Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy - Book Notes, Summary, Review

Book-Notes
April 02, 2021
Reading Time: 7 mins

Eat That Frog is all about doing that one thing, the thing that provides you with the most value in the long-term. If you can Eat That Frog first thing in the morning before anything else, you’ve set yourself up for success.

Many of you will have heard of this concept before but if you’re like me you may not have read the original source.

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Who Should Read This Book?

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to figure out the most important things they should be working on. The tasks or projects that will provide value to your life.

Working day to day in a putting out fires type of mindset means that we rarely focus on those big picture things that would be beneficial to us in the long run.

If you’re familiar with the Eisenhower Matrix, it’s like working only in Quadrant 1 - Urgent + Important and ignoring Quadrant 2 - Not Urgent but Important.

This book provides lots of actionable tips and advice for not only determining your one thing or “your frog” as the book refers to, but also how to take steps to work on it to completion.


How This Book Changed Me

Having read a number of similar types of books recently, there wasn’t anything completely new to me here.

With that said, hearing about the concept of “eating the frog” in lots of other books motivated me to read the original book on the topic.

I’m glad I did as it provided some additional clarity around the concept plus some additional advice for making this practice a habit.

The main thing I am taking away from this book is the idea that productivity and task management are simply tools that allow us to get our most important work done. Once that’s done, we can spend time doing the things that we enjoy like spending time with family and friends or pursuing a hobby.


My Top 3 Quotes That Resonated With Me

“Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.”

“You must never forget that your ultimate goal is to live a long, happy, and healthy life.” p49

“The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act.” - Orison Swett Marden p80


Book Notes

Eat That Frog

“Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.”

Set The Table

“An average plan vigorously executed is far better than a brilliant plan on which nothing is done.” p20

Plan Every Day In Advance

“Your mind, your ability to think, plan, and decide, is your most powerful tool for overcoming procrastination and increasing your productivity.” p23

Apply The 80/20 Rule To Everything

Consider The Consequences

“Before starting on anything, you should always ask yourself, “What are the potential consequences of doing or not doing this task?”” p30

“The law of Forced Efficiency says that “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.”” p32

“What can I and only I do that if done well will make a real difference?” p33

“What is the most valuable use of my time right now?” p34

Practice Creative Procrastination

Apply The Law Of Three

“You must never forget that your ultimate goal is to live a long, happy, and healthy life.” p49

Leverage Your Special Talents

Slice And Dice The Task

“The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act.” ORISON SWETT MARDEN p80