Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It

by Fuschia M. Sirois

"This book provides insights from psychological science and evidence-based strategies to help readers reduce procrastination, and show compassion toward themselves and others who procrastinate"--

Genres: Nonfiction, Productivity, Psychology, Self Help, Personal Development, Management, Audiobook

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2022

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book frames procrastination as a behavior of pain avoidance. The author contends with the common assertion of procrastination being a failing of will, a fault in planning , or some related species of excuse, by asserting that procrastination is a feature not a bug.

Perhaps they would not frame it within adaptive terms but it seems by their model that procrastination is a fairly sensible behavior. It is to be succinct, the process by which one seeks to regulate emotions by creating internal balance or comfort after the discomfort of the prospect or action of needed task.

In other words, the person has to do something, feels like crap, and then pursues comfort to feel better. This involves avoiding the perceived noxious stimuli (the task being pushed off) in favor of something that feels good.

This is in my view one of the most intuitive descriptions that I’ve seen . The book is not one of deep technical or theoretical rigor , and is rather a work of practical help.

It provides a bunch of ideas as to how to handle this notion of procrastination.

I found the concepts interesting and the exercises to handle it worth considering.

Overall. Solid book. Likely the best I’ve seen on procrastination.

Certaintly more of a self help piece than that of an academic one.

[Nidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy. Moly. Dr. Sirois' book felt like it was written for me...thank you to the library fairies for putting this one in my path! It's the BEST book on procrastination I have ever read and I don't say that lightly. Ditch your productivity gurus and try reading it.

It's evidence-based and backed up by decades of psychological research and I just felt so SEEN. It is completely non-judgemental and delves into the reasons behind our procrastination and how to change our thinking about it. The shame-filled rhetoric and negative self talk and a myriad other unhelpful thoughts that often envelop your mind...they get something to reckon with once you make them go against the tools in your arsenal that this book provides. It's one that's going to be a lifelong companion of mine. If you ever suffer from chronic procrastination, I implore you to pick this one up.

[Mihrdāt · Rating 5 out of 5]

حالا دیگه تقریباً سه‌روز شده که گزارشی که باید بنویسه رو ننوشته. گزارشی که میدونه باید آخر هفته تحویلش بده وگرنه بعضی آدما رو از خودش ناامید و بعضیا رو عصبانی میکنه. کاری که شبا از شدت نگرانی بابتش بدخواب می‌شه. امروز ولی بالاخره میخواد بره سروقتش. اما وقتی میشینه پای کار، احساس میکنه صندلیش راحت نیست. "بهتره یه صندلی راحت‌تر از اتاق بغلی بیارم، اون وقت دیگه کار رو انجام میدم". در اتاق بغلی میبینه کتاب‌های کتابخونه نامرتبن. در نتیجه یکساعتی به منظم‌ کردن اون‌ها اختصاص میده. با احساس افتخار از تموم کردن اینکار (و اشتباه گرفتن سرشلوغی با کار موثر) به خودش یه استراحت کوچولو در اینستاگرام جایزه میده. کات، حالا دو ساعت گذشته و می‌خواد بالاخره دست‌به‌کار بشه اما گرسنشه. با شکم گرسنه هم که نمی‌شه کار به اون مهمی رو انجام داد‌. بعد از ناهار هم اون‌قدر شل و بی‌حاله که نیاز به یه چرت عصرگاهی برای شارژ شدن قطعاً لازم به نظر میاد. وقتی از خواب بیدار می‌شه اما، حس می‌کنه کار مهمی که یه روز کامل وقت نیاز داره، با این چندساعتِ باقیمونده تا شب در نمیاد، پس بهتره با انگیزه‌ی خوب فردا صبح شروعش کنه. وقتی شب می‌ره بخوابه تا فردا زود بیدار بشه، سیلی از پشیمونی و احساس گناه و بدبختی سراغش میاد؛ فکرهایی مثل "چه مرگمه که نمی‌تونم بشینم سر این کار؟"، "چرا قال قضیه رو نمی‌کنم بره پی کارش؟". برای جبران این فکرها و احساسات منفی یوتوب رو باز می‌کنه و دوبار ویدیوی «چطور یک گزارش سه‌ماهه‌ی عالی بنویسیم» رو می‌بینه. این دو ساعت بیشتر خوابش رو عقب می‌ندازه و دیگه کاملاً مطمئن می‌شه که فردا عمراً بتونه صبح زود باانگیزه از خواب پاشه. چرا؟ چون روزهاست تنها تصویری که از خودش داره مسئولیت‌های مهم عقب‌افتاده، احساسات مزمن خجالت و گناه و یه برنامه‌ی خواب داغونه.


