Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time Paperback – April 17, 2017

The title of this book, Eat That Frog, comes from the old adage, reportedly attributed to Mark Twain, 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 is probably the worst thing you’ll have to do all day long.”The frog of course, is a metaphor for your most important task, that will produce the most valuable result, often the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do it now.I’m a fitness coach, so I like to review and share personal development and motivation books that are applicable to fitness as well as business and life in general. This book is mostly slanted to work, business, sales and financial success, but there are some general productivity ideas in the book that could apply to every area in life. If your health and fitness is what’s most important for you right now, then certainly a workout first thing in the morning could be your frog. (I recommend it).I’ve followed Brian since 1993 and have had the 2001 hardcover edition since it was first published. I recently picked up the newest edition. The new update includes two extra chapters, the first with tips on how to use technology to remind yourself of what is most important and protect yourself from what is least important. The second offers advice for maintaining focus in the modern era of constant distractions. (Certainly useful since the internet was in its infancy and life was much slower-paced 20 years ago).Even the new expanded edition is still a short book at only 145 pages. Each chapter is the length of an article so it’s easy to read. It’s the type of book you can finish in two or three sittings (one if you’re ambitious), or you can slowly get through it one chapter at a time in spare minutes here and there.As mentioned above, this is a book about being more productive including how to stop procrastinating. But this is not just a book about time management or productivity (how to get more done), it’s a book about how to choose and tackle priorities (how to get the most important thing done first). There are many books about time management but not many about how to prioritize. Eat That Frog is one of the few.I agree with Brian that becoming a master of choosing the most important task and focusing on that before anything else is one of the most valuable skills you can possess. It can exponentially increase your success in any area of life.This is not the most in-depth book on these topics. There are other excellent reads that go deeper. For example, Brian gives one short chapter to the 80-20 rule. Richard Koch wrote an entire book on it. Some of my other favorites on focus and prioritization include The One Thing, Deep Work And Essentialism. Nir Eyal’s Indistractible is also a good read about how to stay focused in today’s world.But if you’re looking for a short, accessible primer on the most important fundamentals of productivity, prioritization, organization and focus, a book with absolutely zero space wasted on fluff, then you won’t be disappointed with Eat That Frog. Based on how often I’ve seen this book recommended and based on rankings, it looks like this is still one of Brian Tracy’s most popular titles.

Tracy gets the reader to think out loud. In a way you confess some shortfalls because there is hope once you do. I have come to understand there is no real way to multi-task without compromising performance. Staying focused on one thing at a time is your best approach to anything in life.

Such an amazing book! Definitely one that’s thought provoking and will cause you to do the hard work!

I thouroughly enjoyed this book, it kept me engaged. I was able to read it in two days. The one less star, is the author contradicts himself. In one chapter he is saying to create deadlines, while in another chapter he says deadlines are excuses. He says that having a deadline cause a sense of urgency, and the work is not completed to high standards?? (Ithink I know what he was trying to say) I had to ponder the concept for a few. The author also begins to repeat himslf many times, I assume its for the purpose of driving the concept into your memory.This is not a deal breaker for me, and will read more of his work..

I have read most of this before, however, I have ‘heard’ it in this book. Simple, understandable action steps, that apply to the work force or self entrepreneurship equally. I started yesterday, eating frogs, and I feel so accomplished. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether you work for somebody, yourself, or have a family that you could instill this into your family life.

This book has to be in the top 10 self-help books I've ever read! The principles are great for business and personal improvement. It is only about 120 pages with 21 chapters, so each chapter is concise and packs a punch. No fluff, and each point is super actionable. Applying just a few really well could easily double your productivity and thus income as well, especially if you are self-employed. Don't think about buying this book. Buy it and read it immediately! I literally bought 5 other books for friends, which I've never done before!