Eat that Frog!

Another article by: Brian Tracy 

“Single Handle Each Task”

Eat that frog! Every bit of planning, prioritizing and organizing comes down to this simple concept.  Your ability to select your most important task, to begin it and then to concentrate on it single mindedly until it is complete is the key to high levels of performance and personal productivity.

The Requirement for Every Great Achievement
Every great achievement of mankind has been preceded by a long period of hard, concentrated work until the job was done. Single handling requires that once you begin, you keep working at the task, without diversion or distraction, until the job is 100% complete. You keep urging yourself onward by repeating the words “Back to work!” over and over whenever you are tempted to stop or do something else.

Reduce Your Time By 50%
By concentrating single mindedly on your most important task, you can reduce the time required to complete it by 50% or more.

It has been estimated that the tendency to start and stop a task, to pick it up, put it down and come back to it can increase the time necessary to complete the task by as much as 500%.

Each time you return to the task, you have to familiarize yourself with where you were when you stopped and what you still have to do. You have to overcome inertia and get yourself going again. You have to develop momentum and get into a productive work rhythm.

Develop Energy and Enthusiasm
But when you prepare thoroughly and then begin, refusing to stop or turn aside until the job is done, you develop energy, enthusiasm and motivation. You get better and better and more productive. You work faster and more effectively.

Never Waste Time
The truth is that once you have decided on your number one task, anything else that you do other than that is a relative waste of time. Any other activity is just not as valuable or as important as this job, based on your own priorities.

Action Exercises
Eat That Frog! Take action! Resolve today to select the most important task or project that you could complete and then launch into it immediately.

Once you start your most important task, discipline yourself to persevere without diversion or distraction until it is 100% complete. See it as a “test” to determine whether you are the kind of person who can make a decision to complete something and then carry it out. Once you begin, refuse to stop until the job is finished.

Resilience

“Resilience: bounce back from whatever life throws at you” by Jane Clarke and Dr John Nicholson

“This is a book about resilience – the ability to bounce back from tough times, or even to triumph in the face of adversity; to display tenacity, but not at the expense of reason.”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising up every time we fall” – Confucius

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 – What is resilience?

Chapter 2- Where does resilience come from?

Chapter 3- My resilient self – self-esteem and self-efficacy

Chapter 4- Can do, will – optimism and opportunism

Chapter 5- Leave it to me – taking control

Chapter 6- No worries – dealing with stress and anxiety

Chapter 7- I’ll be the judge of that – making decisions, cutting losses

Chapter 8- Getting better all the time – lifelong learning

Chapter 9- With a little help from my friends – making the most of other people

Chapter 10- I beg to differ – managing conflict

Chapter 11 – Raising the bar

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There’s a Questionnaire which you can complete to establish your “RQ” i.e. Resilience Quotient at http://www.testyourrq.com/ and, upon completing it, you will be sent a Report, via email, explaining your results.  

Here are some of my favourite quotes from this excellent book, which I highly recommend :-

“Over time, we have come to recognize that some people are simply less fazed by setbacks than others, clearly showing more resilience, whatever life throws at them, than others.”

“… they are energized rather than overrun by crisis, and other people actively choose to collaborate with them.”

“In order to demonstrate resilience, you need a reasonably high level of self-esteem.”

“If resilience is about bouncing back, regaining your original shape after having been pulled in all directions, stress is a force which, if not handled well, can seriously distort you – temporarily or permanently.  The ability to identify, and then deal effectively with, stress is a key characteristic of resilient people.”

“…Keep calm and carry on.”

“Sleep, exercise, taking proper holidays, writing things down, breathing deeply and talking to others are all thought to be immensely helpful in reducing or eliminating the effects of stress.”

“Resilient people tend to be instinctive, intuitive and quick decision-makers…”

“To be resilient, you have to be able to deal with conflict, and to do so effectively.”

“A key characteristic of resilient people is that they create their own vision of success.”

“Resilient people know when to reach out and ask others for help.”

“Thinking about what happens to you each day, and what lessons can be drawn from your experiences, strengthens your ‘learning muscle’ and helps you build resilience.”

Well-being and Resilience

Building high-performing cultures through well-being

 

 Sustain a future-fit workforce

With 1/5 of organisations having increased their well-being investment this year, organisations are finding that prevention is better than cure when it comes to employee health and well-being.

Supporting individuals to achieve optimum mental and physical well-being helps build resilience in a tough business climate. A resilient workforce can adapt to change and is better equipped to tackle challenges head on.

The CIPD Well-being and Resilience Conference, 2 February will deliver expert insight on this much talked-about topic.