Brian Tracy, the great motivational guru, often suggests that people do their most important and toughest task at the start of the day. They must 'eat the frog' for breakfast and then they will feel great for the rest of the day and have extra energy to cope with all their other tasks. When it is light enough in the summer, I get a walk and some weight lifting in at the start of the day when it is cooler. I then feel set up for the rest of the day. The walk is quite a tasty frog to eat but still demands some effort and will power. If you are writing a book, write first thing in the day. Writing may be the most difficult thing you do all day. Get it done straight away. Eat the frog. After eating the frog, you have to eat the elephant (the huge amount you have to do during the rest of the day) How? Bit by bit. How do you build a house? Brick by brick. How do you walk ten miles? Step by step. I love books with titles like "HTML in easy steps" You can't learn HTML in one big study session but step by step, inch by inch it's a cinch. Step by step you will have time to digest what you have learned. Self-help books frequently use phrases like 'step by step' with good reason. Taking small steps can work wonders. If you want to lose weight and are given 5 sausages to eat, give one of them to the dog or throw it in the bin. People who have done this type of weight loss behaviour have achieved remarkable results. That extra sausage or biscuit gradually built up their weight; not eating it will gradually lose their weight. Jewish students who wish to be rabbis usually have to study the Talmud, a huge book of many volumes. Their rabbis tell them a story called the 'Heap of Dust' to help them to keep going and not give up. Two men were asked to move a heap of dust. One soon gave up. The other said I will move a little every day even if it seems that I am getting nowhere. Eventually he moved the heap of dust and was rewarded accordingly. The other man achieved nothing and his reward was nothing. The principle is the same whether you are eating an elephant or moving a mountain of dust. Tackle the task bit by bit. If you eat the frog and the elephant, you should have a great day and begin to achieve all your goals. |
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