“Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy is subtitled “21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time”, and right in the preface, he destroys all hope that this book, or any, will help us get everything done. Once I let go of the fantasy that I would ever be “all caught up” again, I delved into this book, determined to make the best of an impossible situation. I, and perhaps you, too, Dear Reader will always want to do more than we can possibly do. There are so many potentially wonderful things to explore, accomplish, do, see, learn, and be in this fabulous life! What’s a girl to do?

Never fear, Mr. Tracy is here! Brian Tracy is a world-famous guru to the success-motivated among us. He has built an empire sharing the “secrets” to success that he learned, tested and used in his own life. His communication style is down-to-earth, friendly, no-nonsense. His own humble beginnings help him to tell believable stories and truly relate to “normal” people.

In “Eat that Frog”, Tracy has so many tips for getting things done that you will certainly be more productive if you implement just a few of his ideas. And, it’s not just a list of tips, either. He explains how we respond to certain things and thereby build motivation to keep making progress.

For instance, one of my favorites is “take it one oil barrel at a time”. In this chapter, Tracy explains how he crossed the Sahara desert years ago, 500 miles across nothing but sand. Many had died crossing this desert and getting lost is easy. So, the French had marked the desert with black oil drums 5 kilometers apart. As Tracy and his companions crossed, as long as they could see the next oil barrel, they knew they were on the right track, if you will. So, they didn’t have to stress about the 500 miles of desert. They just had to get to the next oil barrel.

Many of life’s obstacles are like that. Losing 50 pounds is like the desert. Losing two pounds this week is like the next oil barrel. Owning a multi-million dollar business is a huge, barren desert. Baking up some sample doggie treats to test market is an oil barrel.

This short, east-to-read book has 21 great ideas for doing what matters to you and achieving your goals by working smart. While it will help you manage your time and stop procrastinating, you will benefit much more from how it helps you manage yourself to actually do what you need to do to create the life you want.

You can buy this book at Amazon.com: