It is easy to misfire thinking the solutions Tracy proposes to the problem of procrastination - the biggest thief of time- are particularly common to the industrialized world, where productivity has climbed up to unimaginable heights. We hasten to say no. The secret to solving the time problem which the author tells us in his book- Eat That Frog, is prioritizing the truly important tasks and throwing away or simply ignoring those that attract less weight.
Brian Tracy appears to lend credence to the view that it is only possible to regulate time. And thus life, if we change the way we think, work and handle the battalion of daily activities that compete for our attention.
The author's productivity logic centers on three frog sayings that inspired the book's title: 1. If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a life frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.
2. If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest first.
3. If you have to eat a life frog, it does not pay to sit and look at it for very long.
The lesson that stretches out from the first and second sets of these frog-eating habits is that you must tackle the most important and the most difficult tasks first each day; that is, when your energy is still very hungry for work. Before anything else, one must overcome the temptation to start with the easiest tasks in order to achieve a higher level of output and productivity, the author counsels.
On the contrary, you should create an environment where the main goal is dealt with every morning. Working as a young sailor on a cargo ship and as a door-to-door salesman, Tracy says he discovered that 95% of the time, success in life and in the workplace is a result of the development of lasting habits. These habits include listing priorities, overcoming uncertainty and tackling the most important and tedious assignment. Habits are based on mental and physical ability, and therefore can be learned and developed through practice and repetition until they become automatic responses.
Throughout the book, the author offers 21 logical steps to manage time and organize assignments. Each step includes several chapters that are accompanied by practice exercises. The trouble shooting strategy is clear, precise and easy to follow, I must admit. The information is presented in manageable slices with simple direct phrases that cap one with unbelievable abilities to perform.
And just to sign off, we think the writer's call on us to "eat that frog connotes chewing, which also can be time-consuming. So we say, don't eat the frog; swallow that frog!
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