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Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy is a brilliant read – and one of my favourite books when it comes to mastering time management and personal effectiveness. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do! But if time is tight, here are some quick, powerful takeaways and some of my own ideas to get you started right away:
Eat a Frog Every Day
Brian Tracey refers to your frog as your biggest, most important task of the day. I have changed my interpretation of this over time and choose not the biggest or the most important task, but the task that’s important but I least want to do. The task I’m procrastinating about and is taking up valuable head space that could be used for something else. This is the job that you need to just get done first thing and out of the way, today and every day – don’t think about it, just eat that frog! Your day will only get better!
Use the 80/20 Rule
Known as the ‘Pareto principle’ this is one of the most helpful rules in life and time management. Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian Economist back in the late 19th century, noticed that 20% of the population owned 80% of the land in Italy. He then discovered that this principle could be applied to most economic outcomes. The Pareto principle states that for roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. You’ll find that 80% of your sales probably come from 20% of your customers, so concentrate on that top 20%. Make sure you’re focusing 80% of your time on the 20% of activities that will achieve 80% of results!
Single-Task Like a Pro
So much time will be wasted with distraction. As much as we would like to think we can multi-task we actually can’t. If you have an important task to do, set a fixed amount of time, turn off the phone and the emails and start the task in hand and block out all distractions. Find a time of day when you know you work best and everyday use this time to focus on those important tasks.
Create Urgency
I like regular but short breaks away as I always feel a sense of urgency to get things one and clear the decks before I go. Successful people continually put pressure on themselves. Imagine you only have one day to get all your important jobs done before you go on holiday – you’ll work faster and prioritise better!
Limit Email Time
Resist the temptation to keep looking at emails and turn the pop ups off. Set times in your day when you’ll look at emails and limit the amount of time you’ll spend working through them. You’ll be much quicker – delete the rubbish, forward and delegate the unimportant and then act as quickly as you can on the rest!
Learn to Say NO
If we apply tip 2 we should only be agreeing to get involved in 20% of activities – the activities that drive your business forward. Say no, and delegate the non- important tasks to someone else. No one can do a task as well as you, but they can do 80% and 80% is enough and better than you not getting to it and achieving 100% of nothing!
Plan with Flexibility
Some people thrive with strict weekly schedules for calls, emails, meetings, and tasks. Personally, I prefer a looser structure. Every Friday, I review the week ahead and block out time for my priority tasks. Some things – like our management meetings – are fixed, but everything else is flexible.
I also carry a notebook at work to capture ideas and tasks as they come to mind. This helps free up mental space. Every morning, I review it and transfer the key items into my A4 daily planner, estimating how long each task will take. If it doesn’t all fit, I drop the least important item. At the end of the day, I update the notebook – crossing off what’s done and adding notes to anything in progress.
I’ve tried every method under the sun – apps, digital notes, whiteboards, multiple notebooks – but I always come back to two simple tools: one notebook and one diary. They work for me, and I use them daily without fail.
We’d love to hear what works for you! Drop us a line, and we’ll share your tips with fellow business owners. And if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out. Whether it’s coaching, mentoring, or just a friendly chat, we’re here to help.
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