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Summary: The Greatest Student of Success is Brian Tracy!
Review: I've been listening to Brian Tracy audio cassette programs since the mid-1980's and have always been impressed with his committment to research and the high-quality of advice. He has always been a prolific producer of self-improvement materials without the hype of a Tony Robbins. In "Eat the Frog" Brian chunks down and simplifies the time management process into 21 easy and clear steps with action steps at the end. This book may be the best book for many people who want to accomplish goals and manage their life. I think every company should buy copies of this book and give them to their representatives especially if they need something to read for air travel. You can get the gist of it in a day, but use it for a lifetime. I know that Brian could have written a 300 page book if he wanted to, but this one is handy, simple, and profound. For me personally, I'd like to see a second edition of the book with some diagrams, cartoons, and pictures. That would make this book a little more interesting and fun.
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Summary: I ate the frog... and I liked it!
Review: I've had this frog sitting on my nightstand for several weeks now. It wasn't a particularly gross looking frog, it's just that I had too many other frogs that I needed to eat. Well, I finally sat down and ate it up...and enjoyed every minute of it! Yum! I now know that I will be eating many more frogs, even the really disgusting ones. I know how to sort them out so that I don't have to overeat, or eat the wrong ones first. (Can't have dessert before the main course!) I would recommend eating this frog to anyone who wants to be more successful than they already are. If you're content in your situation, then don't bother because you won't get the point.
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Summary: The blueprint for effectiveness!
Review: I've never written a review, but this book is just increadible. It is like the blueprint of effectiveness. If you'd like to model absolutely effective and focused people but don't have many around you, then get this book. It perfectly reminded me of the habits of all the effective people that I met in my life. And made conscious to me that those people are not born that way but they consistently apply (consciously or unconsciously) the principles Brian discribes. But be careful: The principles described in it sound simple but the trick is in taking them absolutely serious and integrating them in your charakter. It changed the way I work. I'd like to meet Brian someday and tell him what positive influence he had over me. God bless you Brian!
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Summary: The Frog Tastes Good!
Review: If you are looking for a simple, quick read, real tool to get you back on track or simply get you started in time management this book is for you. The book itself, in the format it is written, is not only insightful, but understands how busy we are and gets to the point. This book outlines the nuts and bolts and allows you to apply it right away. It's not that it is a new system, it is organized for you to put it to practical use. I am a husband, father of two, a long time entrepreneur and small business owner, I don't have the time to read a 300-page book on theory. I have made this one of our core training books for the entire company. If you struggle with "not enough hours in the day" as I do, this book is for you.
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Summary: Don't procrastinate,Eat that Frog!
Review: If you don't feel motivated after reading this book then..well your not living. Really though Brian Tracy makes you think. How to plan your time,how to set your goals,decide which goal will have the biggest impact,do the job that will be the hardest first to get the feeling of acomplishment,just an all around book to get you motivated!21 ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. Procrastination is the frog.Eat that frog!
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Summary: The frog you get is warmed over Tracy leftovers
Review: If you own nothing else written by Brian Tracy then you may get something out of this offering - hence the two stars. Otherwise, spend your money elsewhere. I can't think of one new thing I learned after listening to this tape program. Normally I am a big fan of Brian Tracy, but this time I think he rehashed and repackaged old material, and he did not even select his best. Very disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute, motivational, concise.
Review: In "Eat that Frog," motivational speaker and author Brian Tracy supplies 21 recommendations for better time management to be more productive with less procrastinating. Although it took me over a year to actually get around to reading this book after I purchased it, once I had read it I found it to be both entertaining and helpful. The clever theme from which the title is derived is the premise that if you start your day by "eating a live frog" you know that the most unpleasant part of the day is behind you. By metaphor, the same principle applies if you tackle the most difficult or unpleasant task of the day first. These tend to be the most important tasks, but often the very same tasks that we avoid or procrastinate upon. Since nothing is gained by staring at the frog, you might as well eat and get it over with. This cutesy presentation is actually amusing and entertaining and makes for light and enjoyable reading. Although much of what the author presents is rather intuitive and obvious, such as breaking large daunting tasking into multiple smaller and more manageable tasks, the reader inspired to read this material will find additional motivation within its pages. Since reading the book about six months ago, I have been more productive at tasks that I NEED to do, but don't WANT to do. Simple advice is often the best advice.
