John Perry’s insights and laugh-out-loud humor bring to mind Thurber, Wodehouse, and Harry Frankfurt’s On Bullshit. This charming and accessible audio educates, entertains, and illuminates a universal subject. Procrastinators will be relieved to learn that you can actually accomplish quite a lot while procrastinating. In fact, the book itself is the result of Perry avoiding grading papers, refereeing academic proposals, and reviewing dissertation drafts. It also has a practical side, offering up advice that listeners can put to use. Who knew that placing "Learn Chinese" at the top of your to-do list would inspire you to get the less monumental tasks below it done?

Witty, wise, and beautifully written, The Art of Procrastination will make the perfect gift for the untold number of lollygaggers out there.

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $7.49 after you buy the Kindle book.

Enjoy a free audiobook + more

One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.

Learn more about Membership

List Price: ~~$11.86~~

You Save: $0.91 (8%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who viewed this also viewed

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Listening Length	1 hour and 46 minutes
Author	John Perry
Narrator	Brian Holsopple
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	August 29, 2012
Publisher	HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0093OGGKC
Best Sellers Rank	#120,963 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #211 in Time Management (Audible Books & Originals) #1,225 in Personal Time Management #1,786 in Popular Psychology Personality Study

Customer reviews

5 star		67%
4 star		20%
3 star		8%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Didaskalex

Procrastinating does not mean doing nothing, nor is it the worst flaw a person can have!

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

***** "Everyone procrastinates sometimes, but 20 percent of people chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions--which, unfortunately, are increasingly available. Procrastination in large part reflects our perennial struggle with self-control as well as our inability to accurately predict how we'll feel tomorrow, or the next day."--Psychology Today
*

Procrastination is the act of willfully delaying the doing of something that should be done, and in some people it is a habitual way of handling any task. As kids we were asked not to postpone until tomorrow what can be done today, inscribed on school homework books. The avoidance of doing a task which needs to be done, or procrastination not only affects a person's work, but may probably involves guilt feelings. Trying to disguise our avoidance by looking busy doing things that may be interesting, would not contribute towards the goal, rather than filing our tax return, for example, before the mid April deadline!

Searching Amazon.com for books on Procrastination, you may retrieve a thousand, but John Perry is the only author who calls it, an art. The versatile philosopher and creative thinker, who has earned the hearts as well as the minds of his readers and students, is the winner of Ig Nobel Prize in literature, described as, "first makes people laugh and then makes people think." And as a master procrastinator, since I was 7 years old, I was waiting for this book popularizing on his essay which earned him this American parody.

Celebrating a distinguishing feature of human character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a charming, challenging, engaging book, slim but full with funny arguments and bright ideas. "Most procrastinators are nice folks who get a lot done, albeit by not doing other things they should be doing," Perry says. "You may be a procrastinator, but you aren't a serial killer or a child-molester or someone who steals food from hungry nuns." What is procrastination's greatest gift? It is the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule.

Dr. Timothy Pychyl elaborates on what prof. Perry referred to, writing,"people diagnosed with ADHD are characterized as 'having difficulties completing tasks on time, organizing work,...'. Quite a few readers ... have discussed their own ADHD in relation to procrastination. ... What surprises them and me is how little formal research has been conducted exploring the relation of ADHD to procrastination."--Psychology Today. Indeed, the eminent scholar offers innovative strategies, effective tactics and funny advise to abate the consequences of dawdling, lollygagging and postponing syndromes!

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael Gaines

Fun Read But No Real Value

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

We're all procrastinators. Rarely do we find ourselves in moments of high productivity, especially centered on the tasks most pressing at the time. Even now, writing this review (which I should have written days ago), I'm distracted by the constant buzzing of my phone.

Identifying that you're a procrastinator is one thing. Coping with it is another. Actually changing that is something John Perry won't be able to tell you about.

The Art of Procrastination justifies your procrastinating lifestyle and makes you feel content by rephrasing it to "Structured Procrastination". I was thoroughly engaged with his conversational writing style and witty humor but failed to gain any real value from him.

