Format: PaperbackChange
Price:$12.83+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime
Top positive review
13 people found this helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsDon't Delay! Read it!
ByG.S. Zimmermanon February 28, 2012
I really, really, really like this book! I found it at the public library and thought it would be another lame, "make lists, set goals and priorities" book but boy was I wrong! Rather than letting it sit for a week, like I normally do, I read it straight thru in two evenings. I'm a recovering "world class procrastinator" so I was ready to be disappointed, as I have been with so many other books on this subject, but it wasn't to be! Bottom line: I like the fact that he has science to back up his suggestions and some clear, step-by-step ways to implement them. I bought the book so I could highlight the heck out of it (libraries tend to frown on that practice. Go figure?) and have started using the ideas that fit my pattern of "addiction" - and they are working! Maybe its just me, maybe its the book or a combination, but I'm getting results that other books haven't provided. Don't skip the evaluation quizzes in the first chapter and do the full online version as well - you may not like the results! If you really suffer from procrastination this might be a book for you. Don't procrastinate! Buy it now and read it!
Top critical review
3 people found this helpful
3.0 out of 5 starsGood read, but I was expecting more concrete ways to eliminate procrastination.
ByLineon March 16, 2017
Not a good how to book. Explained the history and the why of procrastination, but slim on specific tools and techniques.
Search
Sort by
Top rated
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
ByRalphon May 19, 2014
I never thought I would say this, but this is a really good self-help book.
In this case, the author actually base all the tips, arguments and explanations on research results, some of them from his own work. I think the book is very well written, kept my attention and made all the points explored very reasonable and clear to understand.
In this case, the author actually base all the tips, arguments and explanations on research results, some of them from his own work. I think the book is very well written, kept my attention and made all the points explored very reasonable and clear to understand.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Not Helpful
ByS. Horwatton January 22, 2011
I thought most of the first half of this book, which talks about the causes of procrastination (which can more-or-less be boiled down to "people put off doing stuff they don't like, people put off stuff they think is pointless, and people put off stuff that seems like it's not due for quite a while"), was interesting. The author does go on a bit about the societal costs of procrastination (we GET it...it's bad), but the information on the behavioral science and evolutionary roots of procrastination was interesting stuff.
However, when I got to the author's revolutionary techniques for eliminating procrastination, they seemed...less than revolutionary. Maybe part of the reason is that he speeds through the description of many of the techniques, not really providing enough information to implement many of them unless you go out and do more reading on them. There were one or two tips that I thought were good, and that may be enough for anyone who has a huge problem with procrastination to make some significant improvements.
The final chapter, in which the author writes a series of short stories about fictitious procrastinators who change their lives radically after reading his book was just tiresome and annoying. Sort of like being forced to watch a 30-minute infomercial about a product you've ALREADY BOUGHT. So skip that, because there's really nothing worthwhile in the "putting it all together chapter."
And a bit of personal advice: if you read this book, don't tell anyone you're reading it, because you'll be subjected to a series of rants about how stupid it seems to try to remedy procrastination by reading a book about it (for some reason, even people who believe in self-help books seem to think that procrastination is a problem that any type of self-help effort can only aggravate, not alleviate).
However, when I got to the author's revolutionary techniques for eliminating procrastination, they seemed...less than revolutionary. Maybe part of the reason is that he speeds through the description of many of the techniques, not really providing enough information to implement many of them unless you go out and do more reading on them. There were one or two tips that I thought were good, and that may be enough for anyone who has a huge problem with procrastination to make some significant improvements.
The final chapter, in which the author writes a series of short stories about fictitious procrastinators who change their lives radically after reading his book was just tiresome and annoying. Sort of like being forced to watch a 30-minute infomercial about a product you've ALREADY BOUGHT. So skip that, because there's really nothing worthwhile in the "putting it all together chapter."
And a bit of personal advice: if you read this book, don't tell anyone you're reading it, because you'll be subjected to a series of rants about how stupid it seems to try to remedy procrastination by reading a book about it (for some reason, even people who believe in self-help books seem to think that procrastination is a problem that any type of self-help effort can only aggravate, not alleviate).
Bykatarinaismon March 24, 2018
Nothing groundbreaking here, but a good dissection of procrastination, the forces driving it, and the tools we can use to overcome it. I liked the tips about having a small reward (i.e. why I get work done better at Starbucks with a latte in hand rather than at home) and reserving specific settings for work and play (probably writing a journal article while sitting in bed on a laptop isn't as effective as sitting at a desk and doing the same). There's a lot of specific tips in the book, so you can take what works for you (in my case, avoiding email distractions and celebrating small victories) and leave what doesn't (crafting a mental scenario about the dire consequences of procrastinating on a specific task would likely lead me to more anxiety and make it harder for me to work). A thoughtful, pragmatic work.
