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Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done
Find out why you put things off-and learn to conquer procrastination for good!
"What if I make a bad decision?" "What if I fail?" "I'm better under pressure." There are all sorts of reasons people procrastinate. What are yours? This book draws on scientific research on procrastination conducted over more than twenty years by the author and his colleagues, to help you learn what stops you from getting things done so that you can find the solutions that will really work.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, chronic procrastination is NOT about poor time management, but about self-sabotaging tendencies that can prevent you from reaching your full potential. This book gives you the knowledge and tools you need to understand and overcome these tendencies so you can start achieving your goals-not next week, next month, or next year, but TODAY!
Exposes the hidden causes of procrastination, including fear of failure, fear of success, and thrill-seeking Identifies types of procrastinators and helps determine which type describes you Shares surprising information on how factors such as technology and the time of day affect procrastination Examines specific issues related to putting things off in school and at work Shares more than twenty years of research on the causes and consequences of chronic procrastination Written by a psychologist who is an international expert on the subject of procrastinationAre you still procrastinating? This take-charge guide will help you stop making excuses and start transforming your life-right now!
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2010
127 people are currently reading
1189 people want to read
About the author
Joseph R. Ferrari
17 books12 followersJoe Ferrari is a professor of psychology who began his career in 1980 teaching at a private junior college back in the New York area. He joined the faculty at DePaul in 1994 as a Visiting Assistant Professor, and was hired as an Associate Professor without tenure in 1998. He was awarded Full Professor status in 2003 and became a member of the Society in 2006.
Joe is the Director of the MS in General Psychology program and was the founding Director of the PhD in Community Psychology. Dr. Ferrari is Editor of the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community (Taylor & Francis, Publishers] since 1995.
He earned his PhD and MA degrees from Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, MS degree from SUNY at Cortland, and BA degree from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY.
Joe is the Director of the MS in General Psychology program and was the founding Director of the PhD in Community Psychology. Dr. Ferrari is Editor of the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community (Taylor & Francis, Publishers] since 1995.
He earned his PhD and MA degrees from Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, MS degree from SUNY at Cortland, and BA degree from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 23, 2011
I just read this book and Sapadin's It's About Time.
Ferrari cites a TON of studies on the subject, but the whole book just ends up being one long reason to procrastinate. I was reading about procrastinating when I needed to-the-point information on what to do about it.
When I finally get to his what-to-do tips they were typical tips like you find in any "how to get organized" book. Once in awhile he'd drop a more intriguing bit of information, or cite a more interesting study, but he wouldn't delve into it deeply and suggest a meaningful action you could take.
And finally, the tone of the entire book was a bit shaming and condescending. I know he didn't intend it, because he specifically says so in one of the ending chapters, but I could really see the difference when I returned to finish the Sapadin book. Maybe it's meant for people who are still in denial so it's "tough love", cause it felt like he was citing study after study after study as though arguing with someone who won't admit that their procrastination is actually a problem. But anyone who's buying a book called Still Procrastinating? probably isn't in denial. So I was just skipping page after page... I took all of 3 lines of notes.
Ferrari's book was like a big soup full of information, not meaningfully organized. For example, he brought up the point (backed up by a study) that procrastinators often don't give themselves rewards when they succeed at something. This applied to me so I was interested to know why, or what I should do with this information. But he didn't say anything else about it.
Sapadin brought up the same thing, but in the context of perfectionists--that they don't celebrate successes because they don't ever see what they do as good enough, and suggested that such people consciously stop and give themselves rewards.
Ferrari cites a TON of studies on the subject, but the whole book just ends up being one long reason to procrastinate. I was reading about procrastinating when I needed to-the-point information on what to do about it.
When I finally get to his what-to-do tips they were typical tips like you find in any "how to get organized" book. Once in awhile he'd drop a more intriguing bit of information, or cite a more interesting study, but he wouldn't delve into it deeply and suggest a meaningful action you could take.
And finally, the tone of the entire book was a bit shaming and condescending. I know he didn't intend it, because he specifically says so in one of the ending chapters, but I could really see the difference when I returned to finish the Sapadin book. Maybe it's meant for people who are still in denial so it's "tough love", cause it felt like he was citing study after study after study as though arguing with someone who won't admit that their procrastination is actually a problem. But anyone who's buying a book called Still Procrastinating? probably isn't in denial. So I was just skipping page after page... I took all of 3 lines of notes.
