“Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy is a self-help book that focuses on how to improve productivity by tackling the most important and challenging tasks first.
Tracy, a renowned author and speaker on personal and professional development, has written over 70 books.
He is considered one of the leading experts in the field of productivity and time management.
The book is divided into 21 Chapters, each of which provides practical advice and tools for overcoming procrastination and achieving more in less time.
The title of the book refers to the idea that if you have to eat a frog, you should do it first thing in the morning, so the rest of your day will be easier by comparison.
In the same way, if you tackle your most challenging or important task first thing in the morning, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day.
One of the key themes of the book is the importance of goal-setting.
Tracy emphasises the need to set clear, specific goals and to break them down into manageable tasks.
He argues that having a clear sense of direction and purpose is essential for achieving success and avoiding procrastination. Tracy also suggests that we should focus on the 20% of tasks that will produce 80% of the results, rather than getting bogged down on minor details or unimportant tasks.
Tracy also emphasises the need to prioritise tasks based on their importance and urgency.
He suggests using a “priority matrix” to categorise tasks, based on their level of importance and urgency.
This matrix divides tasks into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and not urgent or important.
By focusing on the most important and urgent tasks first, we can avoid wasting time on unimportant or low-priority tasks.
Another key theme of the book is the importance of time management.
Tracy argues that time is our most valuable resource and that we should use it wisely.
He suggests developing good habits and routines, such as using a daily planner or setting aside specific times for e-mails and the social media.
He also emphasises the need to eliminate distractions and time-wasters, such as television, social media, and other non-essential activities.
Tracy also provides practical tips for overcoming procrastination.
He argues that procrastination is often caused by fear, uncertainty, or lack of motivation.
To overcome procrastination, Tracy suggests breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps and focusing on the benefits and rewards of completing the task.
He also suggests using positive self-talk and visualisation to build confidence and motivation.
One of the strengths of “Eat That Frog!” is its practicality.
EXAMPLES
Tracy provides numerous examples and exercises that readers can use to apply the concepts and strategies outlined in the book.
For example, he suggests creating a “master list” of tasks, and then, breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
He also provides exercises for overcoming procrastination, such as setting a timer for 25 minutes and working on a task without interruption until the timer goes off.
Tracy’s writing style is clear and concise, and the book is easy to read and understand.
He uses real-world examples and anecdotes to illustrate his points. The book is filled with practical tips and strategies that readers can apply immediately.
However, a potential weakness of the book is its narrow focus on productivity and time management.
While Tracy provides valuable insights and tools for improving productivity, the book does not address other important aspects of personal and professional development, such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, or leadership.
In addition, some readers may find Tracy’s advice to be overly simplistic or formulaic.
While his strategies are effective for many people, they may not work for everyone.
For example, some readers may find it difficult to prioritise tasks, based on their level of importance and urgency, or they may struggle with breaking tasks down.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE WEALTHMASTERS
In this edition, I have decided to share some takeaways and observations from my interactions and interviews with a number of Wealthmasters, over 30 of them. Here are the first set.
- THEY ARE PASSION-DRIVEN
Without an exception, each of them is identified with an area of specialisation for which they have developed passion over a period of time.
These have ranged from investing, pastoring, consulting, trading, banking to entrepreneurship and a host of others.
How they came about their different passions is, however, a different matter altogether.
Some stumbled on their passions by specific initial training and continuous improvement and adjustments.
Others came about their passions by identifying unmet needs in the society, and positioned themselves as solution providers, with many ending up building outstanding wealth for themselves.
I also observed that even though some of them developed competencies in other areas, they still managed to project themselves as experts in specific areas.
There are few exceptions. There is one of them who built competencies in about five different areas and over time, has been able to make impact in each of the areas.
When I asked him how he has been able to do that, he said each of the areas came about as a result of his desire to enhance his knowledge in his core area of passion, which is investment .
2.THEY BRAND THEIR PASSIONS
I also observed that either consciously or unconsciously, every one of them has been able to turn their passions into vibrant brands by a combination of specific activities, including but not limited to writing about the passions, talking about the passions, granting interviews around the passions, and developing complementary skills around the passions.
They are all focused on constantly pushing the envelopes of their passions to the next levels apparently with internally calibrated brand plans. Someone has said that it takes 13 years of deliberate and unbroken activities to turn a passion into a solid brand.
Each of the WEALTHMASTERS on my radar has logged in a minimum of 20 years
in deliberately pushing their brands.
- THEY FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONVERT THEIR BRANDS TO STREAMS OF INCOME.
Even though they adopt different styles and strategies for achieving this, each of them seems to have a question constantly flashing through his or her mind: where is the cash in this whole thing ?
They do not just work only on how to make money , they also figure out how to manage their money, multiply their money , make their money count and make their money last.
They all use different strategies for accomplishing these objectives.
Sharing how he manages his money, one of them explained that he rarely has excess cash in his wallet and that every cash with him has a specific assignment .
“Here is what I do: either monthly or as occasions require, I generate a list of what I want to do with money, load the amount into a particular ATM card, and get a designated officer to withdraw the amount for me in the bank.
“For salaries and other regular commitments, I give transfer instructions . “Except in rare cases of emergencies, it is difficult to just bump on me for money .
“I am deliberate and intentional in my spending,” he said.
On giving, another said he has developed a method for every given expenditure .
He said, “I have a specific amount allocated to charity and other acts of benevolence; and once that is exhausted, anybody coming for help has to join the queue.”
4.THEY SPEND QUALITY TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
Some of them have come to see relationship building as a strategy of some sort for wealth building, so they spend time to build quality relationships which have paid off handsomely in the end .
Two of them have earned seats on the Boards of blue-chip companies without shelling out cash.
One of them explained the strategy this way:
“One of the most important rules for me is invest in people. Investment in people to me is much more important than investment in stocks.
“What is more important to me is to make investments in people.
“When any of these people creates wealth, there is an increase in pool for the whole society.
“Yes, many will be ungrateful and will never come back to you. But like in venture capital, if it is only one that is grateful and comes back, it pays for all others.”
Another one using this strategy put it this way: My motivation for investing has never really been about the money.
“I am motivated more by a desire to use my knowledge, experience, contacts and relationships to help a younger person to get ahead.
“It is, therefore, not an accident that most of my investments are with young entrepreneurs and start ups.
“I will give them a bit of money, but more valuable than the money, I give them are my time, access to me, and my network, hand-holding them, and mentoring them.
- THEY SQUEEZE THE MOST OUT OF THEIR DAYS
A common trait I also discovered among these Wealthmasters is their focus on how to make the most of each day, using a number of strategies. Their central belief is that time is the most precious resource you have while on earth, and so must be invested in activities that add value.
One of them put it nicely: “You can lose your car and buy another one; you can lose your business and build another one over time; you can lose money and generate far more that you have lost in the process of time.
“But once you lose a minute, it is gone forever. Every minute that passes actually draws you closer to the grave.”
Most of them ensure that their to-do-lists consist of specific tasks that must be done in a day that will bring them closer to the fulfillment of their visions and assignments on earth. And they do this when they are at the peak of their energy, usually in the early part of the day.
They don’t just come with to-do lists; they ensure they use the lists to daily advance what God has called them to do.
One of them told me that any CEO that starts his day in the morning has already lost that day.
He said: “I have tried the method (of using the night season to plan) for years, and it has increased my productivity beyond imagination.”
In his words: “I write, pray, meet, and do all sorts of brain work in the night.
“So, when I show up in the day, I am starting the second day with my colleagues who are still confused on how to start the day.”
You can call it squeezing two days out of a day.