ByJesse Walkeron September 19, 2012
I had this book about a year and a half before I got around to reading it. So yes, I qualify as a procrastinator. Read the book over the past couple weeks, and it's good. The author seems to be an expert in the field, points to a ton of research, case studies, and fictional examples, and the book presents a plausible breakdown of how we are motivated. This includes a number of practical tips anyone can apply to kick the procrastination habit. It's as good as anything I've read on the subject.
But I'm not sure it's better than everything else out there on the subject, since I haven't managed to actually implement anything the author says to do (yet). Yes, that's my fault. No, I don't blame the author. But yes, that is why it only gets four stars. A five star book would have me getting up off my butt and tackling those major projects that I've been putting off for far too long. Don't get me wrong, I intend to implement a number of ideas from this book, and I'm sure that when I do, things will happen. The book is filled with good ideas. It's just not highly motivational in and of itself. When I do get around to trying a few things, I may update my review, depending on how well it goes.
If you're already motivated, and ready to change, this book will give you tools to do it. If what you need is that initial spark, I'd probably suggest looking elsewhere. When you find it, let me know.
But I'm not sure it's better than everything else out there on the subject, since I haven't managed to actually implement anything the author says to do (yet). Yes, that's my fault. No, I don't blame the author. But yes, that is why it only gets four stars. A five star book would have me getting up off my butt and tackling those major projects that I've been putting off for far too long. Don't get me wrong, I intend to implement a number of ideas from this book, and I'm sure that when I do, things will happen. The book is filled with good ideas. It's just not highly motivational in and of itself. When I do get around to trying a few things, I may update my review, depending on how well it goes.
If you're already motivated, and ready to change, this book will give you tools to do it. If what you need is that initial spark, I'd probably suggest looking elsewhere. When you find it, let me know.
I have lots of projects in my life but I always found myself procrastinating so I ordered this book from amazon to get tips on how to stop goofing off and start working on my projects.
The Procrastination Equation is a book written by Piers Steel, In it, the author tells you about why is it that we procrastinate, how we decided to put things off, what do we tell ourselves when we procrastinate and how to reduce or eliminate procrastination. While reading the book I often felt like the Author was talking about me, as the examples he gives out fitted me like a glove and this is what kept me hooked on this book, the Author uses so many examples of different types of procrastination (didn't even know there was more than one XD) and gives us so many real life examples of people doing it that you just can't stop reading.
The Book also gives us many ways to help us to reduce procrastination and tools, depending on the type of procrastinator there are methods to fight back against it, I found out I have sever procrastination problems, however I was still able to read this book in its entirity and was even congratulated becuase of it. Anyway I started using some of the techniques described in the book and while its hard to quit procrastinating like any vice, with the help from this book I have managed to set goals and continue with my projects (writing a book is one).
If you think you are a procrastinator or not, give this book a read, even if you are not its a fun read and will actually help you know when a friend is actually procrastinating or really a perfectionist at work.
The Procrastination Equation is a book written by Piers Steel, In it, the author tells you about why is it that we procrastinate, how we decided to put things off, what do we tell ourselves when we procrastinate and how to reduce or eliminate procrastination. While reading the book I often felt like the Author was talking about me, as the examples he gives out fitted me like a glove and this is what kept me hooked on this book, the Author uses so many examples of different types of procrastination (didn't even know there was more than one XD) and gives us so many real life examples of people doing it that you just can't stop reading.
The Book also gives us many ways to help us to reduce procrastination and tools, depending on the type of procrastinator there are methods to fight back against it, I found out I have sever procrastination problems, however I was still able to read this book in its entirity and was even congratulated becuase of it. Anyway I started using some of the techniques described in the book and while its hard to quit procrastinating like any vice, with the help from this book I have managed to set goals and continue with my projects (writing a book is one).
If you think you are a procrastinator or not, give this book a read, even if you are not its a fun read and will actually help you know when a friend is actually procrastinating or really a perfectionist at work.
THE PROCRASTINATION EQUATION takes a fairly superficial approach to understanding behaviors which lead us to procrastinate, and ways to counter them. It does discuss a few common reasons for procrastinating, and provides some useful pointers. However, it doesn't delve much into the nature of emotional blockages and obstacles, nor deal with the lack of clarity and the confusing ambiguities and complexities we may encounter when avoiding or facing a difficult task.
The book (which is 1/3 footnotes and bibliography) consists of ten chapters on such topics as How Modern Life Ensures Distraction, the Personal Price of Procrastination, the Economic Cost, Balancing Under- and Over-Confidence, and Managing Short-Term Impulses and Long-Term Goals. The author briefly discusses the role of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system in regard to distractibility and avoidance of unpleasant activities. His focus however is on three factors that influencing procrastinating behaviors - the value of an activity (is it boring or meaningless?), expectation (can we expect to succeed at it?) and time management (are we able to forego immediate gratification and focus on long-term goals?).
