Background

• Author: Brian Tracy

• Amazon Link

• Notes by: Alex Zichettello

Chapter 1: Introduction

• You will never catch up; there will always be more to do than you have time for (&K,&I)

• You cannot teach someone that which he doesn't know, you could only bring that which someone knows to a higher level of awareness -Galileo (&K)

• Learn from other successful people then apply what you learned

• To succeed you need to focus on the most important thing and do it well and see it through to completion (&I)

• This book is about actions, not science or theory or psychology

• 21 methods and techniques that apply to various aspects of success

• Prioritization and getting the important things done is the best way to find success (&I,&K)

• Work on the hardest of the most important challenges first (&I)

• Don't think about things you know you have to do; just do them first thing in the morning (&K,&I)

• 95% of success comes from the habits you develop (&K,&I)

• Important task completion gives you a rush of endorphins and dopamine such that it can easily become a habit if you just start and make it a routine

  • Become addicted to starting and completing important tasks

  • Think continuously about the rewards and benefits of being an action oriented person and it will come more naturally

• Clarity of purpose is the most important part of personal productivity (&I)

• A great rule to follow is to think on paper (&I)

• 7 step formula

  • 1. Decide exactly what you want

  • 2. Write it down

  • 3. Set a deadline on your goal

  • 4. Make a list of everything you will need to do to complete your goal

  • 5. Organize your list into a plan

  • 6. Take action immediately

  • 7. Resolve to do something every day that moves you towards your major goal

• Never miss a day

• Think about your goals and review them daily and then take action right away

Chapter 2: Plan every day in advance

• Make good plans before you act (&I)

  • A few minutes of planning each day saves lots of wasted energy throughout the day

• Always work from a list (&I)

• You can make your list the night before to get your subconscious solving problems

• You should have a master list, monthly list, weekly list and daily list (&K)

• Set priorities and sequences (&K)

• Make a master list in Laddice and organize into monthly, weekly and daily tasks based on priorities (*T)

Chapter 3: Apply the 80-20 rule to everything

• Most people procrastinate the vital few and busy themselves with unimportant items (&K)

• Always ask yourself if what you're doing is in the top 20% or bottom 80% and never do the bottom 80% until the top 20% is complete (&I)

Chapter 4: Consider the consequences

• The potential consequences of an activity is the key way to evaluate the importance of a task (&K)

• Long term perspective is the best way to success (&I)

  • Long term thinking improves short term decision making

• Before starting anything ask yourself what are potential consequences of doing or not doing it

• Future intent influences present actions (&K)

• Successful people delay gratification

• There is never enough time to do everything but often plenty of time to do the most important things (&K)

• Research shows that the pressure of deadlines and the resulting stress reduce efficiency (&K,&I)

• What can you and only you do that will make a difference? (&K)

Chapter 5: Practice creative procrastination

• Procrastinate or delegate low value activities (&K)

• Avoid unconscious procrastination at all costs (&I)

Chapter 6: Practice the ABCDE method continuously

• The first law of success is concentration

• ABCDE method:

  • A = high impact, high importance item

  • B = important but not nearly as much as A

  • C = not important but nice to do

  • D = something that could be delegated

  • E = something that could be eliminated

• Then label each item in order of importance

  • A1 is the biggest frog

• Try ABCDE method (*T)

Chapter 7: Focus on key result areas

• There are generally 5 to 7 key vital functions you need to perform in any job

• What are my key result areas? (&I)

• Your poorest key result area is what holds you back (&I)

• Identify your areas of weakness and set goals to improve them (&I)

• What 1 skill if developed well would have the greatest impact on my career?

• Never stop improving your key result areas

• What are my key result areas? (*+T)

• What are my poorest areas? (*+T)

• Work on weakest areas (*T)

Chapter 8: The law of 3

• The ultimate goal is generally to live a long and happy life

• Determine the 3 most important things I do at work and then ask what would be the impact of doing just those things and nothing else (&K)

  • Do this for all aspects of life too

• What are the 3 most important things I do at work and in life? Can I just do those things? (*T)

Chapter 9: Prepare thoroughly before you begin

• Have everything you need at hand before you begin and executing will be much easier

• Make your work area nice and comfortable to complete tasks

• Get it 80% right the first time then correct it later (&K)

• Consider making work area nicer (*T)

Chapter 10: Take it one oil barrel at a time

• Focus on one thing at a time

Chapter 11: Upgrade your key skills

• A major contributor to procrastination is a feeling of inadequacy in one or more areas required to complete the task (&K)

  • So you need to learn the things you feel you are inadequate in

• Continuous learning is required to succeed in any field

  • Read in your field for at least an hour a day

  • Take courses and seminars

  • Listen to audio books and programs in the car

• Turn driving time into learning time and it could be enough to become an expert in any field (&K)

• Identify the key skills that will help you the most in your field and develop those skills

Chapter 12: Leverage your special talents

• Identify your special area of uniqueness and then become very good in those areas

  • What do you naturally do well that others have to struggle with?