Rating: 
Summary: Use this system to overcome procrastination
Review: In this small book, Brian Tracy shows you how to overcome procrastination and break down tasks into small steps. This is a worthwhile book.
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Summary: Time Management with a Really Ugly Metaphor
Review: Is life more fun when your are excited and motivated? Can you get more done then? What idea do you think Mr. Tracy uses to get you in that mood? You can probably guess from the title. He wants you to think about your biggest and most important challenge (that you are most likely to put off) as a big, ugly, live frog that you are going to eat first thing every morning. Now, that should really turn you on! No? Well, I guess you're not bloodthirsty enough to make a big success then. All kidding aside, except for the poor choice of metaphor this is a pretty good book. It combines in 21 rules the key points from many people who have written well about time management including Peter Drucker, Alex Mackenzie, Alan Lakein, and Stephen Covey. So you can save a lot of time by reading this book instead of many others. I would like to compliment Mr. Tracy for giving full credit to most of those whose ideas he uses, which he did not always do in the books he wrote in the past. The sections are short in this book, and many pages are blank. Most people could read this book without rushing in less than two hours. You are encouraged to use all 21 rules, and there's an exercise at the end of each rule to help you get experience. He feels that following these rules for 21 days will be enough to form a new set of habits. Many behavioral researchers would argue that it takes longer. Mr. Tracy has applied all 21 of these rules in his own life, and testifies to their effectiveness. His key message is to spend your working time on what will do you the most good and skip doing the rest, and he gives you several ideas to identify what those areas are and how to make psychological and skill progress in them. For example, you should first do those things that will make you more successful in the key aspects of your job. To get more time to work on self-improvement, give up on watching television and listen to audio tapes on these subjects while driving. The book has three minor weaknesses. First, time management is viewed as a discipline . . . with little emphasis on the inspirational. If you had to do something unpleasant to save the life of your child, you would easily feel inspired to do so. If you had to do the same thing to meet a personal plan for self-improvement, would you be inspired enough? Although the book talks about getting inspired, it seems to rely on a taste for self-discipline that many lack. Second, Mr. Tracy writes in aphorisms that are often not explained. As a result, it isn't always clear what he is talking about. The material is highly condensed in this way, and you will often wonder why he is telling you what he is telling you. For example, he tells you to stay away from white flour. Now, unless you have read a lot about how white flour affects your blood chemistry to cause your blood sugar to crash and make you feel tired while your body burns less fat so you gain weight (which also makes you more sluggish), you would never be quite sure what all this has to do with time management Third, Mr. Tracy's 21 rules could have easily been condensed into many fewer, which would have made them easier to remember and saved you time in learning how to apply them. He also projects many personal preferences onto everyone else. For example, he wants to be sure that you sit up straight as you work. I couldn't quite figure out how that helps with time management. Maybe you avoid having to see a chiropractor, and that saves time. What is your idea of a compelling life? What would create a compelling life for you? What are you not yet doing that's necessary? Learn to hesitate to procrastinate about those things, then!
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Summary: Focus on the things that Matter the Most
Review: It is a great book instead of a less than palatable title, but it totally agrees with the basic premise of the book, which is that Eating a frog is a metaphor that means doing the most important thing that matters most first thing in the morning. This is the task you are most likely to put off, it being most likely UNPLEASANT, but also probably the one that will have the greatest possible impact on your life.
The book makes the premise ( which I wholeheartedly agree) that there is never time to do everything on your to do list, and there will never be. Thus, instead of reading so many books on how to organize your life, and try to do the yeoman's job of chasing the completion of all tasks, you have to accept the fact that if you cannot get everything done, you might as well focus on the most important task first.
This goes back to the 80:20 rule, which is that the most important top 20 percent of all your task will most likely determine 80 percent of your success, and instead of ticking it off one by one ( most people do their task list in list order, or worst, do the easiest always first), there is a good basis to believe you can be more success just focusing on these top 20 percent.
Brian Tracy focuses on three vital rules of effective personal time management: decision, discipline and determination. The book presents 21 ways to do this. It is a short, practical book of only 144 pages, but nevertheless presents much more substance than many books thicker in size.
Wilson Ng
visit my weblog at www.bizdrivenlife.net
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