Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (Summary)
Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live 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. Your 'frog' is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on. The secret to high performance isn't checking off easy items—it's swallowing that ugly frog first.
Eat Your Ugliest Frog First
The cornerstone of productivity is to identify your single most important task for the day—the 'frog'—and do it first thing in the morning, without deviation. This creates momentum and a sense of accomplishment that fuels the rest of your day.
You have to write a complex project proposal, answer 30 routine emails, and schedule a team lunch. The proposal is your 'frog.' Instead of clearing your inbox for a quick dopamine hit, you dedicate the first 90 minutes of your day solely to the proposal. By 10 AM, the hardest part of your day is behind you, making everything else feel easy.
Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything
The Pareto Principle states that 20% of your efforts yield 80% of your results. To be effective, you must relentlessly identify and focus on that vital 20% of tasks and ignore or delegate the 'trivial many' that make up the other 80%.
A business owner realizes that 20% of their customers generate 80% of their revenue. Instead of trying to please every customer equally, they decide to invest the majority of their time and resources into providing exceptional service and new offers to that top 20%, dramatically increasing profits.
Prioritize Ruthlessly with the ABCDE Method
Before starting work, organize your to-do list using this method: 'A' tasks are must-do, 'B' are should-do, 'C' are nice-to-do, 'D' are delegate, and 'E' are eliminate. The rule is you never do a 'B' task when an 'A' task is left undone.
Your list: 1) Finish sales report for boss (due today), 2) Brainstorm ideas for next quarter, 3) Organize digital files. You label them: A) Finish report, B) Brainstorm ideas, C) Organize files. This forces you to complete the critical report before even thinking about brainstorming, preventing you from mistaking 'busy' work for important work.
Practice Creative Procrastination
Since you can't possibly do everything, you must choose to procrastinate on low-value activities. By consciously deciding what not to do, you free up the mental space and time required to focus on the tasks that truly matter.
You feel the urge to tidy up your entire workspace before starting a daunting but important task like making five crucial sales calls. Creative procrastination means you consciously say, 'I will put off tidying for now,' and immediately begin the high-value sales calls, leaving the low-value task for later or never.
