Eat That Frog Flashcards
(35 cards)
How do you become successful?
Ask successful people in similar positions what they do and apply it
What do successful people do with their time?
They use their time far better than the average person. Successful people aren’t better than me, they just do things differently
What’s the key ability of successful people?
To concentrate single-mindedly on their most important task, do it well and finish it completely
Why are people always going to be overwhelmed?
There have never been more possibilities and opportunities to achieve goals. People are drowning in tasks with too little time to do them. The ability to be selective is the critical determiner of success - more than any skill you have
What is your frog?
The biggest, most important task , the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it. It’s also the task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and results at the moment
What’s the first rule of frog eating?
If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. Begin immediately and persist until completed. Think of it as a test, a personal challenge - resist the temptation to start with the easiest task. Repetition of this skill will make it a permanent and easy part of your behaviour. It’ll release positive endorphins, and become addictive
Remember not to
Confuse activity with accomplishment
What are the three Ds of habit formation
Decide to develop the habit, discipline to practice and be determined until the habit is locked in
What should you visualise?
Visualise becoming the highly productive, effective person you want to be - think about the rewards/benefits, and see yourself as the kind of person who gets important jobs done quickly and well on a consistent basis
What do only 3% of adults do?
Have clear written, goals. They accomplish 5-10 as much as people of similar education and ability
What are the 7 steps to setting goals?
1) Decide exactly what you want and in order of priority
2) Write it down
3) Set a deadline
4) Make a list of everything you can think of that you will need to do to reach the goal
5) Organise the list into a plan - tasks in order to be done. Lay the plan out visually (boxes and arrows) showing the relationship of each task to the goal
6) Take action immediately - do something, anything
7) Resolve to do something every day to get to the goal eg: read a specific number of pages on each subject. Review your goals every day and take action on the most important task to achieve your most important goal
How do you write down a goal?
Write it down in the present tense, positive voice, first person singular - eg: I earn X number of pounds by this date/I drive such and such a car by this date/I weigh x KG by this date
How long does 10-12 minutes planning your day save you?
100-120 minutes
Always work from a…
…List - this increases your productivity and output 25% or more. Make your list the night before as your subconscious mind will work on it while you sleep and you’ll wake up with great ideas
What kinds of lists should you have?
1) Master list: everything you can think of
2) Monthly list
3) Weekly list (take a couple of hours at the end of each week to plan the coming week)
4) Daily list
What should you ask yourself before beginning a task?
Is this task in the top 20% of my activities or in the bottom 80%?
Resist the temptation to…
…do the small things first
What’s the key determinant to success in life and work?
Your ability to choose between the important and the unimportant
Long-term thinking improves…
…short term decision making. Studies have shown those who have a 5-10 year horizon of thinking achieve far more as they are better able to organise the present as a result. Successful people are those willing to delay gratification and make sacrifices in the short term so they can enjoy far greater rewards in the future
Losers…
Try to escape from their fears and drudgery with activities that are tension-relieving. Winners are motivated by their desires towards activities that are goal-achieving
What’s the Law of Forced Efficiency?
“There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing”. You will never catch up with all the work/reading etc. you need to do, but you can be on top of your most important responsibilities. The rest can wait
What are the key questions for maximum efficiency?
1) What are my highest value activities?
2) What can I and only I, do that if done well, will make a real difference?
3) What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
Determine the most important thing you could be doing at each hour of the day.
What is creative procrastination?
Procrastination on the smaller tasks - you can’t do everything, so deliberately procrastinate on the smaller tasks
What’s Warren Buffet’s secret?
He says no to absolutely everything that is not vital at that moment
Remember that you have no free time - your life is full. Cut down on things like TV and internet searching and do the things that are work related or enhance the quality of life (family, reading, gym)