Ferrari's book was like a big soup full of information, not meaningfully organized. For example, he brought up the point (backed up by a study) that procrastinators often don't give themselves rewards when they succeed at something. This applied to me so I was interested to know why, or what I should do with this information. But he didn't say anything else about it.
Sapadin brought up the same thing, but in the context of perfectionists--that they don't celebrate successes because they don't ever see what they do as good enough, and suggested that such people consciously stop and give themselves rewards.
April 9, 2017
I saw a lot of reviews on Amazon saying this book was not helpful, so I googled the author, read an interview with him and was intrigued. (A lesson in making up your own mind folks.) I purchased it and found it to be like no other on the subject thus far. As a chronic procrastinator, I've been through dozens of books on the subject. Something told me to finish this book, that it was vital. I realized that now I might be ready to really tackle my procrastination, having made the declaration to actually read every single word. This book dealt with the underlying issues that cause people to procrastinate. The overarching message is that the only way to stop procrastinating is to get the work done. I suspect that it might be hard for procrastinators to accept the theories the author puts forth since they force you to really take a look at why you are procrastinating, meaning you have to actually take a look at yourself. More importantly, you have to take responsibility for your procrastination. I read it in two days and the message was clear: the only way to stop procrastinating is to simply stop. As disconcerting and overwhelming as that sounds, the book outlines a great many reasons why you should stop. It also outlines anti procrastination strategies you can employ. The problem is none of them are magic bullets that will get you out of the actual doing. If you skim through this book looking for quick hints and tricks you will miss the point. Many themes were revisited throughout but I didn't see that as repetitive as much as continual reinforcement of the values the author put forth. As many books in the past didn't for me, this book might not work for you. Or it might.
April 20, 2019
This book is...fine. But it’s very one-sided and basically repeats the same “procrastination is bad and you are a shitty person for procrastinating” mantra throughout. Here are some point form notes to summarize the claims and suggestions the book makes:
-procrastination is a form of self sabotage
-the behaviour does not discriminate across generations, between genders, or between social classes. It doesn’t matter who you are, about 20% of people are true procrastinators
-people who wait until the last minute and say they “work better under pressure” are lying to themselves. Their work will rarely match up to someone who started early and had the time to refine their work
-procrastinators often blame circumstances for their lack of taking responsibility for task completion (“traffic was terrible.” “I had a birthday party.”...)
-procrastinators are often scared of success or scared of failure
-start early. Just do it. Just finish it. Move on
-do your holiday shopping throughout the year
-technology has added to the amount of distraction options we have, and can totally increase our procrastination tendencies if we’re not careful
-time management courses or time awareness does not fix the underlying problems that cause procrastination. Ending your own procrastination habit means changing your mindset and learning to be responsible for yourself and your life
There’s a bit at the end which awkwardly addresses ADD and posits that maybe people claiming they’re suffering from ADD are making excuses and need to prioritize better. Yeah. The author hedges a bit after this and does acknowledge the real issues that ADD and ADHD are, but the initial opinion put me off. If I misread this or if someone wants to clarify it, I’m open to discussing your perspective on it.
Anyway, I did enjoy some of the reminders in this book, but there’s little most people didn’t know already.
Basically, take responsibility for yourself and be accountable. Your poor time decisions have consequences for yourself and others.
-procrastination is a form of self sabotage
-the behaviour does not discriminate across generations, between genders, or between social classes. It doesn’t matter who you are, about 20% of people are true procrastinators
-people who wait until the last minute and say they “work better under pressure” are lying to themselves. Their work will rarely match up to someone who started early and had the time to refine their work
-procrastinators often blame circumstances for their lack of taking responsibility for task completion (“traffic was terrible.” “I had a birthday party.”...)
