The 60 Second Procrastinator: Sixty Solid Techniques to Jump-Start Any Project and Get Your Life in Gear [Paperback]

Jeffrey P. Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2003

The 60 Second Procrastinator helps readers keep their energy level high and their frustration in check. After only a few minutes spent with this book, readers will be spending less time obsessing and more time doing!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The 60 Second Procrastinator is a quick, witty read, packed with nuggets of wisdom that will provide many ahal moments."

About the Author

<DIV>The author of two intelligent guides on stress and time management, Davidson offers down-to-earth lessons on how to get the important things done. Though his conversational charm makes him come across like your best friend talking over lunch, the author is a seasoned authority who explains procrastination with clarity. He knows a lot about the internal and behavioral reasons we put things off, and, most important, he closes his ideas and arguments with practical strategies for getting off the dime. This encyclopedia for getting things done bears repeated listening. It comes with a handy pocket guide that presents the core ideas in paragraph form.</DIV> --This text refers to the Plastic Comb edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580629237
• ISBN-13: 978-1580629232
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of these years...., August 9, 2007

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 60 Second Procrastinator: Sixty Solid Techniques to Jump-Start Any Project and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

This is one of two "60 Second" booklets written by Jeff Davidson that I recently read, the other being The 60 Second Organizer. Most (if not all) procrastinators need to be organized and most (if not all) of those who need to get organized are procrastinators. In my opinion, few (if any) of them will read books such as these and then apply - and (key point) continue to apply -- what they have learned from them. (Davidson is also the author of more than a dozen other books, including seven Complete Idiot's Guides.) He may not share this opinion. However, here's another opinion with which he presumably agrees: On occasion, a single insight ("tip," "secret," "key," etc.) can help to elevate one's standard of living and/or improve one's quality of life.

In this volume as in the other 60 Second booklet, Davidson offers "sixty solid techniques" to "jump-start any project and get your life in gear." They comprise a series of thought-provoking statements and direct questions that can help many readers to gain new perspectives on the micro and macro dimensions of their lives.

The two 60 Second booklets share several implicit themes that I presume to express as statements:

1. Relax.

2. Focus on what is most important.

3. Be patient but persistent.

4. Do not confuse being busy with being productive.

5. As Seth Godin suggests, know what to quit and when to quit it.

6. View each setback as an invaluable learning opportunity.

7. Relax.

Obviously, there are many reasons why people have problems completing tasks and those reasons vary from one individual to the next. That said, self-improvement initiatives must be anchored in a strong faith in what can be accomplished. Henry Ford was right: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." It would be a fool's errand to attempt to act upon, immediately, all of Davidson's sound advice. He correctly suggests selecting a few especially troublesome areas and concentrate on them. In this context, my metaphor of preference is locating and then picking "low-hanging fruit."

Of course this booklet could conceivably be beneficial to anyone but I think it can be especially valuable to those now enrolled in schools, colleges, and universities as well as to those who have only recently begun a career. Davidson thinks clearly, writes well, and is by nature a pragmatist rather than a theorist. How to rate it? I realize that there are dozens (hundreds?) of other sources that provide more fully developed ideas about how to avoid or overcome procrastination. However, for chronic procrastinators, any advice given is probably best presented as clearly and as simply as possible, and I do not damn Davidson's booklet with faint praise when saying that. His is not a definitive source nor does he make any such claim. If each reader finds only one suggestion that helps her or him to make appropriate decisions and then follow through on them, Davidson will have achieved his primary and indeed worthy objective.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good tips, April 1, 2005

By 

Jody Cashers "Jody" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 60 Second Procrastinator: Sixty Solid Techniques to Jump-Start Any Project and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

This nifty book is more than worth its price! It's easy to get through, which is very valuable to me, but more importantly, the advice is sound. I haven't read all sixty tips yet, but most of the one's I have read are certainly applicable in a lot of the situations I face. Some of the tips I wouldn't try, but most are well within my comfort zone. Quite a few of the tips I've never encountered before, and that makes this book special!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Foreword from Mac Anderson, posted by the author, June 1, 2005

By 

Jeff Davidson (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 60 Second Procrastinator: Sixty Solid Techniques to Jump-Start Any Project and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

The dilemma for any author who writes a book on procrastination is that readers who buy it, being committed procrastinators, may not read it. If they do read the book, it may be a while before they get around to applying its message. Recognizing these inherent paradoxes, Jeff has structured The Sixty-Second Procrastinator so that each of the 60 tips, one tip for each minute in an hour, can be absorbed in about a minute or less.

Jeff contends, and after reading the manuscript I agree, that there is no point in proceeding through this book cover-to-cover. Instead, use the book as a resource. When you find yourself stymied, flip through its pages and find 3 or 4 tips that appear helpful.

If you're that rare person who recognizes the procrastinator within and is committed to taking pro-active steps to minimize it, you might be more inclined to read the book sequentially. To derive its full benefits, however, keep this book nearby and flip through it quickly to protect yourself from any more procrastination attacks.

Jeff has divided The Sixty-Second Procrastinator into six major sections: Changing Your Mindset, Setting Up, Getting Started, Taking the First Steps, Tackling the Harder Tasks, and Continuing Progress. This sequence follows a plan that someone thoroughly committed to minimizing procrastination in his or her life might initiate. It's your option to proceed sequentially or not. You may discover that a single tip, or two, or three, will enable you to dislodge your current barrier(s).

I believe that you will find great value in this book for several reasons. The 60 tips range from time-tested techniques to fresh and innovative insights that other people have found to be helpful. As he has done with so many others before, Jeff has written this book in an engaging, friendly, witty, down-to-earth style. You'll feel as if he is conversing with you as a friend, not preaching to you.

As an admitted procrastinator, he openly shares with you the insider techniques and vital lessons he has learned over the years that help keep procrastination at bay. Whether you are stalled on the smallest of tasks, or on major projects with long time spans, you'll find that The Sixty-Second Procrastinator is both a valuable tool and an action guide for helping you become more accomplished and more satisfied with your work and your life.

Mac Anderson, Founder

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Aurora IL