It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
EAT THE FROG
Last week we talked about "Getting Stuff Done", and I appreciate your many comments that were sent in. I'll share a few of them at the end of this post today.
Mark Twain said, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."
I remember looking at a "To Do List", and on it was the word FROG. I looked it up and found many acronyms:
"Flame Resistant Organizational Gear" (The Marines us this)
"Frequency Resolved Optical Gating" (Something to do with lasers)
"Fully Rely On God" (I like this one!)
But it didn't make sense until I found that Mark Twain quote above. His quote has now been used by many people as a tool for productivity.
The idea is this: (From todoist)
1) IDENTIFY YOUR FROG
What is the hardest, most important task for the day? Identify just one! This is your FROG. For the day to feel productive, you have to get this accomplished.
2) EAT IT
Do your most important task first thing in the morning. Don't give yourself the chance to put it off for later.
3) REPEAT EVERY DAY
You'll be amazed how quickly small steps taken consistently add up to big accomplishments.
I had one of those experiences last week. On Monday, I created a TASK on my to do list (I use todoist). The task was to complete 3 video edits by Wednesday of last week. I prioritized it, but it wasn't urgent, so I kept putting it off. On Wednesday, I rescheduled it to get done by Thursday. On Thursday, I pushed it to Friday. Friday morning, I woke up, looked at my schedule and realized that this thing had been hanging over my head all week, and I just needed to get it off my list! I sat down, cranked it out in just about 2 hours, and checked it complete!
Looking back at last week, all week I felt PRESSURE. There was a lot going on, but part of it was this task I had that was not completed, and I kept moving it further back into the week.
Had I knocked it off earlier in the week when I had wanted it, I would have been able to forget about it and not worry about getting it done all week.
It was my FROG, but I chose to not eat it, but to let it sit on my plate for 5 days.
Today, I want to encourage you to identify your FROG. That thing that needs to get done. You might feel the weight of this and want to put it off, or you might be facing a deadline. Instead of procrastinating, schedule it and get it done!
I use another word for FROG. It's the acronym W.I.N. Simply, "What's Important Now?" When I focus on these things first, the rest of my day tends to fall into place without the pressure sitting on my shoulders to get stuff done.
Here are a couple of "Getting Stuff Done" tips that you sent in this past week:
From Paul in Canada: "I'm still a bit old fashioned Russ. When I need to get things done... anything from fixing that leaky or bent gutter to working on a sermon outline, I will schedule an event for it in my calendar and then set a timer on my phone for the amount of time I have allotted for it."
From Ruth in Georgia: "I give myself a small chunk of time that has a deadline (like 45 minutes before I need to leave the house for a soccer game or 30 minutes before I have to leave the office to pick up the kids from school). I make it almost like a game to see how many small tasks I can get done in that time frame. I often use this to get a bunch of small little things (ie: clean my desk, quick emails, empty the dishwasher, water the plants, organize a drawer) that I just don't get to because I'm working on a big project or other bigger things take priority. I've also seen this concept work with setting a timer."
From Dan in Texas: "When Carol and I became an 'APPLE' family (Apple Computer) we have several Apple devices that are connected. We share a calendar and each person has their own color and inputs their own items. Big items go on it like doctors appointments, meetings we are to attend and commitments we have made. It's helpful to not have to text or call when our lives cross to check to see if there's a conflict in the schedule. I also use a standard NUMBERS (Apple's Excel) template called "Checklist" to keep track of important deadlines for the next 3 - 4 months. I visit this once or twice a week to make sure nothing is being missed."
Chris from California simply says, "I read and do what Russ says... every Tuesday at 2:00pm." (Thanks Chris! Shout out to you today and your recovery!)
"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first." Mark Twain
"The secret to getting ahead is getting started." Mark Twain
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." Mark Twain
Things I'm Reading, Listening To, an Watching This Week:
I was fortunate to hear Peter Greer speak at our Barnabas Orange Country Summit a few weeks ago. His topic was from his book, "Rooting for Rivals". I'm now reading the book, but what an inspirational message for our world and culture today, to not compete and to encourage other leaders and organizations not as competitors, but as fellow people on the journey! Read the book. Do what it says! Very inspirational and timely in my life. Another great book from Greer is "Mission Drift". Very instrumental in helping people and organizations to maintain their direction and focus!
Last week I highlighted a Don Henley Album and mentioned him as a great drummer and vocalist. There are other great drummer/singers/songwriters! Check out Phil Collins Essential Playlist on Apple, and don't forget to play along with the drum solo in "In The Air Tonight" (For you Ray!)
I listened to an interested podcast this week from The Michael Hyatt Company called "Focus On This". In this episode they share some good thoughts on hobbies.
OK. I ate some of these this week and can't buy another bag, but you can! Enjoy them! Trader Joes Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels.