Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

Eat That Frog is a one-stop guide to understanding human behavior and why people often make excuses, even when they know something is important. For example, we all know that exercise is good for our health, but many still ignore it.

That’s exactly what Brian Tracy talks in his book. It’s an eye-opener that will change the way you think about your life and the decisions you make.

“One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all. – Brian Tracy

What is Procrastination?

Let’s say you plan to exercise today at 7:00 PM, but when that time comes, you tell yourself, “I have work to do” or “I’m tired,” so you push it to tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

Then, when tomorrow comes, the same excuse pops up — “I have work to do” — and you reschedule it to 5:00 PM. This cycle of putting things off and making excuses is called procrastination.

I’ve been there myself, making excuses for exercise, reading, or putting off work tasks. But once I understood why I was procrastinating, that’s when I started doing what I was supposed to do in the first place.

The key is understanding why you’re giving yourself excuses. Once you realize this, you’ll stop making excuses altogether.

Eat That Frog Summary

Eat That Frog is one of the best books on procrastination. The author shares 21 effective ways to manage your time and life. It’s one of the shortest books you’ll come across on productivity, so even if you’re a new reader, this is the perfect one to start your reading journey.

Before I read Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy, I had already read a few books on time management. So, Eat That Frog didn’t teach me a lot of new things, but it did help refresh my memory.

I started scheduling my day after reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Before that, I used to do all my work on the spot. I never had a to-do list, and I’d just search on Google to find out my next topic for my websites. But after reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I understood the value of scheduling.

Now, Eat That Frog says the same thing but in a very compact way. So, if you don’t want to read 300 pages of a book, just read Eat That Frog and you’ll understand the importance of time.

If you’re the kind of person who wants to manage your time and tasks better, Eat That Frog is definitely a must-read. It teaches you everything from managing tasks to using your time the right way.

Technology Is a Terrible Master

It’s simple—don’t use your smartphone or any gadget just to kill time. While it sounds easy, applying it in real life can be tough.

You might find yourself addicted to scrolling through Instagram or playing games like PUBG for hours.

Let me give you an example.

I used to drink three cups of coffee every day, and it was affecting my life.

One day, while browsing Amazon, I saw a book called, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. That book gave me a reason to cut down on coffee, so I went from three cups to one.

Why We Sleep is all about sleep. The author explains what happens when you don’t get enough sleep and much more. And when I read all this, I made myself clear that I couldn’t keep drinking this much coffee.

Today, I don’t drink coffee at all because I realized I was dependent on it to do exercise, work, or anything else. I told myself, either drink one cup before noon or quit.

Addiction, whether it’s to coffee or anything else, is harmful. If you can control it, that’s great, but if not, it’s time to take a moment and think about it.

Now, let me share some tips from Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy on how to quit spending hours on social media or playing games.

• Turn off all notifications, except for the ones that are truly important.
• Create dedicated spaces in your digital life for your most important tasks.
• Find and install one app or software that helps you stay more efficient and focused.

Brian Tracy emphasizes that technology can be very helpful if you use it the right way. For example, you can use Google Calendar to schedule tasks, to-do apps for task management, and other tools to stay on track.

In the same way, there’s no need to use Instagram or other social media apps just to kill time. You will definitely have more important things to work on. And if you don’t have any tasks at the moment, just spend your time with the people you love.

Plan Every Day in Advance

One of the most powerful rules of personal effectiveness is the 10/90 Rule.

This rule says that the first 10 percent of your time spent planning and organizing your tasks will save you up to 90 percent of the time once you start the actual work.

When you plan your day in advance, getting started becomes much easier. The work flows faster and smoother, and you’ll feel more confident and capable. Eventually, you’ll become unstoppable.

For example,

• Start today by planning each day, week, and month in advance. Grab a notepad or use your smartphone, and make a list of everything you need to do in the next 24 hours.
• Organize your goals, projects, and tasks by priority — what’s most important first, and what comes next.
• Think on paper! Always work from a list. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you’ll be.

Apply the 80/20 Rule to Everything

The 80/20 Rule, also known as the “Pareto Principle,” was first introduced by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1895.

Pareto observed that in society, people naturally divided into two groups: the “vital few,” the top 20 percent in terms of wealth and influence, and the “trivial many,” the bottom 80 percent. He later realized this principle applied to all aspects of economic activity.

For example, the 80/20 Rule states that 20 percent of your activities will yield 80 percent of your results. Similarly, 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your sales, and 20 percent of your products will bring in 80 percent of your profits.

To put it simply, if you have a list of ten tasks, two of those will provide far more value than the other eight combined.

Brian Tracy sums up the 80/20 Rule in a straightforward way:

• Make a list of your key goals, activities, projects, and responsibilities. Identify which of these tasks fall into the top 20 percent that will deliver the most significant results.
• Focus more on these high-impact areas, dedicating less time to tasks that don’t contribute as much to your success.

Before starting any task, always ask yourself, “Is this in the top 20 percent of my activities, or is it in the bottom 80 percent?”

It’s always best to follow your plan. If you’ve made a list of tasks, tackle them in order, from top to bottom.

Stick to your schedule. Focus on the task you’re supposed to do.

Eat That Frog Quotes

“…you cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond, but you can eat the biggest and ugliest one, and that will be enough, at least for the time being.

“Refuse to allow a weakness or a lack of ability in any area to hold you back. Everything is learnable. And what others have learned, you can learn as well.”

“Practice “zero-based thinking” in every part of your life. Ask yourself continually, “If I were not doing this already, knowing what I now know, would I start doing it again today?” If it is something you would not start again today, knowing what you now know, it is a prime candidate for abandonment or creative procrastination.”

“When everything is laid out neatly and in sequence, you will feel much more like getting on with the job.”

“Your mind, your ability to think, plan, and decide is your most powerful tool for overcoming procrastination.”

“Your job is to identify your special areas of uniqueness and then to commit yourself to becoming very, very good in those areas.”

“Use technology as a servant, not a master. The purpose of technology is to make your life smoother and easier, not to create complexity, confusion and stress.”

“You need three key qualities to develop the habits of focus and concentration, which are all learnable. They are decision, discipline, and determination.”

“The six “P” formula: Proper Prior Planning Prevent Poor Performance.”

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