-procrastinators are often scared of success or scared of failure
-start early. Just do it. Just finish it. Move on
-do your holiday shopping throughout the year
-technology has added to the amount of distraction options we have, and can totally increase our procrastination tendencies if we’re not careful
-time management courses or time awareness does not fix the underlying problems that cause procrastination. Ending your own procrastination habit means changing your mindset and learning to be responsible for yourself and your life
There’s a bit at the end which awkwardly addresses ADD and posits that maybe people claiming they’re suffering from ADD are making excuses and need to prioritize better. Yeah. The author hedges a bit after this and does acknowledge the real issues that ADD and ADHD are, but the initial opinion put me off. If I misread this or if someone wants to clarify it, I’m open to discussing your perspective on it.
Anyway, I did enjoy some of the reminders in this book, but there’s little most people didn’t know already.
Basically, take responsibility for yourself and be accountable. Your poor time decisions have consequences for yourself and others.
March 6, 2020
I heard about Dr. Ferrari on the excellent podcast Ologies, which I think everybody should explore https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/ologies and he made such an interesting point about procrastinators (not just people who procrastinate, but more of a lifetime thing) were about 20% of the population, males and females, worldwide, and that that was higher than the rate of depression. So, he argued, we should stop sniggering about it and take it seriously, grasp the seriousness of the effects of chronic procrastination on the world.
Well, I was procrastinating about editing my second novel, so I pounced on this book.
I am sorry I did. As a procrastination tool, it is filled with such pithy nostrums as “make the first hour of your day about you- use this time to straighten one of your shoe shelves, clean up one section of your closet...”
Argh. Why in the name of all that’s good and holy (as my mother would say) would you spend that first, most potent hour of your day organizing SHOES????
Okay, Ferrari’s research is interesting. This book adds nothing to the self-help genre and in fact dashes scorn at most of the time organizer books out there. A waste of an hour or two.
See, this is what I get for procrastinating.
Well, I was procrastinating about editing my second novel, so I pounced on this book.
I am sorry I did. As a procrastination tool, it is filled with such pithy nostrums as “make the first hour of your day about you- use this time to straighten one of your shoe shelves, clean up one section of your closet...”
Argh. Why in the name of all that’s good and holy (as my mother would say) would you spend that first, most potent hour of your day organizing SHOES????
Okay, Ferrari’s research is interesting. This book adds nothing to the self-help genre and in fact dashes scorn at most of the time organizer books out there. A waste of an hour or two.
See, this is what I get for procrastinating.
April 24, 2025
This book can be boiled down to 220 pages of "simply do the task you are putting off" and reads like a student trying to meet a word count for a paper.
I feel that Dr Ferrari is deeply out of touch with the average American. At one point, he makes the claim that part of the 2008 economic crisis can be blamed on procrastinators who simply spent more money than they had and just put off paying their bills. He also spends exactly 3.5 pages discussing the correlation between procrastination and neurodiversity (only touching on OCD and ADHD) and he waits until the last 15 pages of the book to even bring it up. In those pages, he also makes it very clear this book has been written for a neurotypical audience.
This book is very surface level, extremely repetitive, and at times self contradictory (claiming one cannot "manage time" because of the very nature of time consistently passing, but rather they can only manage their activities within time, but then also discussing time management strategies throughout).
This book was written for neurotypical, upper middle class, white collar workers with good support networks who have only just come to realize they may be a chronic procrastinator and have done no prior research into how to change their habits. There are, however, a few decent and interesting points made.
I feel that Dr Ferrari is deeply out of touch with the average American. At one point, he makes the claim that part of the 2008 economic crisis can be blamed on procrastinators who simply spent more money than they had and just put off paying their bills. He also spends exactly 3.5 pages discussing the correlation between procrastination and neurodiversity (only touching on OCD and ADHD) and he waits until the last 15 pages of the book to even bring it up. In those pages, he also makes it very clear this book has been written for a neurotypical audience.
This book is very surface level, extremely repetitive, and at times self contradictory (claiming one cannot "manage time" because of the very nature of time consistently passing, but rather they can only manage their activities within time, but then also discussing time management strategies throughout).
This book was written for neurotypical, upper middle class, white collar workers with good support networks who have only just come to realize they may be a chronic procrastinator and have done no prior research into how to change their habits. There are, however, a few decent and interesting points made.
December 4, 2010
Disappointed. Went for this 'cos i thought the academic profile of the author maybe give it a bit more credibility for a self-help book.
