Tracy Brian Eat That Frog

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"optimism" is the most important quality you can develop for
personal and professional success and hap
piness. It seems that optimists have three special behaviors, all
learned through practice and repetition.
First, optimists look for the good in every situation. No matter
what goes wrong, they always look for something good or beneficial.
And not surprisingly, they always seem to find it.
Second, optimists always seek the valuable lesson in every setback
or difficulty. They believe that, "difficulties come not to obstruct but to
instruct." They believe that each setback or obstacle contains a
valuable lesson they can learn and grow from, and they are deter-
mined to find it.
Third, optimists always look for the solution to every problem.
Instead of blaming or complaining when things go wrong, they
become action oriented. They ask questions like, "What's the
solution? What can we do now? What's the next step?"
In addition, people who are habitually optimistic, positive, and
upbeat think and talk continually about their goals. They think
and talk about the future and where they are going rather than the
past and where they came from. They are always looking forward
rather than backward.
When you continually visualize your goals and ideals and talk
to yourself in a positive way, you feel more focused and energized.
You feel more confident and creative. You experience a greater
sense of control and personal power.
And the more positive and motivated you feel, the more eager
you are to get started and the more determined you are to keep
going.
EAT THAT FROG!
Control your thoughts. Remember, you become what you
think about most of the time. Be sure that you are
thinking and talking about the things you want rather
than the things you don't want.
Keep your mind positive by accepting complete
responsibility for yourself and for everything that
happens to you. Refuse to criticize or blame others for
anything. Resolve to make progress rather than excuses.
Keep your thoughts and your energy focused forward, on
the things you can do to improve your life, and let the
rest go.
A
Took- 1. V
Practice Creative
Procrastination
Make time for getting big tasks done
every day. Plan your daily workload
in advance. Single out the relatively
few small jobs that absolutely must be
done immediately in the morning.
Then go directly to the big tasks
and pursue them to completion.
-BOARDROOM REPORTS
CREATIVE PROCRASTINATION Is one of the most effec
tive of all personal performance techniques. It can change your life.
The fact is that you can't do everything that you have to do.
You have to procrastinate on something! Put off eating smaller or
less ugly frogs. Eat the biggest and ugliest frogs before anything
else.
The difference between high performers and low performers is
largely determined by what they choose to procrastinate on. Since
you must procrastinate anyway, decide today to procrastinate on
low-value activities. Decide to procrastinate, outsource, delegate,
and eliminate those activities that don't make much of a
contribution to your life in any case. Get rid of the tadpoles and
focus on the frogs.
Here is a key point. Tb set proper priorities, you must set
posteriorities as well. A priority is something that you do more of
and sooner, while a posteriority is something that you do less of and
later, if at all.
Rule: You can get your time and your life
under control only to the degree to which
you discontinue lower value activities.
One of the most powerful of all words in time management is
the word "No!" Say "No" to anything that is not a high-value use of
your time and your life. Say it early and say it often. The fact is that
you have no spare time. As we say, "Your dance card is full."
For you to do something new, you must complete
r
or stop doing something old. Getting in requires getting out. Picking
up means putting down.
Creative procrastination is the act of thoughtfully and
deliberately deciding upon the exact things you are not going to do
right now, if ever.
Most people engage in unconscious procrastination. They
procrastinate without thinking about it. As a result, they
procrastinate on the big, hard, valuable, important tasks that can
have significant long-term consequences in their lives and careers.
You must avoid this common tendency at all costs.
Your job is to deliberately procrastinate on tasks that are of low
value so that you have more time for tasks that can really make a
difference in your life and work.
Continually review your duties and responsibilities to identify
time-consuming tasks and activities that you can abandon with no
real loss. This is an ongoing responsibility for you that never ends.
For example, a friend of mine, when he was single, was an avid
golfer. He liked to golf three or four times a week, three to four
hours each time.
Over a period of years, he started a business, got married, and
had two children. But he still played golf three or four times a week
until he finally realized that his time on the golf course was causing
him enormous stress at home and at the office. It was only by
abandoning most of his golf games that he could get his life back
under control.
Review your activities outside the office to decide which ones are
not important. Cut down on television watching and spend the time
saved with your family, reading, exercising, or doing something that
enhances your life.
Look at your work activities and identify the tasks that you
could delegate or eliminate to free up more time for the work that
really counts. Begin today to practice creative procrastination, to
set posteriorities wherever and whenever you can. This decision
alone could change your life.
EAT THAT FROG!
Practice "zero-based thinking" in every part of your life.
Ask yourself continually, "If I was not doing this already,
knowing what I now know, would I get into it again
today?"
Examine each of your personal and work activities and
evaluate it based on your situation today. If it is
something you would not start up again today, knowing
what you now know, it is a prime candidate for abandon-
ment or creative procrastination.
i
' 1
Do the
Most Difficult
Task First
The longer I live, the more I am certain
that the great difference between men,
between the feeble and the powerful,
between the great and the insignificant,
is energy-invincible determination
a purpose once fixed, and then
death or victory.
-SIR THOMAS FOWELL BUXTON
ONE OF THE best techniques for overcoming procrastination and
getting more things done faster is for you to start work by doing
your most difficult task first. This is truly "eating your frog." It is
one of the hardest and yet one of the most important of all
personal management skills.
You develop this habit by following these steps:
" At the end of your workday, or on the weekend, make a list of
everything you have to do the next day.
" Review this list using the ABCDE Method, combined with the
80/20 Rule.
" Select your A-1, most important task, the job that has the most
serious potential consequences if you get it done or leave it
undone.
" Assemble everything you need to start and finish this job and lay it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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