The Procrastination Workbook: Your Personalized Program for Breaking Free from the Patterns That Hold You Back

by William J. Knaus

Procrastination is a near-universal trait, at its most troublesome when it holds someone back from doing well in school, adds a frustrating dimension to personal relationships, or closes off the road to professional fulfillment with an endless series of detours and roadblocks. Based on over thirty years of clinical experience and research, this workbook distills the essence of the best insights and the most effective techniques to help you identify the root causes of your procrastination problem and find workable solutions for overcoming it. Best-selling author William Knaus begins by providing self-assessment exercises that help you discover why you procrastinate and identify your procrastination style. The book explains how to change the underlying mechanisms that reinforce your procrastination and helps you tailor an individualized plan for counteracting it at work, at home, at school, in your relationships, or anywhere else it occurs. Throughout, engaging exercises and an array of tips and techniques keep you motivated to get to the root of your problem and overcome it.

Genres: Self Help, Psychology, Nonfiction, Counselling

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

William J. Knaus, EdD, is a licensed psychologist with more than forty-six years of clinical experience working with people suffering from anxiety, depression, and procrastination. He has appeared on numerous regional and national television shows, including The Today Show, and more than 100 radio shows. His ideas have appeared in national magazines such as U.S. News & World Report and Good Housekeeping, and major newspapers such as The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He is one of the original directors of postdoctoral psychotherapy training in rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Knaus is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety, The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression, and The Procrastination Workbook.

Reviews

[Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am perhaps not the ideal audience for this book (loaned to me by a friend), as I do not enjoy being overly scientific about my own thinking. This writer's approach is very analytical and advocates using complicated acronyms to help disrupt the procrastination process. The various exercises and worksheets are overkill for me, but might work for someone who craves a higher level of structure and insight. Something I did learn from reading this: to try and substitute feeling threatened with feeling challenged. (As in, "This deadline is not threatening, it's challenging.") Then push forward and rise to the challenge. Simple, basic, logical advice that I will try to implement the next time I find myself putting off a daunting or unpleasant task (such as inflating my car tires for the first time ever!).

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for a review.

It's a great workbook that holds great practices to combat procrastination. It helped me progress through an essay I was struggling with. Unfortunately, I feel a few of these chapters are similar and they feel a little tedious. I do, however, enjoy the Priorities list and the follow up after suggesting different ways to combat procrastination (though a few chapters seem to follow around the same rule).

[Youssef Salama · Rating 1 out of 5]

قرأت النسخة المعربة منه -الصادرة عن عالم الأدب - حقيقةً كتاب يمكن أن تكون أوراقه أقل من مئة صفحةٍ ، لكن لا أفهم ما هذا الاسهاب والاطالة دون نفعٍ حقيقىّ ،،قرأت الجزء الأول منه والمكون من ثمانية فصول وحقيقة لم أقدر على الاستكمال وأحسست أنى أضيع وقتى هباءً
..........
ربما المرة التى سأفتح فيها هذا الكتاب ثانية هى كى انتقى اخر ما فى فصل بعينه ،تجربة سيئة الحقيقة .

[Nurjanni Astiyanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really easy direction to understanding 'body' of procrastination briefly. Procrastiation as well as the ways to overcoming it constructed clearly within. Merely, it is the self-help book. You will need to read another book if you wish to comprehend procrastination for your research

[Jeehye · Rating 2 out of 5]

번역체가 문제였나? 내용 접수 불가 혹은 나의 이해력 부족, not worth of my time & energy

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This workbook is dated and, frankly, of little value. I was willing to give it 2 stars out of pity--until I read the following sentence:

“I’d be willing to bet that you remember more about a myth you once heard than a three-hour Chemistry lecture you heard on the same day. So in the remainder of this chapter we'll look at mythical paths of humankind as seen through the eyes of an eagle and a time wanderer.”

I’m going to need William Knaus to come back down to earth with his shenanigans. Like, what even is this? 🙄 Ain't no body got time for a fantasy book rn. If he wanted to include a brief whimsical allegory about procrastination, then that would be fine. But to spend the ‘remainder of the [15 page] chapter’ roleplaying AN EAGLE? Please bffr.




1.5 rounded down.

[Srividya Lakshmi Chandran · Rating 2 out of 5]

-read this for a workshop i'm conducting
-it's alright if you're using this as a guide for self, but generally is a little bit of a drag unless you're absolutely committed to the cause

[Fatima oday · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just do it

That’s it
No need for 175 pages I guess !