این یک روز از زندگیِ همراه با اهمالکاری بود. مشکلی که اگر به درستی تشخیص داده و به آن رسیدگی نشود، می‌تواند روابط کاری و اجتماعی/رمانتیک، سلامت روانی و جسمی، و پیشرفت ما در زندگی برای رسیدن به اهداف و بیرون کشیدن تمام پتانسیلی که داریم را به خطر بیندازد.
اهمال‌کاری چیست؟ «به تأخیر انداختنِ ارادی و غیرضروری شروع یا تکمیل یک کار مهم که باید انجام شود، با علم به اینکه تبعاتی منفی در پی خواهد داشت». اهمالکاری در ظاهر خیلی پیش‌پاافتاده و خفیف به نظر میرسد اما قادر است زندگی را به یک ورطه‌ی فاجعه‌بار اضطراب‌آور تبدیل کند‌؛ گاهی هم به یک تصویر عقیم‌مانده، نشکفته، ناخواستنی و سرشار از حسرت.



اما اهمالکاری از کجا می‌آید و با آن چه باید کرد؟

بیش از بیست سال پژوهش دکتر سیروآ در زمینه‌ی اهمالکاری یک نتیجه‌ی قاطع داشته است: اهمالکاری ناشی از عدم توان ما در مدیریت درست «هیجانات منفی مرتبط با آن کار ناخوشایند» است. نوعی نزدیک‌بینی احساسی؛ که در آن حاضریم همین الان احساس بهتری را تجربه کنیم به جای اینکه درگیر فعالیت ناخوشایندی شویم که به ما احساسات مختلفی مثل بی‌کفایتی، بی‌حوصلگی، عدم قطعیت، دشواری، عقب‌ماندن از دیگران، اضطرار، ترس و... می‌دهد.
اما انتخاب اهمالکاری به عنوان راه دررو، افتادن درون گردابی‌ست که مدام بدتر می‌شود. چراکه هرچه‌قدر انجام کارها به تعویق بیفتد، احساسات منفی‌ای که سرچشمه‌ی اهمالکاری بودند شدیدتر شده و میل به عقب‌انداختن کارها بیشتر می‌شود تا جایی که یک کار متوسط، مثل گوله‌ی برفی، آنچنان بزرگ و ترسناک می‌شود که آژیر کرکننده‌ی اضطرارش بیخ گوش ما تمام زندگی‌مان را مختل می‌کند. حتی اگر هم از آن کار جان سالم به در ببریم، حسرت زمان‌های ازدست‌رفته می‌تواند باز ما را در وضعیتی به شدت منفی از لحاظ هیجانی رها کند تا منابع روانی خود را برای پروژه‌های بعدی خالی‌شده ببینیم.
اما به لطف پژوهش‌های علمی متعدد راهکارهای اثربخش و امیدوارکننده‌ای برای مدیریت این عادت همه‌گیر و فرساینده پیدا شده است.

۱) به هیجانات خود توجه کنید. هیجان‌های منفی مثل چراغ هشدار خودرو حاوی پیامی برای ما هستند. ببینید چرا از انجام کاری می‌ترسید؟ چرا شما را مضطرب می‌کند؟ چرا به هر دری می‌زنید تا ازش فرار کنید؟ تحمل این کار سخت و تجربه‌ی این احساس چه معنایی برای شما دارد؟ کمی پایین رفتن و کاوییدن احساساتی که در حالت عادی اصلاً دوستشان نداریم می‌تواند قدم فوق‌العاده‌ای برای خروج از یک بن‌بست دشوار هیجانی باشد.

۲) نگرش (mindset) اصل کار است. احساسات ناخوشایندِ مرحله‌ی قبل می‌توانند ناشی از نگاه و توقعات اشتباه ما در مورد دشواری‌های زندگی باشد. وقتی با یک مسئولیتِ دشوار کمال‌گرایانه برخورد کنیم، وقتی هر شکستی را نشانه‌ی بی‌کفایتی خودمان بدانیم یا هر اشتباهی را به هویت معیوب خودمان مربوط کنیم، نتیجه‌‌اش، زایش حالی ناخوش به دست خودمان است. پژوهش‌ها نشان‌داده سختگیرترین و بی‌رحم‌ترین فرد در برابر اشتباهات و کاستی‌های ما، خودمان هستیم؛ و اتخاذ یک رویکرد مشفقانه و بخشنده به خودمان خیلی بیشتر انگیزه‌بخش و کمک‌کننده است. باور به اینکه همه‌ی ما انسان‌ها در این زندگی رنج می‌بریم، به همین خاطر هم شایسته‌ی بخشیده‌شدنیم. تمرینِ این نوع از گفتگوی درونی (همانطور که از یک رفیق همدل حمایت می‌کنیم) در عمل باعث خواهد شد که پای پایداری ما در برابر چالش‌ها قوت پیدا کند، چرا که چالش جزئی از زندگی و اشتباه کردن در ذات ما انسان‌هاست.

۳) آینده آنطور که فکر می‌کنید نیست. احساسات منفی‌ای که الان نسبت به این کار دارید هیچ شباهتی به احساساتی که در آینده خواهید داشت ندارند، چه از حیث مدت و چه شدت. از سوی دیگر، خودِ آینده‌ی شما قهرمانی افسانه‌ای نخواهد بود که از پس تمام چالش‌هایی که الان از پس آن برنمی‌آیید، برآید؛ بلکه ممکن است زیر فشار و نگرانی بیشتر، زودتر از پا بیفتد.

۴) هرچه دورنمای چیزها کمتر انتزاعی/مبهم و بیشتر عینی/مشخص باشند شانس اهمالکاری پایین‌تر است. هدف‌های بزرگ و دور هم پر از ابهام و عدم قطعیت‌اند، هم دیر به ثمر می‌رسند و هم شانس نرسیدن دارند. اما قدم‌های کوچک شفاف‌اند، معلوم است که با آنها باید چه کرد و زود به زود می‌توانیم در آن‌ها موفق شویم. پس دورنمای خود را به راه بدوزید نه مقصد.

۵) محیط خود را تنظیم کنید، ما خیلی بیشتر از آنچه فکرش را بکنید زیر سیطره‌ی حواسپرتی‌های دوروبرمان هستیم.
موقعی که مشغول یک کار مهم و ناخوشایند هستید، نشانه‌هایی که راه درروی احساسی پیش‌رویتان می‌گذارند فقط قلقلکی برای اهمالکاری‌اند، برای مدت مشخصی از جلوی چشمتان دورشان کنید. در عوض محیط را از نشانه‌هایی پر کنید که به آن کار ناخوشایند معنایی مهم برای شما، برای ارزش‌های شخصی شما، می‌بخشد. چرایی هدفتان را از یاد نبرید.

۶) انجامش بدهید. انگیزه‌، اصولاً قبل از یک کار سخت و دوست‌نداشتنی پیدایش نمی‌شود یا اگر هم بشود خیلی نایاب است. طبیعی است نه؟ این را بپذیرید. بپذیرید که در اینجور مواقع اول شما شروع می‌کنید و بعد از کمی موفقیت، کمی انگیزه به دست می‌آید و این چرخه به همین شکل تقویت می‌شود. در نهایت ذهن شما به هیستوری کارهایی که کردید نگاه می‌کند تا ببیند انگیزه بگیرد یا نه.

[Paolo Bizzarri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro interessante. Superiore alla media dei libri simili per la natura dell'autrice e per l'approccio più scientifico e meno da venditore di olio di serpente.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was repetitive, common sense, and poorly written. The author seems passionate so I feel bad saying this but all of the "issues" are common sense- same as the solutions. Not saying that they aren't real or helpful but they are already established by anyone who has been alive for more than 5 years. Half of the book was saying "as I said in __ chapter" or "as I will say in __ chapter". Plus most of the concepts were the same but put with new examples or wording. In addition to this, there was poor grammar. At first I thought I was just reading too fast and missing words but after rereading slowly, it became clear that the book was not fully read over before being published as there were many words (specifically prepositions) missing. I do think that the author did a lot of research so that was a well-done aspect.

[Nergis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like the author found the cure for procrastination.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful book about procrastination. Did you know it’s not actually a time management problem? Some of the psychology about it was mind-blowing. She also provided very helpful tips and exercises to fix your procrastination that I will definitely be putting into practice.

[Matt Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a slog and ultimately not in any way satisfying. Dr Sirois clearly has her fascination for procrastination, but I think went a bit overboard in trying to make a whole book out of the concept that it’s not good for you or others, that it probably exists in your life because you are avoiding some deeper feelings, and that you can work to overcome it by breaking tasks down into smaller roles and not always finding the internet as a way to distract you during work. Maybe I’m not the target audience; I found myself actually procrastinating more in an effort to avoid picking it up and continuing on the dry and repetitive journey.

[Courtney Kleefeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Procrastination is not a time management issue. It's an emotional regulation issue.
That is the premise of this book, backed by 20 years of studying.

I SO wish I had known about this book as a teenager. It would have saved me a lot of stress and anguish and at least confirmed that my thinking that I needed to be kind to myself was right and would have actually helped me to quit procrastinating on homework.

According to the Youtuber Python Programmer in this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSusj... , this is the best book on Procrastination that he had read--so I got it from the library... and only read the beginning before I had to return it.

So I bought the book.

It was worth it.

So many books on productivity merely talk about the time management side of things--"Just do it!" which doesn't help a good amount of people. This book does not take that approach, and instead talks about, "What is causing your procrastination?" and "How does self-compassion actually help you quit procrastinating?"

Whether or not you have ADHD, or whether or not you're diagnosed, this book will help you with learning how to have compassion for yourself and work through emotional regulation. There's several different insights and exercises in each chapter that made me go "OH. That makes sense." And I have underlined a lot of things in my copy.

The author was able to pinpoint and put things into words so well, in ways I had never thought of before.

I am probably going to go back through the book and do some of the exercises.

Now, I like that this book doesn't talk specifically about ADHD, because a lot of people who have ADHD but are not diagnosed might not read a book that is specifically for people with ADHD. However, it might be more difficult to get my ADHD friends to read this book because it is not specifically about ADHD. I know you'll say, "Procrastination is executive dysfunction, it's not something usual tips can help." Yes, but the fact that this book is also not a typical self-help book on productivity should let you know that this book is very neurodivergent-friendly. It provides helpful tips for learning self-compassion rather than being hard on yourself (something especially ADHDers need!) and some creative exercises such as writing a letter to and from your future self in order to be more focused with where you want to be in life. Of course it won't solve ADHD, but I am sure you will probably find something helpful in this book anyway.

I will say at one point, the book says that no one procrastinates doing things they enjoy, and for me at least (probably many other neurodivergent people), that is just not true. I put off a lot of things that I enjoy doing--so do many people who work jobs. However, the book later says that in a world where we were only doing things we enjoyed, we would get so used to it that we would create our own problems and opportunities to procrastinate anyway--which I appreciated, and sort of helped cancel out the original statement that I had disagreed with. That was the only thing that pulled me out of the book.

