“Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you 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.

Your ‘frog’ is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it. It is also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life and results at the moment.

The first rule of frog eating is this:

“If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first”

The second rule of frog eating is this:

“If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn’t pay to sit and look for very long.”

21 Great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time

1.    Set the table: Decided exactly what you want. Clarity is essential.  Write out your goals and objectives before you begin.

  2. Plan every day in advance: Think on paper. Every minute you spend in planning can save you 5 or 10 minutes in execution. Take some time to plan your day tomorrow. Use your blackberry or day planner if necessary.

Begin today to plan every day, week, and month in advance.  Start by making a list of everything you have to do within the next 24 hours.  Add to your list as new things come up.  Make a list of all your projects.  Take special note of the big multitask jobs that are important to your future. 

Lay out each of your major goals, projects, or tasks by priority, what is most important; and by sequence, what has to be done first, second, and so forth. 

Always work from a list.  You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you become and how much easier it is to eat your frog. 

2.    Apply the 80/20 Rule to everything: Twenty percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results. Always concentrate your efforts on that top 20 percent.

   4.  Consider the Consequences: Your most important tasks and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work. Focus on these above all else.

   5.  Practice creative procrastination: Since you can’t do everything, you must learn to deliberately put off those tasks that are of low value so that you have enough time to do the few things that really count.

   6.  Use the ABCDE Method continually: Before you begin work on a list of tasks, take a few minutes to organize them by value and priority, so you can be sure of working on your most important activities.

   7.  Focus on key result areas: Identify and determine those results that you absolutely, positively have to get to do your job well, and work on them all day long.

   8.  The Law of Three: Identify the three things you do in your work that account for 90% of your contribution, and focus on getting them done before anything else. You will then have more time for your family and personal life.

   9.  Prepare thoroughly before you begin: Have everything you need at hand before you start. Assemble all the papers, information, tools, work materials, and numbers you might require so that you can get started and keep going.

  10.  Take it one oil barrel at a time: You can accomplish the biggest and most complicated job if you just complete it one step at a time.

  11.  Upgrade your key skills: The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at your key tasks, the faster you start them, and the sooner you get them done.

12.  Leverage your special talents: Determine exactly what it is that you are very good at doing, or could be very good at, and throw your whole heart into doing those specific things very, very well.

13.  Identify your key constraints: Determine the bottlenecks or chokepoints, internal or external that set the speed at which you achieve your most important goals, and focus on alleviating them.

14.  Put the pressure on yourself: Raise the bar for yourself, and be your own motivator to reach it.  Imagine that you have to leave town for a month and work as if you had to get all your major tasks completed before you left.

15.  Maximize your personal power: Identify your periods of highest mental and physical energy each day, and structure your most important and demanding tasks around these times. Get lots of rest so you can perform at your best.

16.  Motivate yourself into action: Be your own cheerleader. Look for the good in every situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive.

17.  Get out of the technological time sinks: Use technology to improve the quality of your communications, but do not allow yourself to become a slave to it. Learn to occasionally turn things off and leave them off.

18.  Slice and dice the task: Break large, complex task down into bite-sized pieces, and then do just one small part of the task to get started.

19.  Create large chunks of time: Organize your days around large blocks of time where you can concentrate for extended periods on your most important tasks.

20.  Develop a sense of urgency: Make a habit of moving fast on your key tasks. Become known as a person that does things quickly and well.

21.  Single handle every task: Set clear priorities, start immediately on your most important task and then work without stopping, until the job is 100 percent complete. This is the real key to high performance and maximum personal productivity.

Make a decision to practice these principles every day until they become second nature to you. With these habits of personal management as a permanent part of your personality, your future success will be unlimited.

Just do it! Eat That Frog!