"You need a string of future goals that you find intrinsically motivating to hook your present responsibilities to," he tells us. Controlling environmental triggers helps, as does creating constructive routines and habits, breaking down tasks into tiny steps, rewarding ourselves, preparing for setbacks, and learning how to recover from failures. If we are really blocked, we can gain energy by doing tangent tasks related to the target task. The first step is the most difficult, and approaching it so that we can experience an initial small success will increase our confidence and further motivate us.
All of these are useful tips, although not particularly new, original, or life-changing. They can help motivate us to tackle the humdrum activities we avoid on a regular basis. But what about the emotionally difficult ones? What about the ones which we avoid because of very real internal or external obstacles? Are there not times in which we need to "honor the resistance" and perhaps as a result re-evaluate our needs and priorities in order to reawaken our motivation? As a psychotherapist, I have often found that there are VERY GOOD reasons why people avoid doing many activities that they think they should do, and those reasons need to be honored.
Not all procrastination tendencies are due to laziness, preference for watching tv or surfing the Web, and addiction to immediate gratification. But Piers Steel seems to assume that most procrastinators have the disposable time, energy, health, clarity, knowledge, know-how and/or skills necessary to tackle the activities which they avoid and which they SHOULD be doing.
Some actions (e.g. a necessary confrontation with a parent) may trigger unresolved traumas from the past or have unfortunate consequences. Others may requires skills we do not have, stirring up feelings of shame or inadequacy or confusion in regard to how to get the help we need. If, for example, we are chronically ill or overcommitted (e.g. working fulltime while caring for several young children), we may not have the energy to do all that is urgent on our to-do list, and may procrastinate on the most demanding tasks, even if they are the most important. How do we come to terms with our procrastinating tendencies such very real and arduous circumstances?
Sometimes, simply deciding whether a task is worth the investment of energy can paralyze us. Would we, for example, be wasting our time applying for jobs in a field for which we are barely qualified? Often we procrastinate because we are unclear, unable to make a decision, to assess the value of an action or its likely consequences, or to understand how to go about doing it.
Steel refers indirectly to some of these issues, but doesn't explore them or give us the tools we need to move through the confusion and work through the internal obstacles. Nor does he focus enough on the intrinsic value of committing ourselves to building our self-respect, and experiencing on a regular basis the very real satisfactions of increased self-mastery. His book would be much more valuable if it provided this kind of psychological insight and guidance.
The book (which is 1/3 footnotes and bibliography) consists of ten chapters on such topics as How Modern Life Ensures Distraction, the Personal Price of Procrastination, the Economic Cost, Balancing Under- and Over-Confidence, and Managing Short-Term Impulses and Long-Term Goals. The author briefly discusses the role of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system in regard to distractibility and avoidance of unpleasant activities. His focus however is on three factors that influencing procrastinating behaviors - the value of an activity (is it boring or meaningless?), expectation (can we expect to succeed at it?) and time management (are we able to forego immediate gratification and focus on long-term goals?).
"You need a string of future goals that you find intrinsically motivating to hook your present responsibilities to," he tells us. Controlling environmental triggers helps, as does creating constructive routines and habits, breaking down tasks into tiny steps, rewarding ourselves, preparing for setbacks, and learning how to recover from failures. If we are really blocked, we can gain energy by doing tangent tasks related to the target task. The first step is the most difficult, and approaching it so that we can experience an initial small success will increase our confidence and further motivate us.
All of these are useful tips, although not particularly new, original, or life-changing. They can help motivate us to tackle the humdrum activities we avoid on a regular basis. But what about the emotionally difficult ones? What about the ones which we avoid because of very real internal or external obstacles? Are there not times in which we need to "honor the resistance" and perhaps as a result re-evaluate our needs and priorities in order to reawaken our motivation? As a psychotherapist, I have often found that there are VERY GOOD reasons why people avoid doing many activities that they think they should do, and those reasons need to be honored.
Not all procrastination tendencies are due to laziness, preference for watching tv or surfing the Web, and addiction to immediate gratification. But Piers Steel seems to assume that most procrastinators have the disposable time, energy, health, clarity, knowledge, know-how and/or skills necessary to tackle the activities which they avoid and which they SHOULD be doing.
Some actions (e.g. a necessary confrontation with a parent) may trigger unresolved traumas from the past or have unfortunate consequences. Others may requires skills we do not have, stirring up feelings of shame or inadequacy or confusion in regard to how to get the help we need. If, for example, we are chronically ill or overcommitted (e.g. working fulltime while caring for several young children), we may not have the energy to do all that is urgent on our to-do list, and may procrastinate on the most demanding tasks, even if they are the most important. How do we come to terms with our procrastinating tendencies such very real and arduous circumstances?