Found it to be far too laden with statistics, accompanied by shallow analysis to hold interest from a more academic stance, and had absolutely no action plan to be worthwhile from self-help perspective.
Gave some pieces of advice - basically do the most difficult tasks first, focus on getting started, do smaller amounts, more frequently, and start earlier. Minimise distractions such as email, phone, social networking etc. There....no need to waste even more time reading this one!
Found it to be far too laden with statistics, accompanied by shallow analysis to hold interest from a more academic stance, and had absolutely no action plan to be worthwhile from self-help perspective.
Gave some pieces of advice - basically do the most difficult tasks first, focus on getting started, do smaller amounts, more frequently, and start earlier. Minimise distractions such as email, phone, social networking etc. There....no need to waste even more time reading this one!
December 26, 2011
Advice was not helpful. It basically says if you are a procrastinator, you would be much happier if you just stopped doing it. It gave lots of reasons why people procrastinate but no truly helpful advice other than...just cut it out and stop procrastinating. The only thing this book did was help me procrastinate even more on a project I was avoiding because I stopped the project to read this useless book!
August 17, 2023
In the beginning of this book it claims that it is not like other self-help models of stopping procrastination, but after reading it I feel like that’s exactly what it was. The author explores the psychology behind procrastination but uses a tone that is very shaming and treats procrastinators as the outsider rather than sympathizing and coming up with useful techniques that match his psychological analysis. The techniques mentioned were the same I’ve heard a million times by other authors. He definitely makes the case for stopping procrastination but did so in a way that was more shaming than empowering and without providing practical steps on how to do it.
May 23, 2018
I bought this book as part of a greater toolkit to help my college students overcome academic obstacles and identify barriers to their success. I recognize the author brings a wealth of research to accurately back his points and theories. My critique? This book would excel if this content were organized into a systematic, engaging, and fun “action plan” of sorts that would really help the procrastinator to take meaningful action. When my students (and I) am stuck on a problem, and begin Procrastinating, the most palpable way to move forward world be for a procrastination expert like Ferrari to introduce that plan. Almost like the Dave Ramsey “Total Money Makeover” 7 baby steps for real life procrastination scenarios.
February 1, 2021
The whole book is a review of his research papers. I get that it’s not a widely researched topic, but every other sentence was him referencing a study he did.
The goal of this book is to convince you that procrastination is a maladaptive trait and you just need to stop doing it. I guess it’s successful in that.
The goal of this book is to convince you that procrastination is a maladaptive trait and you just need to stop doing it. I guess it’s successful in that.
August 30, 2013
Is it read? Maybe a little of it is. I'm procrastinating reading the rest of it.
April 11, 2025
I think I'd give this book a 3.5, but I nudged it up to 4 stars because it did give me some insights and philosophical reasons to stop procrastinating that were surprisingly helpful.
I came to this book after listening to the author, Ferrari (who seems to be the father of procrastination research), on the "Ologies" podcast (10/10 recommend). I like the way this book provides lots of references to the scientific literature, studies that attempt to learn more about procrastinators and why they do the things they do. I don't think the description of the book as a "guide" on how to get things done is really accurate, but ultimately (as a procrastinator) it did make me WANT to change, which is really the crux of the advice provided in the book.
The book's chapters are designed to be able to stand on their own, I guess so you don't necessarily have to read the entire book if you are short on time. I think this results in the book being a bit repetitive. To me, many of the chapters read like a freshman research paper (sorry), attempting to cram a lot of information into 10-20 pages. I can imagine each chapter being written and edited by itself (in manageable chunks, as suggested), but by the time they got the the later chapters they forgot what they had already talked about lol. I think the whole book is worth reading, but you may find that by the time you get to the last couple chapters, you're not getting much new information. Maybe just start with Chapter 1-2 and see what you think.
There are also some places where the book seems to contradict itself. For example, they reference the phrase "carpe diem" as a philosophy opposing procrastination, but then in the next chapter say that procrastination may have developed because cave people had a "carpe diem" attitude to having food / pleasurable things right away (which is no longer adaptive). In a later chapter, Ferrari uses Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as an example of procrastination because he wrote it in the 6 weeks before the holiday season. He at first says that because Dickens wrote it at the last minute, it wasn't good enough to be published, but then concludes by praising Dickens for "taking action" and writing the book even if it wasn't perfect. I understand what he's getting at but it just seemed a little all over the place / could have been written better.
