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Things To Do While Avoiding Things To Do: And 56 More Fun Lists For Procrastinators
Countless books through the ages have offered wisdom on how to be more productive. "Things To Do While Avoiding Things To Do" humorously tackles the flip side of time management with essential lists to make you a proud procrastinator. So, go ahead, take a break from your to do list, and let go for a while.
Productive Ways To Spend An Unproductive Day
1. Research the genealogy of the trees on your property.
2. Buy a pair of back up shoelaces for every pair of shoes you own.
3. Create a riveting Wikipedia entry for yourself.
4. Recondition the leather on your slippers.
5. Create a beautiful collage of your childhood memorabilia.
6. Thoroughly clean the soap scum out of your soap dishes.
7. Photograph every room in your house, so you'll always have a memory of it.
8. Carefully remove all lint and dust from between your computer keyboard keys.
9. Buy a battery tester and determine the power strength left in all of your household batteries.
10. Track the usage of everyday household items and create a monthly projection budget. Then comparison shop to lower your cost by 10%.
Time Management For The Time-Insensitive
1. Understand that time is always slipping away—anything you forget to do will soon be forgotten.
2. A series of 15 minute breaks can clear your head and improve your work performance.
3. Allow yourself plenty of time to meander, ponder, and play.
4. Never jump into a task without crystallizing your thoughts.
5. Never use the word deadline—it’s intimidating and not work-friendly. Instead use the phrase, “if everything goes okay, I hope to have everything done relatively soon.”
6. Know the four D’s of working through any task: delay, defer, dally, and dwell.
7. Never leave a distraction unattended to.
8. Set your start time for a task by subtracting 24—48 hours (use minutes for smaller tasks) from your absolute due date.
9. Always use a timer while working on intense tasks so that you won’t overwork and miss something important, like quitting time.
Each list is interspersed with invaluable productivity tips:
* Do your most critical work at the same time every day—the last minute.
* If life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, why make any?
* How can I be a procrastinator if I always eat my chocolate right away?
Filled with fun lists that joke about procrastination, "Things To Do While Avoiding Things To Do" is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and keep your guilt and stress at bay. Consider it a unique form of self help.
Productive Ways To Spend An Unproductive Day
1. Research the genealogy of the trees on your property.
2. Buy a pair of back up shoelaces for every pair of shoes you own.
3. Create a riveting Wikipedia entry for yourself.
4. Recondition the leather on your slippers.
5. Create a beautiful collage of your childhood memorabilia.
6. Thoroughly clean the soap scum out of your soap dishes.
7. Photograph every room in your house, so you'll always have a memory of it.
8. Carefully remove all lint and dust from between your computer keyboard keys.
9. Buy a battery tester and determine the power strength left in all of your household batteries.
10. Track the usage of everyday household items and create a monthly projection budget. Then comparison shop to lower your cost by 10%.
Time Management For The Time-Insensitive
1. Understand that time is always slipping away—anything you forget to do will soon be forgotten.
2. A series of 15 minute breaks can clear your head and improve your work performance.
3. Allow yourself plenty of time to meander, ponder, and play.
4. Never jump into a task without crystallizing your thoughts.
5. Never use the word deadline—it’s intimidating and not work-friendly. Instead use the phrase, “if everything goes okay, I hope to have everything done relatively soon.”
6. Know the four D’s of working through any task: delay, defer, dally, and dwell.
7. Never leave a distraction unattended to.
8. Set your start time for a task by subtracting 24—48 hours (use minutes for smaller tasks) from your absolute due date.
9. Always use a timer while working on intense tasks so that you won’t overwork and miss something important, like quitting time.
Each list is interspersed with invaluable productivity tips:
* Do your most critical work at the same time every day—the last minute.
* If life is what happens while you're busy making other plans, why make any?
* How can I be a procrastinator if I always eat my chocolate right away?
Filled with fun lists that joke about procrastination, "Things To Do While Avoiding Things To Do" is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and keep your guilt and stress at bay. Consider it a unique form of self help.
- GenresNonfictionHumor
71 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
7 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Mark J. Asher
27 books87 followersMark J. Asher is the author of several dog books, including: All That Ails You (over 1,000 Five-Star Reviews), Humphrey Was Here (pet loss memoir), and Canine Rhymes (dog poems).
PRAISE FOR MARK’S BOOKS:
“Beautifully told story about how important dogs are in helping, healing and brightening your day.”
—Reader review of All That Ails You
“The honesty and wisdom that grace this book will serve as a balm for others coping with their own pain.”
—Best Friends Magazine on Humphrey Was Here
“These animals jump from the pages, warm the heart, and inspire the soul.”
—The Humane Society of the United States on Old Friends
PRAISE FOR MARK’S BOOKS:
“Beautifully told story about how important dogs are in helping, healing and brightening your day.”
—Reader review of All That Ails You
“The honesty and wisdom that grace this book will serve as a balm for others coping with their own pain.”
—Best Friends Magazine on Humphrey Was Here
“These animals jump from the pages, warm the heart, and inspire the soul.”
—The Humane Society of the United States on Old Friends
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 11, 2012
this was a funny "self-help" book to read and i recommend it to everyone who:
- is/has been guilty of procrastinating
- is against it (reading this might make you change your mind)
- has no idea what procrastination is all about and wants to gain a deeper perspective
- has to do something else but wants to avoid it (for now!)
- is/has been guilty of procrastinating
- is against it (reading this might make you change your mind)
- has no idea what procrastination is all about and wants to gain a deeper perspective
- has to do something else but wants to avoid it (for now!)
October 17, 2015
Good ideas
I chose 5 stars because the book fulfills its promise. I am keeping it on my kindle so I can refer to it when necessary. You can never tell where work might be lurking about so better safe than sorry.
I chose 5 stars because the book fulfills its promise. I am keeping it on my kindle so I can refer to it when necessary. You can never tell where work might be lurking about so better safe than sorry.
December 28, 2015
Stupid
I usually enjoy list type books but this one was just boring and stupid. I couldn't even enjoy the book as a way to procrastinate as the suggestions were more work than what I was trying to get out of doing. For that matter reading the suggestions felt like more work.
I usually enjoy list type books but this one was just boring and stupid. I couldn't even enjoy the book as a way to procrastinate as the suggestions were more work than what I was trying to get out of doing. For that matter reading the suggestions felt like more work.
January 15, 2014
Quite a few repeated jokes.
January 9, 2015
Somewhat entertaining.
My fave quote: Procrastination is the art of relaxing in the face of adversity.
My fave quote: Procrastination is the art of relaxing in the face of adversity.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews