Procrastinare - Come superare il vizio di rimandare

by Windy Dryden

Procrastinating, putting things off, delaying and obstructing progress - these are all familiar problems in a pressured world where progress in measured by results. This work demonstrates that change can only occur when we have a better understanding of our own emotions and motivations. It presents the Rational Emotive Behaviour Technique (R.E.B.T.) and centres around finding strategies for developing potential and unlocking the door to more effective and enriched living.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2000

About the author

Windy Dryden is one of the leading practitioners and trainers in the UK in the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) tradition of psychotherapy. He is best known for his work in Rational-Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RECBT), a leading CBT approach. He has been working in the field of counselling and psychotherapy since 1975 and was one of the first people in Britain to be trained in CBT and has trained with Drs. Albert Ellis, Aaron T. Beck, and Arnold Lazarus.

He has published over 200 books and has trained therapists all over the world, in as diverse places as the UK, the USA, South Africa, Turkey, and Israel.

He is Emeritus Professor of Psychotherapeutic Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Key causes
- Avoidance of threat
- Avoidance of discomfort
- restore the balance; do tasks on my own terms when I feel like it and not when I'm told to
- prelude; to get that last minute rush of dopamine when you save the day just in time, again
- interpersonal play; a variety of reasons perhaps to get someone else to do the task, feel sorry for you, get attention or similar
- overcommitment; you have to much to do because you can't say no. Some things are delayed or never get done. The solution is to unwind the overcommitments
- combination of several such as a) avoidance of threat, b) avoidance of discomfort and c) a desire for someone else to do the task for you - need to understand all causes to successfully stem the behaviour

We may have a belief that performing a task should never be uncomfortable.
Is this better than:
- we should always feel uncomfortable
- the comfort doesn't matter
- comfort is better but not essential
If you can change the route level belief this tackles one key driver of procrastination

Unhealthy Beliefs:
- Rigid demands; a demand for comfort vs a preference
- Awfulising; is some minor discomfort really that awful? Only if you say it absolutely must not exist
- Discomfort Intolerance; get real
- Depreciation; you are a total loser and will fail at everything in life for not finishing that report today

Healthy Beliefs:
- Full Preferences; while I would prefer not to experience discomfort there is no reason why I have to be free of this experience
- Anti Awfulising; It's crummy but not the end of the world that I am experiencing discomfort
- Discomfort Tolerance; While I don't enjoy this I can accept the discomfort
- Acceptance; accept you are a fallible human being. Perfection is too much to expect. Settle for decent results and acceptable standards. Accept the limitations of others.

Identify unhealthy beliefs
Question them
Challenge them
Question and build up healthy beliefs
Analyse results
Repeat

Ask for each rigid and full perspective belief;
- Which is true
- Which is logical/sensible
- Which is helpful

Then for each full perspective belief;
- State out of 100 how much conviction you have for this belief
- Write some counter arguments attaching it - that you rigorously defend
- Tape record your arguments and the rigorous defences
- Ask a friend to critique your argument and rigorously defend it
- Re estimate your current conviction of this belief

Imagine the last time you procrastinated. Find the unhealthy belief and change your belief I your mind and see yourself starting (and finishing) the task.
Try and keep the new belief in your mind for 5 minutes.
- Practise this 5 to ideally 10 times per day for around 7 minutes each time so your subconscious soon takes this behaviour to be automatic
- Do NOT do this exercise instead of actually doing a task, do it when waking, before sleep, while showering, waiting for a bus

If you put task off due to fear of failure:
1) will you really fail or will it just be imperfect
2) what are the consequences of not doing it at all
3) would you advise a friend with similar skills not to do it because they will fail?
4) failing a task it not failing as a person
5) it is better not to fail but there is no law exempting you from failing. Most successes have failed and overcome their failures

Fear of success
1) if I do well I will have to live up to a new higher standard. People will expect more of me. The real issue may be expecting more from yourself.
2) succeeding could make people I care about feel inferior - it could also inspire them to more

Each time you procrastinate and put off important work you reinforce that behaviour so it is easier to procrastinate next time. Instead train yourself to get straight down to work without delay.

The best way to overcome procrastination is to think healthily and act in ways that are consistent with healthy thinking.

If you believe you must have what you want when you want it, then you must develop a healthier perspective to dealing with instant gratification if you want to overcome procrastination.

Don't feel in the mood?
You're trying to get yourself in the mood before you do something you don't feel like doing. The only solution is to work even when you don't feel like working. Then after a while you stand a better chance of being in the mood to work - than if you waited to be in the mood before starting.

If you want to get in the mood before starting you may wait a very long time for this mood to come.
Acknowledge you don't need to be in the mood before starting.
If you act according to the belief (you need to be in the mood - or that you don't) you strengthen that belief
The best way to overcome this issue it to fully acknowledge the advantages but not the necessity of being in the mood before beginning and then act repeatedly in ways consistent with this healthy belief - to repeatedly do things in your best interest whether or not you feel like doing them
At least some times you will get in the mood after starting.

