Eat That Frog! O t h e r b o o k s b y b r I a n Tr a c y

Continuous Contact Is Not Essential
Remember, when you go away for a day, a week, or a
month on vacation or on business and you are out of
touch with your communication devices, nothing hap-
pens. The world seems to continue revolving whether or
not you are in continuous contact with it. Problems get
solved, answers get found, work gets done, and life con-
tinues to flow along like Old Man River. Very few things
are so important that they cannot wait.
People often ask me at my seminars, “But don’t you
have to keep current with the news by reading news-
papers, listening to the radio, and watching television?”
I tell them, “If it is really important, someone will
tell you.” If something important happens at home, at
work, in the country, or in the world, someone else can
spend hours following the news for you, and he or she
will usually tell you on the first possible occasion.
Many people discontinue newspaper subscriptions,
stop watching broadcast news on television, and refuse
Get Out of the Technological Time Sinks
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e at t h at f r o g
!
eat that frog
!
to listen to the radio. And surprisingly enough, they re-
main well informed on most important subjects. Someone
always keeps them up to date. You should do the same.
1.
Resolve today to create zones of silence during your
day-to-day activities. Turn off all communication devices
and technology for one hour in the morning and one
hour in the afternoon. You will be amazed at what hap-
pens: nothing!
2.
Resolve to take one full day off each week during
which you do not touch your computer, check your
BlackBerry, or make any attempt to keep in touch with
the world of technology. At the end of a day without
contact, except by voice, your mind will be calm and
clear. By giving your mental batteries time to recharge,
free from the incessant interruptions of communication,
you will be more relaxed, aware, and alert.

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A major reason for procrastinating on big, important tasks
is that they appear so large and formidable when you
first approach them.
One technique that you can use to cut a big task
down to size is the “salami slice” method of getting work
done. With this method, you lay out the task in detail
and then resolve to do just one slice of the job for the time
being, like eating a roll of salami one slice at a time—or
like eating an elephant one bite at a time.
Psychologically, you will find it easier to do a single,
small piece of a large project than to start on the whole
job. Often, once you have started and completed a sin-
gle part of the job, you will feel like doing just one more
slice. Soon, you will find yourself working through the
job one part at a time, and before you know it, the job
will be completed.