Customer Reviews

The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Last year I ordered four books on procrastination from Amazon.com. This one was the gem of the bunch. All the others told you to do what you're already doing: "Force yourself to do it, even if you don't want to." Well, if that worked, my mother would have cured me of the habit when I was twelve. What Fiore does is show you that it's exactly the attitude of self-punishment that makes you procrastinate. He shows you how to start working to achieve rewards, as opposed to working to avoid punishment or failure. We work when we expect to be rewarded in return, and can't muster the effort if we expect punishment whether we work or not.

This book *works*. I am one of those people who would procrastinate so badly on a term paper that it would never get turned in, and I would be wracked with guilt over it. My gpa sometimes dipped below 2.0., but for the past three semesters it has averaged 3.5.

One reviewer below recommends the book "Do It Now," because it has a more "mature" view of the problem. Folks, "Do It Now" will tell you that you're insecure and childish, and that all you need is to realize how silly you're being. At first, it sounds familiar, and for that reason you think it will help. But it doesn't. If you want to feel like procrastination is a hopeless problem that you'll always have, buy "Do It Now." Otherwise, "The Now Habit" is the one that will teach you how to overcome the problem *without* any guilt trips.

This book just might change your life. It changed mine. I had read every other book on procrastination before finding this book, including the others mentioned in these reviews. This is, quite simply, the BEST book; completely different from the rest. It is quite possibly the best self-help book I have ever read. It may also be one of the best books ever written on anxiety and on achieving one's goals in life - subjects which I have learned are all connected.

Five years ago, I worked at an office job I didn't like much. Since reading Neil Fiore's book, I have written and published two well-reviewed children's books and realized my life-long dream of studying medicine. At the age of 35, I started medical school with no science background or training and in 5 months, I will graduate as an MD. This book allowed me to follow my dreams (thirty minutes at a time) and to acheive them. It can help you do the same.

Do not be fooled by books with flashier covers; it's what's inside that counts. Anyone who procrastinates will recognize themselves in these pages; they will also recognize the feelings of being overwhelmed and paralyzed before even starting a project, and the disappointment in themselves that results from chronic procrastination.

This is a book that actually teaches you to understand yourself, to take care of yourself, and to help yourself develop simple habits that can change your life. This is truly an easy and non-scary program, proving that you don't have to turn your life upside down to turn it around! The words in this book have stayed with me for years, and I carry a little card with reminders from it in my wallet. This program works. Believe me - I learned medicine thirty minutes at a time! And, most importantly, I had lots of time left over for fun.

Stop berating yourself! You don't need more willpower. You don't need a new daytimer. What you need is the NOW HABIT. So scrap that scary to-do list. If you do only one thing this week, make it this: order this excellent book.

I recently bought a total of seven books on procrastination, because I was so sick of constantly putting my life on 'hold'. One by one I started reading them, and one by one they went off on some path that did not seem to connect with me or the way I actually live. They all start off well enough, because it is quite easy to outline all the issues and situations that surround procrastination. However, getting down to business and coming up with real solutions that actually work is much harder. This book is unique as far as I can see in that it comes from a much more human and empathic viewpoint, with some really amazing insights into human nature. It is a supremely optimistic book that explains why we all do it, and what we can do about it. The most important thing is that it delves into what motivates us to procrastinate, revealing the fact that procrastination is actually rewarding; knowing how and why it happens is half the battle. If you've been thinking that this is "just the way you are", this book will save you from yourself. Neil Fiore takes us on a journey into our own minds, which is both fascinating and inspiring. I am a natural cynic and skeptic, and it's been a long time since a book made me sit up, slap my forehead and say "So THAT'S why I do that!". Actually there is a pretty good model for life in general in here. This book should be required reading for all schoolkids and college students, if I'd had this back then I might have enjoyed myself a lot more! Like I said, I tried the other books, and they didn't do anything for me. Save your money, and just get this one. You will not regret it.