Because of how there are lots of overlap between what the author calls a "chronic procrastinator" and someone with ADHD, I am very curious how different a book this would have been if the author had consulted with ADHD experts and added research on ADHD in her process of writing this book. However! Do not let this deter you from reading this book. Also, since ADHD was probably not part of her research area (and people have only been talking more about ADHD in recent years, not 20 years ago), I understand it could have been difficult to figure out how to talk about ADHD and procrastination in general, since there is still so much we don't know about ADHD and how to decypher between ADHD, trauma, etc. etc.

This book is written with an academic style with studies, graphs, quizzes, and exercises in it. It's not difficult to read though, and I appreciate that the author has a traditional style of "Now that we've talked about X, now we'll talk about Y" which helped me remember what I had just been reading even as I progressed through the book.

One last exciting thing I noticed about this book: If you substitute the word "procrastination" for "addiction", you might find it carries over at least in many ways. That is why I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with mental health in general and/or addiction, because the similarities are fascinating! The whole cycle of "avoiding negative emotion by procrastinating/doing something addictive, feeling bad, doing it again, repeat" is the same. I wish there was a similar book like this out there but about overcoming addiction, since there's a huge need for that kind of book out there--there probably is a book out there, but I just really like the way this book was worded.

Other reviewers besides the Python Programmer have also said this is probably the best book on procrastination, and I would agree.

Now I just need to figure out how to solve my problem of indecision--though this book also helped me begin to see that aspect from a different, helpful angle as well.

So yeah. Please read this book if you struggle with procrastination. It is definitely worth the buy if you can't get it from your library or if like me you sometimes take a long time to read books.

[Raffaello Palandri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book of the Day – Procrastination
Today’s Book of the Day is PROCRASTINATION: WHAT IT IS, WHY IT’S A PROBLEM, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, written by Fuschia Sirois in 2022 and published by APA LifeTools.

Fuschia Sirois is a psychologist and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University, in England. She is the Head of the Self-Regulation in Health and Well-Being Laboratory. In her more than 20 years of experience, she has researched procrastination and its relationship with positive psychology, health, and well-being. while exploring its connection with loneliness, perfectionism, and mood variations, but also with gratitude, and compassion.

I chose this book as I often have to deal with procrastination when I work with individuals and teams,

Sirois’ one is an in-depth and highly informative book on procrastination.

The author begins by defining what procrastination is and why it represents a problem for those who experience it. Then, she explains how it differs from time management issues, which are related to organizational issues, rather than to a personal approach to the matter. From there, Sirois delves into the root causes of procrastination, demonstrating how there are emotional and motivational factors, as well as external ones like environmental distractions that make the issue worse.

As an experienced psychologist, Sirois brings her experience on procrastination and smartly reveals how our mind deals with and solves problems.

Backed up by more than 20 years of research in the field, the author is able to convincingly demonstrate why people procrastinate. The book is also rich in practical, evidence-based, and effective strategies to help the readers stop delaying, and completing the assigned, or chosen tasks, so as to reach their goals while developing their full potential.

According to Sirois, at the very heart of procrastination, there are emotions and the ability to regulate one’s mood. The book is a valuable tool to teach readers how to get rid of negative emotions, behaviors, and habits by replacing them with new ones that are more effective in dealing with tasks and reaching one’s goals.

A key point, I personally appreciated, is the idea that if we stop being harsh with ourselves and embrace self-compassion, we will boost our intrinsic motivation.

Sirois discusses the role of self-regulation and self-control in overcoming procrastination and provides valuable insights and also useful worksheets to recognize the triggers of procrastination and boost the emotions and motivations that can positively influence our behavior. She covers techniques like time management, goal-setting, and using rewards to motivate oneself, and she also offers tips for creating a more conducive environment for productivity.