• What do you enjoy the most?

• What is my special area of uniqueness and how can I develop it? (*T)

Chapter 13: Identify your key constraints

• What is holding you back or slowing you down? (&I)

• Identify the current limiting factor

• Once you eliminate one constraint there is always the next one to conquer (&K)

• Eliminating key constraints is often the most important frog and always feels good to get it done (&I,&K)

• Identify my key constraints and work to eliminate them (*T)

Chapter 14: Put the pressure on yourself

• Only about 2% of people could work entirely without supervision; we call them leaders (&K)

• Always look for ways to go the extra mile

• Build up your reputation to yourself (&I,&K)

• Work as though you have only one day to complete the task at hand

• Create your own forcing system and set deadlines and sub deadlines on all activities (&I)

• Estimate the time it will take to finish each item then race to win and complete it faster making it a game (&K)

• Always have personal deadlines for everything I set out to do then try to beat them (*T)

Chapter 15: Maximize your personal powers

• Stay fully rested (&I)

• Identify the times of the day you at your best and use those times to accomplish your most challenging tasks (&I,&K)

• Sometimes the very best use of your time is to go home early and sleep for 10 hours straight (&I,&K)

• Take 1 full day off per week and do nothing that taxes your brain on that day; spend time with family or friends, watch a movie, exercise, etc. (&I,&K)

• Take vacations

• Start day with high protein, low fat, low carb breakfast (&I)

• Avoid very sugary things (&I)

• Exercise for 30 minutes a day (&I)

• Make sure I emphasize a healthy lifestyle in order to stay productive (*T)

  • Plenty of sleep

  • Working at peak hours (6-9AM)

  • Days off for rest (1 a week?)

  • Vacations

  • Nutrition

  • Exercise

  • Meditate*

Chapter 16: Motivate yourself into action

• Be an optimist and always respond positively to people and actions and events (&I)

• Continue to tell yourself you can do it

• The last great freedom of mankind is the freedom to choose your attitude under any external situation - Viktor Frankl (Logotherapy) (&K,&I)

• Never share your problems with others because 80% don't care and about 20% are glad you have the problems (&K)

• Optimists: (&I)

  • 1) Always find the positive

  • 2) Always find the lesson from each set back

  • 3) Become action oriented instead of blaming and complaining

  • Optimists also think a lot about their goals and future, not their past or where they have came from

• Talking to your self in a positive way gives you a sense of power and control (&K,&I)

• You become what you think about most of the time

• Refuse to criticize, complain or blame for anything (&I)

• Focus on keeping optimistic (*T)

Chapter 17: Get out of the technological time sinks

• There is more to life than just speed -Gandhi (&K)

• Detach from technology on a regular basis

• Discipline yourself to use technology as a servant, not a master

• Just leave things off

• There is no need to read or watch the news...if something is important people will tell you at their first opportunity! (&K)

  • You just need to have a social network or be around people enough (&KA)

• Try avoiding using technology at times that it makes sense (*T)

Chapter 18: Slice and dice the task

• Salami slice approach

  • Divide task into many slices and do one slice at a time

• Swiss cheese approach

  • Working for a set time period and then resting

  • This is likened to the pomodoro technique (&KA)

• Compulsion to completion is often experienced (&K)

• Salami slice and swiss cheese methods are great ways to overcome procrastination

Chapter 19: Create large chunks of time

• Make appointments with yourself and be disciplined to keep them

• Getting up early in the morning when no one else could bother is a great way to get a lot done

• Work on an airplane

• Work uninterrupted and steady during the allocated time block (&K)

  • This allows you to get things done faster

• Try creating appointments on my calendar to get important things done (*T)

• Try working through an activity without interruption (*T)

Chapter 20: Develop a sense of urgency

• Work steadily

• Get into a flow state

• What is flow? (*RT)

• An inner drive of urgency often contributes to achieving flow (&K)

• The momentum effect

• Keep repeating:

  • “Do it now”

  • “Back to work”

• Try getting into a state of flow (*T)

Chapter 21: Single handle every task

• Keep working on a project continuously till it is complete

• Concentrate single mindedly on the most important task and don't stop

• The more you discipline yourself to work through a task, the greater efficiency you develop (&K)

• Self discipline leads to higher self respect which leads to a greater ability to be more self disciplined (&K,&I)

• Summary of the 21 great ways to conquer procrastination (*RT)

• Review and outline summary (*T)