I am a serious procrastinator and was very poor at time management. I had labelled myself as "lazy," despite the fact that I spent most of my time trying to work (and putting everything fun on hold).
Per the suggestion of one of my bosses a few years ago, I began looking into time management. I couldn't afford any of the time management seminars, so I turned to books.
The first book I read was "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, which presented a wonderful framework in living a balanced and successful life, in all areas. Stephen Covey's book will tell you how to prioritize and balance your life (work, family, play, etc.).
However, after reading that book, although I was aware of prioritizing and living my life based on values, a mission statement, etc., I was still was avoiding actually doing the things on my "prioritized" list which were the most important. I didn't understand why.
Dr. Fiore's book was exactly what I needed to fill the gap. In his gentle and familiar way, he looks at procrastion in a comprehensive way that is easy to understand. He begins with looking at WHY we procrastinate (this was important for me to know) and also presents an unbelievably effective approach on to HOW to overcome it.
Perhaps one of the most wonderful aspects of Fiore's book is that he ends his book with all the ways to overcome future pitfalls, should you find you are returning to procrastinating. This is why I never looked at buying another procrastination book after his. I did not need it. Because of this book, I now have the tools so that, if I do find myself tending towards procrastinating (and now I know what my triggers are thanks to Dr. Fiore), I can work through them. I believe this is where Dr. Fiore's book differs from most self-help books. This book can travel with you throughout your life.
This book is worth every penny of the $12 it costs. While Dr. Fiore will give you tools to immediately get you working (you will), it takes time to integrate the lifetime approach (so it becomes second nature). It will change the way you approach everything in your life, into manageable parts. I bought this book to help me with difficult projects at work, but I found that I became so much more effective in all other areas of my life because my thinking changed. I also learned to stop waiting to enjoy fun activities, and instead, incorporating them into the every day (guilt-free play); ironically, this made me much more effective.
I highly recommend buying this book, using the techniques (the Unschedule), and then with time, you may not need the Unschedule; then you may pick it up again later when you find you are avoiding something. Again, I also recommend reading the "7 Habits" by Stephen Covey as well, to get the big picture.
Good Luck!

I read this book several years ago, and it literally changed the way I work and play. I was never much interested in books written by psychologists, and I don't even remember where or why I bought the book. I do know that it identified my problems with procrastination so clearly I was amazed. An long list of the qualities of a "procrastinator" described early in the book described me with unusual accuracy, and that got my attention. I am an educator, I have a Ph.D. in the sciences, and I have used this book to help many students over the past five years. The ideas work, the "unschedule" works, it is actually possible to be as busy as can be, and have more fun and freedom from stress than you can immagine. I think of one example in the book of a Ph.D. student that was "working" on his thesis some 60 hours a week, with dirty laundry and dishes all over the house, in a state of mental stagnation and depression that he seemed unaware of (my description). The author worked with this individual and set out a schedule of playing golf several times a week, and only working on his thesis some 18 hours per week. In the first week of the "unschedule" the student reluctantly went along as ordered by the author. He was amazed. He got more done on his thesis than he had in years. "The Now Habit" book is worth more than 100 times the price to anyone who is "so busy that they can't seem to get things done."

I have been a severe procrastinator for many years. I am still young in my early twenties, but in my short time, I have managed to procrastinate my life away, literally. When I bought this book, it was because I was tired of putting my life on hold. I was tired of never accomplishing anything and always feeling guilty because of it. I chose this book, as well as The Procrastinator's Handbook because of good reviews. The Procrastinator's Handbook helped me very little, if at all. The Now Habit has literally changed me.

The Now Habit gets rid of a lot of pre-concieved notions about what procrastination is and why we do it. Most books out there try fixing the result of the problem, procrastination. But you can't fix a result without first knowing and fixing the real issue, the problem that created the result.

Fiore makes you re-evaluate yourself and look at what the true problems are. He says "Procrastination is not the cause of our problems,... it is an attempt to resolve... low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of failure and of success, indecisiveness, an imbalance between work and play, ineffective goal-setting, and negative concepts about work and self." What we are really fighting isn't procrastination, but the things that make us use procrastination as a form of protection for ourselves. He goes on the explain each underlying issue, and how we can overcome those to use the energy we were normally putting in procrastination, into the project itself. He gives you a few tools you can use at your disposal should you ever become stuck and feel like reverting back to your old habits.

I gave this book five stars because it includes all the elements you need to overcome this debilitating habit. It includes proper identification of the problem, explinations on the "why" questions, the effective way of solving the issues, and the tools to do it.

I have been a world-class procrastinator ever since the first grade when my teacher gave me a packet of math worksheets to do "at my own pace" and I ended up never doing them at all. Since then it has only gotten worse. I was recently faced with the daunting task of writing my Senior paper, the last step before receiving my B.A. in French. I had made it that far in my educational career only by the skin of my teeth--despite regularly scoring in the 99th percentile in standardized tests, I barely graduated high school and have a college transcript that was once described, in a particularly humiliating encounter with a crusty Oxford-educated prof, as "rather spotty".

My senior paper was the biggest, scariest project I had ever had to deal with and I had no idea how I was ever going to get it done. By the end of the semester, when the paper was due, I hadn't even really started it. I began to be terrified that I wouldn't graduate, but I still couldn't make myself write that paper.

Then I came across a review for this book on Amazon.com. I rushed out right that evening and bought it (one area where I usually don't procrastinate is on buying things!) I was amazed at what I read.