Developing a philosophy of discomfort tolerance is essential to overcome chronic procrastination.

Don't be a grasshopper. A grasshopper is someone who hops from task to task without completing any of them. It is likely you have a low tolerance for boredom and move from task to task when you feel bored.
The only way to deal with this is to raise your tolerance level for boredom and show yourself both in though and deed that while being bored in unpleasant it is a tolerable experience which is worth tolerating to get the task done.
If you stick with it you will realise you tend to overestimate how boring the task actually is when you stay with it and don't put it off.

[William Conti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro con concetti sicuramente interessanti ma, troppo spesso, esposti in maniera lenta e ridondante, così da "allungarlo" e renderlo più corposo. Caratteristica comunque non nuova in autori che si auto-definiscono particolarmente prolifici.

A livello di contenuti, le prime due parti sono concentrate sull'analisi metacognitiva del problema e sullo sviluppo di un corretto atteggiamento mentale per affrontarlo, mentre la terza completa il tutto con una carrellata di strumenti rapidi e concreti da applicare. L'autore sottolinea fin troppe volte che non bisogna correre agli strumenti saltando l'analisi, ed ha ragione in questo, ma lo avremmo capito anche con meno rimandi.
Purtroppo, questo tipo di organizzazione ha ingiustamente attirato molte critiche nelle recensioni, nate da un'errata pretesa nei confronti del testo: chi affronta questo libro cercando un manuale di istruzioni sviluppato per punti, si trova invece di fronte un'analisi integrale e discorsiva del problema.

Personalmente, avrei apprezzato l'inserimento di maggiori riferimenti a casi reali, dato che vengono accennati nel testo ma restano poco sviluppati. Questo avrebbe dato sicuramente più consistenza al tutto, evitando magari il ricorso alle formule ripetitive che caratterizzano la prima parte.

[Maria Helena Zanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intanto non ho procrastinato troppo la lettura di questo libro, è già un inizio no?

[Francescolux]

L'autore tratta diversi tipi di procrastinazione, accennando a volte casi reali trattati durante il suo lavoro di psicoterapeuta, purtroppo questi casi reali sono citati poco frequentemente nonostante siano molto utili per immedesimarsi all'atto concreto nel problema. Il libro non è un elenco di soluzioni elencate per punti ma piuttosto un discorso, un approccio analitico, in cui viene trattato prima il background della procrastinazione (come si riconosce cos'è, i motivi), poi i principali approcci per risolvere i problemi (trattando i principali tipi di procrastinazione) ed infine techniche"extra" comunque utili e reali. A volte è molto ripetitivo in alcuni punti e può risultare noioso però i consigli li ho trovati molto utili.

[Dario Alberton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una serie di consigli e tecniche per abbattere le barriere psicologiche in maniera tale da potere attuare al meglio le strategie organizzative.
Utile e intelligente, poche e dense pagine di casi studio che racchiudono una miriade di esempi su cui, in parte, per nulla, o in toto, ci si può rispecchiare e trovare soluzioni per farvi fronte. Si legge velocemente, e a metà lettura, si tende a procrastinarne la fine, ma fa parte del gioco.

[Shahrzad · Rating 3 out of 5]

ترجمه فارسی کتاب رو خوندم. کتاب بدی نبود. مسئله پشت گوش اندازی رو به چند نوع تقسیم کرده و برای هر کدوم راه حل‌های روانشناسی داده بود. که اضافه گویی زیاد داشت و بسیاری از موارد شبیه به هم بودن. یه سری بدیهیات که شخصی که پشت گوش اندازی میکنه همه اینا رو میدونه. و یک سری تمرین که زیاد کاربردی نیست.

[Manu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Senza le ultime 16 pagine ne avrei data una sola di stella.
un grosso MEH

[Marco Bonalumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buon libro che spiega come cambiare mentalità nei confronti della procrastinazione.
Meglio leggerlo che procrastinare ma probabilmente fa meglio ancora sarebbe fare qualcosa 😅

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Dryden walks the reader through different types of beliefs and thought patterns that lead to procrastination. He offers counter thoughts and exercises to retrain yourself. Of course, no one can try all of these options, but it's useful to read each, sit with it, and feel "if the shoe fits" so to speak.

My issue is discomfort. The smallest discomfort prevents me from engaging in unpredictable, professional tasks that are good for me, and that I even enjoy. So, I return to comfortable, easy things. My mode of operation is very cognitive and analytical, so books like Dryden's that offer mostly analytical exercises (write down a belief, estimate your percent agreement and then attack and defend it) are enlightening but not as helpful to me. I need more emotional approaches. There were a few of these types of exercises in the book. Specifically, if I feel discomfort, I should try embracing it, or at least tolerating it. So, I will practice feeling discomfort.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. There were some good ideas in the book, but the general theme is to identify why you procrastinate, and then challenge that thought process. Maybe because i've done a lot of CBT type therapy / thought challenging work before, so am familiar with it, but I found this book very repetitive after the first 10 pages.

[Samantha Dee]

I have a very serious issue with procrastination...