During my reading, I often felt that some of the word choices could have been improved. For example, I think that saying a researcher "claimed" something implies that they were incorrect - It feels like they just randomly picked a word out of the thesaurus instead of using a more appropriate word (hypothesized). There are several place in the book that make broad generalizations: "Procrastinators think... Procrastinators are..." that could have been helped (made less offensive) by some percentages or other qualifying words (most, many, etc). Since the author attests to being "not a procrastinator," the book can feel somewhat judgmental at times (although I believe the intention is not to judge, but to be helpful), and some of the conclusions reached in the studies seem a bit far fetched (correlation does not equal causation).
Anyway, I think it's worth a read, but I'm not surprised it doesn't have a five-star rating.
I came to this book after listening to the author, Ferrari (who seems to be the father of procrastination research), on the "Ologies" podcast (10/10 recommend). I like the way this book provides lots of references to the scientific literature, studies that attempt to learn more about procrastinators and why they do the things they do. I don't think the description of the book as a "guide" on how to get things done is really accurate, but ultimately (as a procrastinator) it did make me WANT to change, which is really the crux of the advice provided in the book.
The book's chapters are designed to be able to stand on their own, I guess so you don't necessarily have to read the entire book if you are short on time. I think this results in the book being a bit repetitive. To me, many of the chapters read like a freshman research paper (sorry), attempting to cram a lot of information into 10-20 pages. I can imagine each chapter being written and edited by itself (in manageable chunks, as suggested), but by the time they got the the later chapters they forgot what they had already talked about lol. I think the whole book is worth reading, but you may find that by the time you get to the last couple chapters, you're not getting much new information. Maybe just start with Chapter 1-2 and see what you think.
There are also some places where the book seems to contradict itself. For example, they reference the phrase "carpe diem" as a philosophy opposing procrastination, but then in the next chapter say that procrastination may have developed because cave people had a "carpe diem" attitude to having food / pleasurable things right away (which is no longer adaptive). In a later chapter, Ferrari uses Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as an example of procrastination because he wrote it in the 6 weeks before the holiday season. He at first says that because Dickens wrote it at the last minute, it wasn't good enough to be published, but then concludes by praising Dickens for "taking action" and writing the book even if it wasn't perfect. I understand what he's getting at but it just seemed a little all over the place / could have been written better.
During my reading, I often felt that some of the word choices could have been improved. For example, I think that saying a researcher "claimed" something implies that they were incorrect - It feels like they just randomly picked a word out of the thesaurus instead of using a more appropriate word (hypothesized). There are several place in the book that make broad generalizations: "Procrastinators think... Procrastinators are..." that could have been helped (made less offensive) by some percentages or other qualifying words (most, many, etc). Since the author attests to being "not a procrastinator," the book can feel somewhat judgmental at times (although I believe the intention is not to judge, but to be helpful), and some of the conclusions reached in the studies seem a bit far fetched (correlation does not equal causation).
Anyway, I think it's worth a read, but I'm not surprised it doesn't have a five-star rating.
November 8, 2022
While Dr. Ferrari is clearly well-studied and knowledgeable on the subject of procrastination, I don't think he is that great a writer. Logical fallacies crop up throughout. One time he makes up a parable about a lawyer who has to file a motion in a certain time frame, but he procrastinates and then problems arise shortly before the due date and he is unable to file it at all and they lose the case. Then he reveals that this is a true story. He read a newspaper article with no details about a case that was lost because problems arose and they couldn't file the motion. Ferrari says he assumes they didn't file it earlier because they were procrastinating.
He makes assumptions about the behavior and uses that assumption as evidence for his point. How did that get past an editor. There's some other moments like this where Ferrari confidently makes some claims and assertions and I can't help but notice that the section is devoid of any citations.
That being said I do think I learned some things about myself. He made one or two observations that really resonated with me, just not enough to justify the time reading. What did justify the time was that reading the book, regardless of the context, primed me to notice procrastination behavior throughout the day. I caught myself more often and made better choices I would have otherwise. I think that benefit would have been present with any other procrastination self-help book, but this wasn't a bad one to choose. Ironically, in order to keep this effect I procrastinated reading, so the second half took a lot longer than the first.