Overall, “Procrastination: What It Is, Why It’s a Problem, and What You Can Do About It” is a comprehensive and smart book on the topic of procrastination. Sirois’ approach is at the same time scientific and practical, so I would recommend this book to anyone looking to better understand and overcome procrastination.

[M Samuell · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a chronic procrastinator I desperately wanted to learn about and treat the causes of my own self-sabotage. Dr. Fuschia Sioris does an excellent job of defining and delivering the science behind procrastination.

However, I found redundancy, guilt, and questionable studies as a running theme. Don't get me wrong, the introduction takes great pains to advise the reader that none of the book's content is intended to do anything other than educate- that you should leave your emotions about procrastination at the door. But to my dismay I was only able to compartmentalize the battery of messages about disillusionment for short periods before needing to set the book down and walk away feeling less than empowered.

Despite its relatively short length, Procrastination felt like a summary of other research woven together by speculative conjecture. A Sparknotes for small study samples sometimes in excess of a decade. Again, the introduction informs the reader that few large studies have been conducted and so the basis of Dr. Sirois' novel is built largely around college surveys and experiments.

I might have preferred more interwoven anecdotes or calls for further study. But alas, beyond helping me to define my own Procrastination, my heart was no longer in it by time I reached the actionable next steps for accountability. Many of which were extremely intuitive.

I hope this book finds those who need it, but unfortunately it was not the self-help I hoped it would be.

[Thank you to Edelweiss and APA LifeTools for a free copy of this read in exchange for an honest review.]

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The problem with 'self help' books is almost universally two things: 1) shoddy, common-sense bullshit; 2) reductive, uninteresting writing (or alternatively, the extended sales pitch for nothing - either way, bad writing). Procrastination succeeds because it is grounded in the research on procrastination and is written by someone who is usually writing journal articles, not think pieces for trashy magazines. Thus, we avoid the common sense crap, the extended sales pitch and, instead, are given research-oriented descriptions that are, then, usefully turned into exercises that one can do. This book will help you understand the roots of procrastination and give you tools to deal with those.

Highly recommended. Strongly considering using some of these exercises with students.

EDIT: I'm actually curious about two things from the other reviewers. 1) Did you try actually doing the exercises? And 2) are you not familiar with the state of psychological research in terms of study size and samples? Criticisms of psychology professors using data collected from student surveys is relevant, but it doesn't necessarily undermine the validity of the studies. Just a bizarre point to hit this on, since compared to the field of self help books on procrastination, this is pretty much the only one I've seen that even tries to engage with the way that it the issue would be dealt with clinically and how it's studied.

[Adelina Violeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive book that explores procrastination from a psychological and health perspective. It is essential for anyone looking to understand procrastination - what it is, its triggers, and how to begin addressing it, either for yourself or to help someone else.

It goes beyond a typical self-help book while being more approachable and less complex than an academic one. The author presents psychological concepts, provides numerous empirical examples and statistics, and explains them in an accessible, relatable way. It teaches you about temporal discounting, self-regulation failure, and many more.

Even if you do not think you are a procrastinator, this book can help you recognize subtle ways you may be self-sabotaging and guide you in setting healthy boundaries, especially when dealing with perfectionism.

You may be highly productive at work but find yourself procrastinating when it comes to personal matters like improving your health or reaching out to loved ones. The book delves into how uncomfortable emotions and buried issues can contribute to this kind of avoidance, offering strategies to overcome it.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I procrastinate, don’t think it’s good for me and want to stop. I assume that makes me the target audience and yet the whole first section of the book is dedicated to telling you what procrastination is and why it’s a bad thing.

Having got through the first section, the rest of the book does contain some interesting research and useful insights which I haven’t read in other titles on the subject.

Reading it has left me wondering if the shorter audible original by the same author would have been enough. I’d start with a different book on the topic and skip to the good bits when you get to this one.

