Am I REALLY Becoming More Productive?
Yes, I think I have been!
It’s been a ton of fun working through Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
this month and actually completing the action steps each day. This book is chock full of terrific tips for improving your productivity and getting the RIGHT things 
done. Earlier in the month, I shared my thoughts from the first four chapters, so today I’ll be focusing on days 5 through 12 (remember I’m only reading chapters Monday – Friday).
One of my favorite tools so far is using the ABCDE method (Chapter 6). I have been doing this everyday and it IS helpful to know I can’t start on a B or C item until all the A’s are done. I do find myself assigning too many A’s (A-1, A-2, etc.) so I need to curb that habit quickly!
I also really loved Chapter 8 – Apply the Law of Three. A few favorite quotes from this chapter:
your ultimate goal is to live a long, happy, and healthy life ~Brian Tracy
Sounds just like my website tagline!
resolve to work all the time you work
This is such solid advice. It’s really easy to say “I worked so many hours today” if you were “at work” for a long time, but the real question is, did you really work those hours, or were they spent chatting, on social media or other non-work related tasks?
Finally, Chapter 9 – Prepare Thoroughly Before You Begin had another great rule of thumb:
Get it 80% right and then correct it later.
Chapter 2 in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
is called Begin with the End in Mind. This chapter was a tough read, but full of excellent content. The idea of beginning with the end in mind resonates with me – it goes right along with my philosophy of “will this really matter in 10 years?” – something I ask myself all the time when stressful situations arise. I also found the idea of all things being created twice very thought provoking – after all, it’s true that you have to know where you want to end up to create a path to get there. This chapter also talks about mission statements – which are a little “old school” (although this is a pretty old book) but I do still see the value in creating one if you’ve never done that. I prefer creating a Manifesto or “painted picture” for myself and my clients.
Chapter 3 is all about Putting First Things First. I’m only halfway through it, so I’ll have more comments on this one at the end of the month – for now I’ll just leave you with my favorite quote so far:
[tweetherder]”Integrity is, fundamentally, the value we place on ourselves” ~Stephen Covey[/tweetherder] Stop and think about that one for a while – definitely worth pondering.
Hard to believe we are halfway done with this month. Next week I’ll share the details and books I’ll be working from for October – getting really excited about them!
Still to come next week, I’ll be hosting a Google+ Hangout on Monday, September 21 at 1:00 EST. I’ll record it, so if you can’t make the call live and want to hear it on replay, just send me a note and write “Jump Start Replay” in the comment section and I’ll send it to you. I’ll be sharing my favorite tips on Jump Starting your morning – how you can create the perfect start to the day for YOU, along with some of my favorite resources! Details are HERE – let me know if you’d like an official invite and I’ll send it to you so you can easily add it to your calendar!
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