He makes assumptions about the behavior and uses that assumption as evidence for his point. How did that get past an editor. There's some other moments like this where Ferrari confidently makes some claims and assertions and I can't help but notice that the section is devoid of any citations.
That being said I do think I learned some things about myself. He made one or two observations that really resonated with me, just not enough to justify the time reading. What did justify the time was that reading the book, regardless of the context, primed me to notice procrastination behavior throughout the day. I caught myself more often and made better choices I would have otherwise. I think that benefit would have been present with any other procrastination self-help book, but this wasn't a bad one to choose. Ironically, in order to keep this effect I procrastinated reading, so the second half took a lot longer than the first.
December 24, 2020
I'm pretty surprised by the negative reviews. I found this book interesting in that it makes you look at the root causes of procrastination which is hard to do and it thoroughly defines procrastination. It's not a gimmicky book like many other time management and procrastination books/articles that I've picked up. What I learned is that I'm actually not as big a procrastinator as I thought. I do procrastinate on some projects and tasks, but not most. It actually removed a lot of guilt.
Now that I've identified why this happens with a few tasks I feel like I can actually change it. All this time I've blamed being unable to say no to projects or working on several high priority projects as a time management problem or that I'm a big procrastinator. That is no longer the case.
Whether you actually are a chronic procrastinator or somewhere in between I thought this was one of the most helpful books on the topic, but the work is up to you. There are no easy answers, tools and tricks to identifying the causes and overcoming procrastination. It will take some careful attention to identify these things for yourself.
Now that I've identified why this happens with a few tasks I feel like I can actually change it. All this time I've blamed being unable to say no to projects or working on several high priority projects as a time management problem or that I'm a big procrastinator. That is no longer the case.
Whether you actually are a chronic procrastinator or somewhere in between I thought this was one of the most helpful books on the topic, but the work is up to you. There are no easy answers, tools and tricks to identifying the causes and overcoming procrastination. It will take some careful attention to identify these things for yourself.
February 14, 2021
If you are a procrastinator, I recommend this book, but before you pick it up:
-Listen to Ali Ward's Ologies podcast episode with the author. The hilarious and fast-paced interview will give you a compassionate yet real sense of the psychology involved.
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/proc...
Why the mixed reviews? I can understand them. The author is one of the worlds leading experts in the field, and he cites all the studies and articles throughout which can be annoying for what is expected to be your average self-help book. However, the first few chapters were particularly impactful to me, and I was able to glean many insights from an imperfect execution throughout.
I hope the book gets updated with a vigorous editor - that way the content can reach more people who can use it.
-Listen to Ali Ward's Ologies podcast episode with the author. The hilarious and fast-paced interview will give you a compassionate yet real sense of the psychology involved.
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/proc...
Why the mixed reviews? I can understand them. The author is one of the worlds leading experts in the field, and he cites all the studies and articles throughout which can be annoying for what is expected to be your average self-help book. However, the first few chapters were particularly impactful to me, and I was able to glean many insights from an imperfect execution throughout.
I hope the book gets updated with a vigorous editor - that way the content can reach more people who can use it.
September 2, 2020
A wealth of information, full of practical advise, and research-based, Still Procrastinating provides the reader with practical information that will help those who procrastinate or live with/work with procrastinators. Understand the reasons behind procrastination, how it affects your life and those around you, and how it is unhealthy and unproductive. You can change and move forward to become a better person or understand those around you who are procrastinators. Highly recommended.
January 23, 2021
A verbose, very meticulously well-researched way to say, if you're still procrastinating – just stop. 3 stars because there were some self-validating moments, but overall, it felt like I was being scolded about my maladaptive habits and just needed a-long-talking-to to get out of my funk (which, isn't brand new information). Happy to have gotten the audiobook though, because Dr. Ferrari's voice is quite calming.
back-burner
October 8, 2023I got interested in this book because of:
https://www.artofmanliness.com/charac...