[Bella Tadson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall great book, with plenty of useful insights and studies to back up the author's points. I removed a star, just because the first part of the book was a little too overexplained. The first chapter gives a thorough enough introduction into the subject, and the rest of the first part could have been said in much fewer words. The part where the author dives into actionable tips is great though, and gives you a bunch of fillable forms/resources to help you apply the theory into practice. Overall, I definitely recommend, but if you want to spare yourself some time, you can skip the part after the intro chapter and dive straight into the solutions/actionable tips part.

[John Crippen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book by accident, and it's turned out to be the most helpful book on procrastination that I've read. Or it appears to be. Ask me about this in six months and we'll see. For me, the most fascinating part of her explanation of why we procrastinate has to do with how we think of our Future Self. There's a lot to think about in this book, even if you don't particularly have a problem with procrastination. Sirois explains things very well and seems so well-intentioned. She's the type of author I'd love to visit with and I hope she'll write another book for lay readers one day.

[E Saffir · Rating 1 out of 5]

2:10:39 into the audio version. At one hour I was thinking "Cut the procrastination and get to your point already!!!" All kinds of moral judgment (do I hear a fan of the debatable "Protestant work ethic") and lecture(s) about how it's bad for me but only one recommendation (so far) that is just a "duh ~ already knew *that*" ... start doing something to gain momentum. Classist (if I could AFFORD a therapist, I'd see one). Found a list of the chapter headings hoping to skip endless, tedious, repetitive "blah blah blah" but not helpful. Summary: an excellent way to procrastinate, lots of words, little actually useful help, waste of time.

[Tele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was so great. I found It's emphasis on self-compassion and self-forgiveness to be motivating. I also appreciate the amount of science backed evidence throughout the book, I was convinced the strategies would work and the mindsets suggested were actually convincing much more than any other self-help book I've read. And it goes beyond strategies and tips and really helped me think deeply about the origins of my procrastination and how to navigate them in a healthy way. I'm so glad I read this book.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, and full of interesting facts around procrastination, which the author describes as a mood regulation issue rather than laziness or lack of motivation. It was just published and somehow feels dated at times, like when the author assumes that one might postpone doing something unpleasant by doing something else like cleaning or filing mp3s in alphabetical order... Mp3s?! Really? It was also a bit repetitive at times, but overall not unpleasant.

[Mauricio Fernandez Bravo · Rating 4 out of 5]

En resumen, el libro es excelente. Sin embargo, tengo tres apuntes, a momentos me daba hastio por que la autora explicaba de forma muy lenta algunos conceptos; por otro lado, los capitulos del medio parecen importantes pero desordenados. Sin embargo, hay capítulos increibles que me dejaban con la boca abierta porque apuntaban y daban "solución" a muchos de mis problemas de procrastinación. Acabo de terminar el libro, hay mucho por aplicar.

[Lghamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for a while, ba dum dum. Unfortunately, it is read by a robot, which makes me not want to turn it on, which perpetuates a cycle of delay and procrastination, which makes me question if I am worthy, which...oh, maybe it's a meta test!

[Joana Margarida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting and scientifically-based information, which is always a plus - at least for clinical purposes. The academic nature of the writing may deter procrastinators, which is a shame because I found some valuable content here that I haven't found elsewhere.

[sarkasmuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Problems with procrastination? Easy, you only need to read this book, because it's actually science based, researched and tested. There are many good informations and practical exercises to get to the bottom of procrastination and HOW to overcome it!

[KLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Per Johannessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tools and more psychological depth on the topic than other books

[Vijayakumar Belur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new approach to analyse the problem. Psychological insights, makes the book interesting

[Flowiw Ghar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It gave me a new perspective on procrastination, but unfortunately, it did not cure my procrastination.

[Jan Wężyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been an email, or a two page article, but the concept was extended into 270 poorly written pages. Tedious and not very useful.

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me an ironically long time to knock this one out.

[Klaire Hoang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good thesis!