Eat That Frog

Eat That Frog! Practice zero-based thinking on 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 abandonment or creative procrastination.
 
 
 
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Chapter 17 - Do the Most Difficult Task First 
 
“The longer I live, them 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: First, at the end of 
your workday, or on the weekend, you make a list of everything you 
have to do the next day.
You then review this list using the ABCDE Method, combined with 
the 80/20 Rule. 
You then 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. 
 
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You assemble everything you need to start and finish this job and lay 
it out ready for you to start work in the morning. 
You clear your workspace completely so that you have this one, most 
important task, like a big frog, sitting on your desk waiting for you in 
the morning. 
You then discipline yourself to get up, get ready and then walk in, sit 
down and start on your most difficult task, without interruptions, 
before you do anything else. 
You do this repeatedly, every day for 21 days until it becomes a habit. 
With this discipline, you will literally double your productivity in 
less than a month. 
Starting first thing in the morning with your biggest and most 
important task is the opposite of what most people do. This discipline 
breaks you of the habit of procrastination and puts your future 
squarely in your own hands. 
Starting with your most difficult job, or piece of the job, gives you a 
jump start on the day. As a result you'll be more energized and 
productive from then on. 
 
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On the days when you launch immediately into your top job, you 
will feel better about yourself and your work than on any other day.
You will personally feel more powerful, more effective, more in 
control and more in charge of your life than at any other time. 
Develop the habit of doing the most difficult task first and you'll 
never look back. You'll become one of the most productive people of 
your generation.