“ Joseph Ferrari: … I’m in a class being … and she was teaching a course on self-defeating behaviors, masochism, choosing to suffer as she was moving into clinical, she was studying these particular topics and self-handicapping was one of the concepts, … I go to the library and I go and I look up the topic and I find nothing on the topic.”
https://www.artofmanliness.com/charac...
“ Joseph Ferrari: … I’m in a class being … and she was teaching a course on self-defeating behaviors, masochism, choosing to suffer as she was moving into clinical, she was studying these particular topics and self-handicapping was one of the concepts, … I go to the library and I go and I look up the topic and I find nothing on the topic.”
October 5, 2023
Procrastinating is one of the weaknesses in my life. I found this book very insightful, and encouraging. The author is factual and has very useful real world examples. One of the most interesting takeaways from the book is that procrastinating is often a selfish act wether we realize it or not. The only negative I have about this book is that it does tend to be repetitive.
March 17, 2019
Very informative, and all of the sources are cited. I found it to be a slow read but very helpful for pointed tips.
April 11, 2020
A touch dated at times but inevitable when referring to technology. Some good stuff in here even if it doesn't really tie it all together by the end.
November 28, 2020
Procrastinated too much reading this book. Maybe it was all the self-references or maybe the repetition. Either way, he has good advice but nothing earth shattering. An ok book.
December 14, 2023
obviously this book hasn't helped yet because I can't seem to finish it. It did help me understand that procrastination is a way of self-sabotaging yourself and I appreciate that insight.
January 2, 2024
Audiobook. Research is interesting but short on recommendations/actions. Repetitive.
May 21, 2024
Book recommendation from Ologies.
Don't agree with all of the study interpretations. Some of the advice to mitigate procrastination are good.
Don't agree with all of the study interpretations. Some of the advice to mitigate procrastination are good.
February 28, 2025
Procrastinated reading this and 3 yrs later still haven’t finished it 😂
December 21, 2020
Like others, I heard about this book via the Ologies podcast, on which Ferrari spoke about procrastination as a real thing, similar to the way people now speak about ADHD, and seemed to have a lot of insight and empathy for people who are chronic procrastinators. How refreshing! The fact that Ferrari himself was adamant about NOT being a procrastinator himself was a red flag, but he mentioned that his wife was, so maybe that gave him a clear window onto the suffering procrastinators go through, and how it could be alleviated.
NOPE. Instead, Ferrari spends the whole book talking about how harmful procrastination is, and how people should really not procrastinate. Um... really? Pretty sure that no one who picks up this book is wondering whether procrastination is a good thing or a bad thing.
NOPE. Instead, Ferrari spends the whole book talking about how harmful procrastination is, and how people should really not procrastinate. Um... really? Pretty sure that no one who picks up this book is wondering whether procrastination is a good thing or a bad thing.
August 9, 2011
The book reveals more about the psyche of a procrastinator, some information to be quite unexpected, surprising.
But whilst many would complain (as in other reviews elsewhere) of how constructive solutions are woefully absent from this book, I think they, the reviewers (whom I suspect to be procrastinators as I am) are purposely overlooking the most constructive solution there ever was for any procrastinator.....""just do it, NOW""
The book quotes many of the author's academic contributions which is supposed to lend the tome credibility. But the author attempts to make the language used far more accessible, that is ""watering down"" the theory. Unfortunately, this makes the book comes off as superficial and most times, feels as if it lacks depth.
But whilst many would complain (as in other reviews elsewhere) of how constructive solutions are woefully absent from this book, I think they, the reviewers (whom I suspect to be procrastinators as I am) are purposely overlooking the most constructive solution there ever was for any procrastinator.....""just do it, NOW""
The book quotes many of the author's academic contributions which is supposed to lend the tome credibility. But the author attempts to make the language used far more accessible, that is ""watering down"" the theory. Unfortunately, this makes the book comes off as superficial and most times, feels as if it lacks depth.
January 5, 2022
Insightful book on procrastination by the man who did all the research and is the authority everyone quotes. Although a decade old, it holds some very interesting distinctions about who a procrastinator is and offers solid advice on how to approach the problem. This is not a self help book, though. It cautions that getting help from a professional is the best way to address the problem if you are an actual procrastinator. Read this before diving into other books on time management or procrastination.
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