Sometimes, simply deciding whether a task is worth the investment of energy can paralyze us. Would we, for example, be wasting our time applying for jobs in a field for which we are barely qualified? Often we procrastinate because we are unclear, unable to make a decision, to assess the value of an action or its likely consequences, or to understand how to go about doing it.
Steel refers indirectly to some of these issues, but doesn't explore them or give us the tools we need to move through the confusion and work through the internal obstacles. Nor does he focus enough on the intrinsic value of committing ourselves to building our self-respect, and experiencing on a regular basis the very real satisfactions of increased self-mastery. His book would be much more valuable if it provided this kind of psychological insight and guidance.
ByBuckyon May 24, 2011
Let me boil this book down for you: people who procrastinate are not perfectionists overwhelmed by the difficulty of the task before them. Just let go of that major piece of rationalization right now, and you'll be much better off. Nor are procrastinators people with low self-esteem who think they'll just screw up, so why bother. That's bunk too.
We procrastinate because, given the opportunity to do either a fun thing or not fun thing, our brain will tell us to pick the fun thing. And it will continue to tell us to do the fun things until we have just barely enough time to complete the not fun thing in a mediocre, slap-dash fashion.
That is the bitter, not fun, humiliating truth behind the tendency of so, so many people (my wretched self included) to procrastinate. At least, according to Dr. Steel in his most excellent book: THE PROCRASTINATION EQUATION. The origins of this all too human failing are to be found in your brain, in two different, conflicting parts: the limbic system and the pre-frontal cortex. The former lives in the moment, the latter is responsible for long-range planning.
Dr. Steel explains the factors that go into procrastination, the various styles of procrastination and offers a few tips and tricks for thwarting your limbic system's desire to play video games even in the face of looming deadlines. If you can see yourself in these pages, and are willing to admit that you can, you'll probably get something out of this book. The key to it all is self-awareness and maturity.
At 220 pages, the book is actually a little bit longer than it needs to be. There is a bit of padding to draw it out to book-length. Tom, ED, and Valerie became increasingly irritating as the book went on.
But the insight and advice in this book is solid. I've already begun to make use of it.
We procrastinate because, given the opportunity to do either a fun thing or not fun thing, our brain will tell us to pick the fun thing. And it will continue to tell us to do the fun things until we have just barely enough time to complete the not fun thing in a mediocre, slap-dash fashion.
That is the bitter, not fun, humiliating truth behind the tendency of so, so many people (my wretched self included) to procrastinate. At least, according to Dr. Steel in his most excellent book: THE PROCRASTINATION EQUATION. The origins of this all too human failing are to be found in your brain, in two different, conflicting parts: the limbic system and the pre-frontal cortex. The former lives in the moment, the latter is responsible for long-range planning.
Dr. Steel explains the factors that go into procrastination, the various styles of procrastination and offers a few tips and tricks for thwarting your limbic system's desire to play video games even in the face of looming deadlines. If you can see yourself in these pages, and are willing to admit that you can, you'll probably get something out of this book. The key to it all is self-awareness and maturity.
At 220 pages, the book is actually a little bit longer than it needs to be. There is a bit of padding to draw it out to book-length. Tom, ED, and Valerie became increasingly irritating as the book went on.
But the insight and advice in this book is solid. I've already begun to make use of it.
ByD. L.on January 30, 2011
As someone who often procrastinates, I looked forward to receiving and reading this book.
I really was hoping for tips and tricks to help me transform my behavior.
The book contains a LOT of research and statistical information.
Although it contains a lot of good information to help procrastinators understand their behavior and realize that changing it is to their advantage, it's not an easy read, especially for a procrastinator.
Honestly, those of us who put things off, already know it doesn't really work for us most of the time.
I really was hoping for tips and tricks to help me transform my behavior.
The book contains a LOT of research and statistical information.
Although it contains a lot of good information to help procrastinators understand their behavior and realize that changing it is to their advantage, it's not an easy read, especially for a procrastinator.
Honestly, those of us who put things off, already know it doesn't really work for us most of the time.
Well, been meaning to write this for a while. Bwhhaaaa.. no seriously, my mum got real sick and I was in Texas when I was reading this book. It was really wordy, long and did not give practical tips...it was more theory why someone does procrastination. Kinda like a boring professor.
There's a problem loading this menu right now.
Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime
Prime members enjoy FREE Two-Day Shipping and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books.
|
Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.
Back to top
Get to Know Us
Make Money with Us
Amazon Payment Products
- Conditions of Use
- Privacy Notice
- Interest-Based Ads
- © 1996-2018, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
