Frog Eating Rule No 8

Rule #8 – Apply the Law of Three:

·         If you could do only 1, 2 or maybe 3 things all day that would account for 90% of what your best able to contribute, what would those activities be?

·         The other 10-20 activities are “fillers” – they don’t count.

·         Avoid the Fillers!!!  They are killers!

·         Apply the Law of Three to all aspects of your life: Career, Family, Parenting, Personal Relationships, Personal Growth, biggest obstacles, your goals and etc.

 

Frog Eating Rule No 7

Focus where your efforts will have the highest returns:

·         Identify the activities (results) that you absolutely, positively have to accomplish to do your job well.

·         Do these activities all day long.

·         Consider this question, “Why am I on Payroll”?

·         Where will your efforts and results contribute the most?

Rule No 6 – Use the ABCDE method continually:

·         Before starting on your tasks, organize them by their level of importance.

·         Consider their value and priority.

·         Yes, some days you do have an “A-1”, “A-2”, “A-3”.

·         Know your “Should” vs. “Musts”.

·         Remember to think on paper!

Frog Eating Rule No 5

Rule #5 – Practice Creative Procrastination:

• Put off the smaller tasks – if you’re going to procrastinate, do so on the activities that don’t matter.
• Eat the Frog(s) first!
• You’ll have better control of your life by discontinuing lower level activities.
• Since you can’t do everything, you must learn to deliberately put off those tasks that are of low value so that you have enough time to do the few things that really count.

Frog Eating Rule No Four

·         Make better decisions about your time!

·         “There will never be enough time to do everything you have to do”!

·         Do what matters most!  What’s your biggest frog at this moment?

·         Always ask, “What are my highest value activities?”

·         Your most important tasks and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work.  Focus on those above all else.

·         And, “What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a real difference?

 

US home sales rise to 2nd-highest pace in 3 years

Source: The Business Journal
Written by MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

(AP) — U.S. sales of previously occupied homes rose in January to the second-highest level in three years, a sign that the housing market is sustaining its recovery and helping bolster the economy. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales rose 0.4 percent in January compared with December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.92 million. That was the second-highest sales pace since November 2009, when a temporary home buyer tax credit had boosted sales. The median price for a home sold in January was $173,600, a 12.3 percent increase from a year ago. Analysts say purchases would be higher if more homes were available. The supply of homes for sale dropped to nearly an eight-year low in January. The 1.74 million previously owned homes for sale at the end of January represented a 4.2-month supply at January's sales pace. That's the lowest supply since April 2008. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the Realtors, said sellers normally begin listing homes in February in advance of the spring buying season. But he said this increase might not be enough to alleviate the tight supply. The inventory of homes for sale is 25.3 percent below the level a year ago, when there was a 6.2-month supply of unsold homes. In December, sales declined to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.9 million from 4.96 million in November, according to revised figures released Thursday. The December drop was linked, in part, to the tight supply of homes. For all of 2012, sales rose to 4.66 million, according to revised estimates. That was 9.4 percent more than in 2011 and the most since 2007. But even with the gain, sales were below the 5.5 million that economists associate with a healthy market. Analysts foresee further gains this year. Steady hiring and near-record-low mortgage rates have helped boost sales and prices in most markets. Still, sales are being held back by the low supply. First-time buyers, who are critical to a housing recovery, made up only 30 percent of sales in January, unchanged from December. That's well below the 40 percent typical in a healthy market. And since the housing bubble burst more than six years ago, banks have imposed tighter credit standards and required larger down payments. Those policies have left many would-be buyers unable to qualify for super-low mortgage rates. The average U.S. rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is 3.56 percent. That's near the 3.31 percent reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971. Rising demand for homes is encouraging builders to step up production. In January, builders started construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000 homes. That was down from December but was still the third-highest pace since mid-2008 and nearly 24 percent above the level a year ago. And applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, rose in January to their highest point since June 2008. Sales rose in January in all parts of the country except the West, the region that's being hampered the most by the shortage of homes for sale. In the West, sales fell 5.7 percent. Sales rose 4.8 percent in the Northeast, 3.6 percent in the Midwest and 1 percent in the South.

URL to original article: http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/national/5049-us-home-sales-rise-to-2nd-highest-pace-in-3-years

For further information on Fresno Real Estate check: http://www.londonproperties.com

Frog Eating Rule No Three

Rule #3 – Apply the 80/20 Rule to EVERYTHING:

·         Twenty percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results.  Always concentrate your efforts on that top 20 percent.

·         On your Daily Lists, 1 or 2 activities will be worth 4 or 5 times as much as the others.

·         What are those 1 or 2 activities?  These are your frogs!

·         Resist cleaning up the small things first and eat your frog(s)!

Eat That Frog - Rule No Two

Plan Every Day in Advance
 
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now”,

 ·         You can eat the biggest, baddest, ugliest frog anytime you break it down into specific step-by-step activities and then start on the first one.

·         Every minute spent planning saves as many as 10 minutes in execution.

·         Spend 10-12 minutes planning each day.  Remember to think on paper!

·         Make your list the night before – you’ll actually accomplish some of your day in your sleep!

·         Daily, weekly, and monthly lists should all work together.

·         As you knock out items on your list, you gain confidence and momentum – you’re moving forward!

 

Good luck today!

Eat The Frog Rule - No One

Exactly one week ago at the awards breakfast, I mentioned an old Mark Twain saying that I like to use from time to time – "Eat the Frog". Mark Twain said, that "if the first thing you do when you get out of bed is eat a live frog, the chances are, the rest of your day will only get easier".

I love the simplicity and accuracy of this analogy. In his book, "Eat the Frog", author and trainer Brian Tracy, does an excellent job illustrating not only the importance of "eating our frogs," but how we can go about doing it more easily. Obviously, "eating our frogs" are us doing that which we know we need to do first, regardless of how much discomfort is involved so that our careers, our relationships, our lives are enriched to their fullest potential.

Now, there are rules to frog eating. Tracy describes them as "21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time." I encourage you to get the book and read it! Dee in our London Properties store has copies or can order one for you, but just in case you procrastinate, I will share one of the rules with you each day for the next 3 weeks. I hope you’re hungry; let’s eat!

Eat That Frog: Rule One:

Set the Table

• You need to determine what your "frogs are"

• To determine your frogs, have clarity of what you want to achieve in each area of your life (work, finances, family, faith, relationships)

• If you’re clear about your goals, you will get more done.

• Procrastination creeps in when you’re vague about what you want.

• Get clarity and write it down! - Think on paper!

• Set a deadline on your goals.

• Make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal.

• Organize the list into a plan (setting the table!) • Take action immediately!! Good luck!