In continuation from Chapter 1, Chapter 2 starts with how to approach the priority list. Because for a normal person[without any priority like me :-)] every task will be a priority. Unlike that, the author is suggesting an alternative.

It goes like this. Take a piece of paper or use a text editor and name that as “Priorities” and start writing all the tasks that comes to your mind which you wanted to do. Not necessarily in a day, week or month. Just random. For eg: Complete reading a book, finish the assignment, save a minimum amount, practice meditation etc., By the end of this activity, you will have an exhaustive list of task that you wish you could complete.

Next, take one more sheet of paper or open one more text editor and name this as monthly. In here, from the list that you created in “Priorities”, pick up those tasks which could be or has to be completed in the next month. From our example, we can choose “Finish an assignment” and add it to the “monthly” list.

Now the monthly list will be comparatively less than the entire priorities and you have a clear idea of what needs to be done in next 30 days. From here, create one more list for “Weekly”. And do the same exercise of choosing the things that has to or could be completed in next 7 days. And start including them in the weekly list.

Hard part is now complete. From here, connect the things that was described in Chapter#1. Pick up the frog that is bigger to eat and add it to your daily list.

From a larger picture, the moment you knock off one task from daily it creates a ripple effect. That is, it knocks off a task from weekly, then monthly and from the entire priorities. You will accomplished by the end of first week. And if we do this on week 2 we will feel even more happier and accomplished.

This is all about Chapter-2. Once again, this is my understanding and nothing to do with authors narration.

See you again in Chapter-3! Thank you for reading!

I always have the challenge of reading. Whether it is technical documentation, general documentation or anything. If I remember correctly, the last time I read something continuously was when I was in my school and college days. And that too nothing extraordinary but weekly magazines like Anandha Vikatan/Kumudham and very rarely newspapers. That got improved when I started my work and regularly read the news headlines from “The Hindu”. That’s all the reading I have got in my entire life. I have this habit of purchasing the books and will think.. One day.. that One day will come and I will become a Pro Reader and I will read all the books. But that did not happened till date.

So I was pouring all these frustration in the “#Kaniyam” IRC chat along with some more concerns like I have trouble planning things. I use to start with one and if I come across something else I will leave whatever I was doing and start doing the new item and it goes on and on. Then Srini from the Kaniyam IRC group suggested various ideas to give a try and one such idea is reading this book called “Eat the Frog”.

I wouldn’t say the book has changed me completely overnight but the practice of reading a few pages continuously gives a sense of satisfaction. I am not saying I have read 20-30 pages continuously instead I planned to complete a chapter whenever i start.

The book as such has got things we often hear or see elsewhere but more importantly it is structured. When I say it is structured, it starts with the topic explanation on why the author has named the book as “Eat the Frog”.

In our daily life if we think eating a frog is one of our primary task. How will one plan. Because eating a frog is not that easy. And that too if you have more than one frog how will one plan to do that. Here the author compares the frog to that of the tasks we have in a day. Not all tasks are difficult as eating a frog. So if we have frogs of different size and the task is to complete eating them all in a day. How will one approach. He will target finishing the bigger one then the next then the next and it goes on. By the time one completes the biggest he will get the confidence to go for the next smaller sized frog.

This analogy works the same way for our daily tasks. Rather than picking the easy ones and save the bulk or harder tasks for a later time, plan to finish the harder or most difficult task first which will help us move with the next difficult task with a lot more confidence.

This was primarily discussed on Chapter 1. After reading this I wanted to see if this approach works. I started implementing it immediately but listing the items it wanted to complete for that day. And in that I sorted those items based on the difficulty(in terms of time). I did not create an exhaustive list rather 4 tasks for that day and out of which 2 are time taking or difficult task.

End of the day I was able to complete the top 2 leaving the remaining 2. I still felt happy because i completed the top 2 which is harder. And moved the pending 2 to next day and kept the priority as top for those 2.

So far it is working and I will continue to write about the other chapters as I complete reading them.

“Let us all start get into the habit of reading and celebrate..happy reading”