Eat That Frog

 
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Eat That Frog! Take a clean sheet of paper right now and make out a 
list of ten goals you want to accomplish in the next year. Write your 
goals as though a year has already passed and they are now a reality. 
Use the present tense, positive and personal case so that they are 
immediately accepted by your subconscious mind.
For example, you would write. “I earn X number of dollars per year.” 
Or “I weigh X number of pounds.” Or “I drive such and such a car.” 
Then, go back over your list of ten goals and select the one goal that, 
if you achieved it, would have the greatest positive impact on your 
life. Whatever that goal is, write it on a separate sheet of paper, set a 
deadline, make a plan, take action on your plan and then do 
something every single day that moves you toward that goal. This 
exercise alone could change your life! 
 
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Chapter 2 – Plan Every Day In Advance 
 
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something 
about it now.” (Alan Lakein) 
 
You have heard the old question, ”How do you eat an elephant? One 
bite at a time!” 
How do you eat your biggest, ugliest frog? The same way; you break 
it down into specific step-by-step activities and then you start on the 
first one. 
Your mind, your ability to think, plan and decide, is your most 
powerful tool for overcoming procrastination and increasing your 
productivity. Your ability to set your goals, plan and take action on 
them determines the course of your life. The very act of thinking and 
planning unlocks your mental powers, triggers your creativity and 
increases your mental and physical energies.
Conversely, as Alex MacKenzie wrote, "Action without planning is the 
cause of every failure." 
Your ability to plan well, in advance of beginning, is a measure of 
your overall competence. The better the plan you have, the easier it is 
 
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for you to overcome procrastination, to get started , to eat your frog 
and then to keep going. 
One of your top goals at work should be for you to get the highest 
possible return on your investment of mental, emotional and physical 
energy. The good news is that every minute spent in planning saves 
as many as ten minutes in execution. It only takes about ten or twelve 
minutes for you to plan out your day, but this small investment of 
time will save you at least two hours (100-120 minutes) in wasted 
time and diffused effort throughout the day. 
You may have heard of the six "P" formula. It says, "Proper Prior 
Planning Prevents Poor Performance."
When you consider how helpful planning can be in increasing your 
productivity and performance, it is amazing how few people practice 
it every single day. And planning is really quite simple to do. All you 
need is a piece of paper and a pen. The most sophisticated Palm Pilot, 
computer program or time planner is based on the same principle. It 
is based on your sitting down and making a list of everything you 
have to do before you begin. 
Always work from a list. When something new comes up, add it to 
the list before you do it. You can increase your productivity and 
 
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output by 25% or more from the first day that you begin working 
consistently from a list. 
Make out your list the night before, at the end of the workday. Move 
everything that you have not yet accomplished onto your list for the 
coming day and then add everything that you have to do the next 
day. When you make out your list the evening or the night before, 
your subconscious mind works on your list all night long while you 
sleep. Often you will wake up with great ideas and insights that you 
can use to get your job done faster and better than you had initially 
thought. 
The more time you take to make written lists of everything you have 
to do, in advance, the more effective and efficient you will be.
There are different lists that you need for different purposes. First, 
you should create a master list on which you write down everything 
you can think of that you want to do some time in the future. This is 
the place where you capture every idea that comes to or every new 
task or responsibility that comes up. You can then sort out the items 
later. 
Second, you should have a monthly list that you make up at the end 
of the month for the month ahead. This may contain items 
transferred from your master list.