Construction workers are discouraged from stopping a task to pick up a nail if they drop one on the job. They actually lose money for the company in that small period of time that they bend down to pick it up. That one nail holds less value for the worker than the task at hand – holds less value than the overarching vision – but is significant enough to impact the outcome. Do you choose to invest time in value-adding activities that contribute to your overall vision or do you get distracted by the nails along the way? If you can identify and walk away from the dropped nails, sunk costs and non-value adding activities in your own life, you can devote more time to those things that really matter and become a much more efficient employee in the process.

Below, an easy but content-rich read on productivity principles. The author attacks one lesson at a time and leaves action items for the reader at the end of each chapter.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

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