He does provide some practical skills to improve your production and offers an alternate way of looking at the procrastination problem. However, it's his writing style that kept me reading, not his advice.

The ideas Perry offers aren't new or controversial. I enjoyed the read but even to his own admission, this book is the product of his own struggles with procrastination.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Herbert A. Wade

A wonderfully written book

Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

The perfect book for the procrastinator. I was able to spend several hours pleasurably reading this book and putting off other things that needed doing but I didn’t want to do. It is a joy to read and highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Laraine Walker

Fun book that works

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

I read this book as a way to avoid doing my taxes. Now the book is finished and I just have to make a phone call and visit my bank to finish my taxes. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
John Perry's goal is to help procrastinators feel good about themselves. Part of this process is pointing out how much procrastinators really do get done and how good it is that some other things don't get done. On the way you learn some tricks that will help you learn to live productively with your procrastination without getting over it. At least, not yet.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tessara Dudley

Funny and encouraging

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book is quite funny. Having read the original essay online some time ago, I've been meaning to read this book for a while and, true to form, have now done so as a way of putting off other, more important reading and writing. This was quite a good little diversion, and did indeed make me feel somewhat better about my own habit of procrastinating. I recommend it to any procrastinator looking for a fun little read and self-esteem boost, but not to any wishing to learn how not to procrastinate anymore—it's not at all that kind of book.

Helpful

Johan P.

Hilarious and very helpful to procrastinators like me

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

Love the style of writing, laughed out loud so many times. The author accurately describe me and the way I act in so many regards when it comes to procrastination and makes me feel okay and even good about my method of dealing with tasks. He also sheds amazing insights on why I am like this and how to utilize this “character flaw” even better :) amazing book and hilarious to read

Helpful

Kindle Customer

This is a great little book!

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

Right off the top of my morning checklist, I am reviewing this book - how's that for not procrastinating? Or at least following best practices of structured procrastination? You will get this after you read this "short and sweet" volume. It's well written, packed with good advice, and even covers, as an example, the procrastination involved in buying a printer (my industry), and stresses the importance of finding time to watch Jon Stewart and David Letterman (two of my favorites). It was a fun, entertaining read which really did offer some good advice, as well.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

NANCY

I could have sworn I wrote it.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

If I didn't know better, I would think John Perry had been following me around. Haven't finished it yet but I'm already feeling the pressure being lifted from my Guilt Glands. I may even LOOK for ways to "structurally procrastinate" in order to accomplish what I have on my mental and hard copy to-do lists. Thank you, Mr. Perry. There is obviously a segment of society that doesn't need this book, but I don't know any of them anyway. However, it is recommended for all the rest of us. I may get around to doing that.....
someday.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Maggie

It's useful for me.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

It's a really straight forward book. John (the author) illustrates lots of honest situations and and examples. I am definitely one of them . I feel much better after reading it, the most importantly, I think a find a better way to deal with my procrastination.

One person found this helpful

Patricia Groves

Best enjoyed while procrastinating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

The perfect read whilst procrastinating on another project. It's witty, insightful and makes you feel a whole lot better about those nagging tasks you never quite get around to ... and all of the other wonderful things you DO get done in the meantime. Recommended reading for everyone on an impossible deadline.

One person found this helpful

econ lover

Different viewpoint on procrastination

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

For those of us 'afflicted' with procrastination to a lesser or greater degree. This book gives guidance on how to turn procrastination into a strength rather than a weakness - I particularly liked the point that a known procrastinator should take on as many responsibilities as possible, as that makes it easier to become a productive procrastinator - I had always tried the opposite approach, and was constantly frustrated that I still didn't get what I wanted done.

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Refreshing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Refreshing.

Pippi66

Brilliant read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

Loved reading this. Lots of sentences which made sense and 'rang bells' of recognition!! Laughed out loud a few times. And, for the procrastinators out there, It doesn't take too long to read so you can get back to doing the things you were doing, in order to put off the things you ought to be doing...

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing, or, Getting Things Done by Putting Them Off Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Read & Listen

Free with Audible Trial $0.00

Buy with 1-Click $10.95

People who viewed this also viewed

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Free with Audible Trial

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$10.95