of his "New Age" ideas spill over into this book. So this book can be read with much profit. ...more

3

Jan 12, 2017

Lately whatever I've read, maybe this one is not at par to them but as some famous person has rightfully said- 'Always learn something from every experience you have and every action you undertake'.

Well let me clarify what the hell does this title means as this was one of the biggest curiosities i had about this book before I started reading it:p:p, there's a quote - 'Whenever you start your day catch and eat a frog.' In this way the way this activity of yours can be the worst thing that can Lately whatever I've read, maybe this one is not at par to them but as some famous person has rightfully said- 'Always learn something from every experience you have and every action you undertake'.

Well let me clarify what the hell does this title means as this was one of the biggest curiosities i had about this book before I started reading it:p:p, there's a quote - 'Whenever you start your day catch and eat a frog.' In this way the way this activity of yours can be the worst thing that can happen to you in the day. This will help you to keep a positive outlook towards anything that happens to you in the whole as what worse can happen to you in a day than eating a frog!!

This book enumerates 21 steps, pretty much evident from the cover page but the point I wanna make here is that there are hardly any rules that you wouldn't have heard of at-least at some or the other point of time in your life. Examples are what I dearly missed in these books and why am I saying this? Because hardly anyone in the planet will there be someone who doesn't agree with whatever Mr. Tracy has said in this book but the problem is, without examples, this book was nothing more than the Indian parents preaching to their kids as to what should be done and what not and trust me that irritated me as a reader.

But that doesn't mean that this book was a complete waste of time:). There were certain rules which I actually applied in my day to day life and it helped me. One such rule says that whatever you think, think on paper. Whatever you feel or think write it on a piece of paper as it will always help you to stay abreast and confident of your course and will help you to clearly lay out a plan as to what should be done next. Another such rule was to get out of the technological sink which has become almost the single most time consuming part of the majority people's life. As prescribed by Mr. tracy, I've been trying to stay from any digital instrument for at-least an hour and believe me guys, it's very difficult. If it's difficult for me who's not even on the Facebook then i can't even begin to imagine how difficult is it going to be for those people who are breathing social media platforms day in and day out.

This book is theoretical I agree, but if one will try to apply these theories then they will be realize that how profound are these 21 suggestions. An excellent book for people who are enthusiastic to apply things in their life but are clueless about the thing that they want to:):) ...more

5

Feb 20, 2013

I have been meaning to read this book since I bought it back in 2011 but because I am very good at procrastinating I managed to put it off! It has proved its worth already because I have spent the last two days completing a complicated paperwork task which involved putting together lots of information from all sorts of places and collating it into a coherent whole. I’ve been putting off doing this for the last two months. In the spirit of the book I decided that this was the frog I really needed I have been meaning to read this book since I bought it back in 2011 but because I am very good at procrastinating I managed to put it off! It has proved its worth already because I have spent the last two days completing a complicated paperwork task which involved putting together lots of information from all sorts of places and collating it into a coherent whole. I’ve been putting off doing this for the last two months. In the spirit of the book I decided that this was the frog I really needed to ‘eat’ so that I could get on with my life. If it does nothing else for me the book has proved worth its purchase price.

The book – as its title states – contains twenty one ways to stop procrastinating and start doing those jobs that you really can’t face. If you do something you don’t like doing first thing in the morning you will get such a boost from achieving it that you could find the rest of the day is much more productive than usual. Anyone who has read any literature in the field will be familiar with some of the suggested ways of bypassing your procrastination instinct such as prioritising, making lists, the Swiss Cheese method (i.e. attacking small chunks of a bigger task so that eventually the bigger task begins to resemble a piece of Swiss Cheese full of holes).

I found this book very readable, interesting and inspiring. If you are a procrastinator then you may find it helpful, especially if you are putting off doing something that you know will improve your life if you just got down and did it. You may find that large frog is just not as big and as unpalatable as you think it is once you get started on it. Frogs don’t have to be eaten in one gulp either and can be eaten in bite sized chunks over a period of time. If you only read one book on procrastination then make it this one.
...more

1

Jan 10, 2016

Bleh. This book is preachy, condescending, and devoid of any unique ideas. The audiobook version is particularly excruciating to listen to. The basic message of the book:

* 80/20 rule applies
* Maximize your time doing the top 3 things that actually matter
* Start with your toughest task
* Focus

And then there's weird cult-style stuff about saying "Get back to work! Get back to work!" to yourself repeatedly. It's almost as if a pandering Dilbert boss wrote this book to give to his brain-dead Bleh. This book is preachy, condescending, and devoid of any unique ideas. The audiobook version is particularly excruciating to listen to. The basic message of the book:

* 80/20 rule applies
* Maximize your time doing the top 3 things that actually matter
* Start with your toughest task
* Focus

And then there's weird cult-style stuff about saying "Get back to work! Get back to work!" to yourself repeatedly. It's almost as if a pandering Dilbert boss wrote this book to give to his brain-dead employees.

You're much better off reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity ...more