The average millionaire reads more than seven books a year.
How many have you read so far? If you haven’t read as much this year, make sure you add Eat
that Frog to your list. It is one of those books that will literally change your life.
Once you read this book, struggles with productivity and procrastination will be
a thing of the past. Let’s have a look at some of the principles in the book that will change
your life. But, before we begin, why don’t you tap the subscribe button and the bell icon,
so you never miss any of our videos. Now, let’s begin, shall we?
1. SET THE TABLE The book starts off
with describing how to set the table. Setting the table simply means creating clarity on the
goals that need to be accomplished. Clarity enables people to overcome procrastination.
The best way to achieve clarity is by noting down goals on paper. People with written
goals tend to achieve their goals five to ten times as much as those who don’t.
In order to successfully note your goals down you can follow these steps:
Start by defining the goal and then writing it down on paper. The secret is to write the goal
in present tense for example if you want to weigh 100 pounds, you can write, ‘I weigh 100 pounds’.
The next task is to set a clear and achievable deadline for the goal and where possible,
add sub-deadlines. The next step is to jot down everything you may need to do
in order to achieve the goal. This involves listing down the individual tasks.
Now that you have the list, you should arrange it by importance.
Figure out where your priorities lie and get to work on tasks of highest importance.
Make sure you take steps every day that take your close and close to your goals.
2. PLAN EVERY DAY IN ADVANCE We know this is important but
do we know how important it is. There’s a 10/90 rule that states the time used to plan
can save you 90% of the execution time. So, if you spend 2 minutes to plan it will save you 20
minutes of execution time. By ensuring you spend about fifteen minutes daily to plan out your day,
you save more than two hours of execution time. You can create a planning culture by creating
plans for the next day every night. This helps prepare your brain in advance to achieve the
goals. Don’t stop there, start creating weekly lists, monthly lists in order to plan ahead
in time. Once you accomplish something of the list tick it off so as to motivate you
to continue. Can you imagine how much time you would save in a month by doing this regularly?
I’ve been hearing about the importance of planning since day one. I, foolishly however, never really
paid attention to just how important planning was. Now that I plan every detail of my day, I don’t
recognize the unorganized version of myself. I abide by the 10/90 rule. This rule states
that the first 10% of your time you spend planning your day, will save you up to 90%
of the time when you’re getting the task done. If you spend about 15 minutes daily, you can end up
saving as much as 2 hours of your execution time. How amazing is that? I would suggest that you plan
your day the night before so that you already know what to do when you wake up each morning. Don’t
just stop at planning your days, go a step forward and plan your week and even months in advance.
With each item ticked off the list, you will feel more and more fulfilled and accomplished.
3. APPLY THE 80/20 RULE TO EVERYTHING The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto rule,
tells us that 80% of the outcomes you face are a product of just 20%
of the work you put in. I always label this as the ‘work smart, not hard’ rule.
This book illustrates that although the 20% is what will get people to their desired realities,
they often always procrastinate on those very things. In other words, that 20%
is the ‘frog’ and you just need to … eat it. With this in mind, when you go and plan your days,
take your time to consider each task. Ask yourself ‘how will this thing benefit me 10, 20 and even
30 years from now?’ Ensure that the tasks you put majority of your time and energy into, are
part of the 20%. After all, that 20% is all you need to make a substantial change in your life.
4. IMPLEMENT THE ABCDE METHOD
Once you start getting used to planning your days and creating to-do lists,
implementing ABCDE method will take your game to another level. It works like this:
Items under category A are very important and have to be completed within a set deadline.
Not getting these tasks done within the deadline presents very serious consequences.
Category B tasks are less important than those in category A.
These tasks should not be touched until and unless everything in category A is completed.
Anything less important goes into category C. They are still ‘important’ but, there are no real
consequences to not getting these tasks done. If you have too much on your plate, tasks in
category D can be delegated to someone else. Finally, anything that falls into category
E could be permanently eliminated from your life without any dire consequences.
