Concentrating on Frog

Back to Brian Tracy’s Eat that Frog. He quotes Galileo as having said that we cannot teach a person anything he does not already know; you can only bring what he knows to his awareness. I had a dose of this yesterday (no posting) and today, when I was reminded of the importance of concentrating single-mindedly on my most important task, to do it well, and to finish it completely. Tracy says I need to select the most important task every morning, the one that is most important, can have the most positive impact on my life, and that I am most likely to procrastinate on. Eat that frog! When there are two, choose the ugliest one…

I have read many books about time management and prioritizing work over the years, because I know this is important. And yet, when I read Tracy’s book, it resonated in me, and stimulated me to act on it. I realized that I already “know” everything that he writes about. But what good is knowledge if it is not put into action? My knowledge about time management had become dormant, and therefore useless, or dead.

Learning is about bringing what we instinctively already know into the open, into our consciousness, so that we can act. Acting is doing and completing (thank you, Brian Tracy). When I learn the “right” thing, it resonates in me. So learning is about resonating, so that it can become part of the present moment, to do it, to apply it. Eat that Frog teaches me to focus, concentrate on the essential things to do, and to complete them. I like the daily aspect of this. If a task will take more than one day, I want to break it down into parts and complete the part for each day, while being mindful of the whole.

I could practice this yesterday, and I found in my work what was the most essential, and I’m now working to complete it. I realize that paying undivided attention to the task will increase the quality of my work. Today I didn’t work but focused on activities I really wanted to do and complete. Like buying a bag for my work, which would have nice space for my notebook computer. I realized I need to pay more respect to my notebook computer by ensuring it is well cared for and carefully stowed when I carry it from office to home and when I travel. So I concentrated on finding a suitable bag, with a style that I like. And I did, and even got a free sleeve bag with it for protecting the notebook when I put it in my backpack during weekend use, just what I had been looking for.

I also focused more on finding a suitable compact digital camera to upgrade from my aging Sony DSC-P43 model. And I was successful when I saw the new Canon Ixus 800 IS, which immediately attracted me. Reading the first CNET review on the web this evening confirmed that this is the right choice for me, and I will buy it soon. Now I look forward to read more of Tracy’s book, since all I did so far was read the introduction, and applying that already generated good impact on my life these past two days.