The author has deep understanding of the causes of procrastination, and also of how very difficult it can be for procrastinators to change their bad habits. If it were possible for procrastinators to change just by making resolutions or exhorting themselves to simply "do it now", then believe me, I would have changed a long time ago. Procrastination is more complex than that, AND, procrastination does have its rewards, which is one of the first things the author goes into. (If it didn't have any rewards, we wouldn't do it).

The techniques Neil Fiore gives for overcoming procrastination worked better than anything I have ever tried. It all centers around guilt-free play and doing your work in half-hour increments. Your play is scheduled, your work is not. This may sound gimmicky, but read the book and it will make sense. I wish I could give more detail, but I gave my copy away to someone who needed it worse than I did.

Using Fiore's "Unschedule", I was able to get my senior paper done, one half-hour at a time. If not for this book, I would not have graduated. I only wish I had found it at the beginning of my academic career instead of at the end.

I consider myself a chronic procrastinator, I frequently find myself almost literally paralysed by procrastination and over the years it has cost me a lot in all areas of my life. If you are anything like me you have probably berated yourselves over your procrastination and are exhausted from the weight of unfinished tasks you mentally carry.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. First it made me understand why I procrastinate, what the psychological drivers are behind it. The techniques are brilliant in their simplicity, so simple you'll wonder why you didn't work it out before. I have got through more work this week than the last month using them. But more importantly I've really enjoyed the time I have had off for the first time in years.

I also have adult ADD and find that procrastination is often the symptom of the larger issues of ADD. For those that are dealing with this debilitating behaviour on a day to day basis I urge you to buy it. A habit like procrastination is not developed overnight and I doubt that it will go away overnight either. The techniques you'll find in the book will immediately get your working on the right path and I for one have really felt for the first time that I can beat this wretched behaviour and really start enjoying life.

Order it now! :-D

Let me introduce this book by chapters first:

Introduction.

The author gives the definition of procrastination.

Chapter 1. Why we procrastinate.

The authors state the symptom of procrastination. If you don't know whether you are a procrastinator, you need to read this chapter and some simple solution is given.

Chapter 2. How we procrastinate.

It tells you how to record your time log. In addition, it tells you the most important step out of procrastination - creating safety. The hypothetical situation is a must-read.

Chapter 3. How to talk yourself.

Before or during work, you also movitvate your self in a negative way, this chapter tells you how to talk to yourself in a positive way.

Chapter 4. Guilt-free play, quality work.

This chapter tells you how to change your attitude and motivation of work. If you always motivate yourself by using pressure or threat or punish, you need to read this chapter.

Chapter 5. Overcoming blocks to action.

Some tools in overcome the blocks to action.

Chapter 6. The Unschedule.

Nearly all "organised" person will schedule their work, but nearly nobody will schedule their play. This chapter provides a system on how to enjoy guilt free-play.

Chapter 7. Working in the flow state.

Actually, if you have learned hypnosis, you will not find this chapter helpful. The self-talk wording on how to relax yourself is exactly the same as the words used in hypnosis. But, I would like to stress that the method works.

Chapter 8. Fine-tuning your progress.

This chapter address some potential problem when you are practicing the system.

Chapter 9. The procrastinator in your life.

The chapter tells you how to deal with procrastinator in work or daily life. The method on P. 193 is a must read.

In conclusion, I have learned the followings after reading this book:

1. Humans are not lazy in nature.

2. how to movtivate myself.

3. How to talk to myself.

A reviewer just give a 2 stars and say that the book "The procrastinator's handbook" is better. I have heard the audio version of this book and I find that this bk is just not useful.

The book "Getting things done" is good. It provide a tool to organize your daily matters. However, if your mindset on work does not change, no tools can help you. So, read "the now habit" before reading "getting things done".

The basic idea of this book is that people who procrastinate don't believe in their possibilities of success or their right to pleasure. Because they don't believe in the possibility of success, they postpone, then blame and punish themselves--deprive themselves of something they want to have or do. However, once punished, they feel they feel even more resentful of the harsh and nasty voice inside them that's demanding they work, and as a result they procrastinate still more and then feel even guiltier. They live like children a punishing parent has locked into a dreary solitary room until their character improves. Fiore made me recognize that I work for rewards, helped me to realize that with work the rewards will come, and that the ultimate goal of life is to enjoy it as much as we can---not to work as much as we can. Now when I work I put pleasure into the plan and see it as the outcome of the work. Thus the work itself is infused with the pleasure I've planned as my reward. I no longer see the goal of work as making a "new me" because the old one is a rotten, dirty, no-good procrastinator. Certainly some procrastinators need professional one-on-one psychological help; but for others this book may be the right key to the cell in which they're locked.