5. PRACTICE CREATIVE PROCRASTINATION Did you know that procrastination can
actually be super helpful when done in the right way? I feel like I can
sense your confusion right now, “there’s a right way to procrastinate’ I hear you ask…
yes, you see, the secret is to control how and when you procrastinate as opposed to
letting it control you. For many of us, the issue is the latter.
When you’re creating your list, look at tasks such as chores and errands; these are your routes to
productive procrastination. Whenever you feel the wave of procrastination coming over you,
tend to your chores and errands instead of wasting time on social media.
6. APPLY THE LAW OF THREE
The law is quite straight forward. It states three things: do what you can with whatever
resources you have wherever you are. We won’t explain this any further as this is very clear.
7. TAKE IT ONE OIL BARREL AT A TIME If a doctor had to complete two operations
at the same time, the reality is he won’t be able to. It’s impossible to concentrate on two patients
lying next to each other in the theater room. This is exactly why surgeons have to close off
their schedules whenever they are going through an operation. If an operation is estimated to take 30
minutes, they will probably add another hour as you simply can’t predict if something will
go wrong in between. The same applies to everyone else. If you take up more than one task at a go,
chances are you will fail at both. Focus on one task at a go and only move
on to the next when the last is completed. In simple terms, do not overwhelm yourself
with multiple tasks in one go. While many of us can successfully multitask, when you’re always
trying to give it your best shot, don’t force yourself to complete multiple tasks altogether.
8. UPGRADE SKILLS CONTINUOUSLY The minimum requirement to be successful
is continuous learning. Today you can easily access courses and learning platforms online.
The best part is they cost little to nothing. Did you also know that
accredited universities are offering certified courses online for a few dollars? There are also
so many niche experts who have online webinars and trainings every other time. We live in the
era where you can learn something new and monetize it ASAP. So, what’s stopping you from upgrading?
Constantly taking inventory of your skills will also help you determine
where you’re falling behind. With the aid of free online courses,
you work on your weaker skillsets so that you groom yourself to the best of your abilities.
9. LEVERAGE YOUR SPECIAL TALENTS Is there something you are extremely good at?
What do you enjoy the most in your line of work? What has attributed the most to your success?
If you had the choice to do any job, what would it be? Once you find answers to these questions
you will know what you’re best at. Focus on what you’re the best in to achieve the best results.
10. PRESSURISE YOURSELF INTO ACTION In order to become a high achiever,
you need to create a habit of putting the pressure on yourself and not relying on other people to
motivate you. See every day as though it is the last day to complete your tasks. Keep quotes
and words around you that motivate you. 11. GET OUT OF TECHNOLOGICAL TIME SINKS
Technology is our friend and enemy at the same time. In order to stay productive and stay on
track with schedules, you need to stay away from your devices. Detach from your mobile phone,
television and any other gadget that might stray you from your focus. A great way to do this is
to install an app that monitors your activity on your mobile device. There are several apps
that will send you notifications when you spend too much time on sites that are not productive.
You’ll be surprised to see just how much time you’re wasting on unproductive sites;
redistribute this time towards your goals. 12. CREATE LARGE CHUNKS OF TIME
Schedule work appointments, and ensure each task has an appropriate time frame. Set
time segments either in thirty, sixty or more minutes that best suit your unique situation.
As you do this, always block out your calendar and create reminders on your device.
13. CREATE A SENSE OF URGENCY From time to time, I trick myself
into thinking I have a looming deadline. Even if I don’t, I create a sense of urgency when it
comes to important tasks. This is a great method to get out of a procrastination spell. If you do
have a deadline but it’s not for weeks, create a false deadline which is much closer; if you really
want to get to your desired reality, you need to use the sense of urgency to guide you there.
That’s it for today, thank you for watching until the end. if you’re still here you must’ve enjoyed
the video so give us a thumb up. We have a lot of great content in store for you so make sure
you subscribe and tap the bell notification, so you never miss a video. We consistently create
useful content to help you grow financially and be a better person. Have a beautiful day!