Procrastination Books

A couple of articles I found beneficial.  Now, this is not meant to trigger you guys into procrastinating by reading these websites, so DO NOT click on these links unless you are on a designated break.  ::evil::

http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/how-to-actually-execute-your-to-do-list-or-why-writing-it-down-doesnt-actually-get-it-done/

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/07/how-to-create-a-personal-productivity-scaffold/

J. 

I read this book a while ago. The author is Martin Seligman. The book describes psychology experiments involving learned helplessness. I don't know if this book can help explain procrastination but surely it's a completely different perspective. The same author also written Learned Optimism, but due to procrastination I didn't read that follow-up book.
Learned helpless is defined as a psychological condition in which a human or animal has learned to believe that it is helpless. It thinks that it has no control over its situation and that whatever it does is futile. As a result it will stay passive when the situation is unpleasant or harmful and damaging.

This isn't a book, but is a journal article. It was mentioned on the blog Cognitive Daily today. The researchers studied three different kinds of deadlines, and which worked the best for beating procrastination.

"... the most interesting result of the study is that self-imposed deadlines don't appear to help procrastinators [as much as external deadlines]: they need rigid, externally-imposed deadlines in order to get the job done. And as Sebastian Bauhoff points out in his summary, even then they don't like it."

Here is a link to the blog entry:
http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2006/10/do_deadlines_help_procrastinat.php

Can anyone tell me what they thought of First Things First? Also, any other of Covey's books?

I didn't used to be a procrastinator, until I had two back to back life altering events, that sadly took place in the workplace I loved. I am trying to get my vision back.

Thanks!

OK, I know it's not a 'procrastination book' but contrary to my expectations it has already helped me with several major anticrastination projects at work and I'm only on Chapter 2!

I've just ordered this one as well as the Rita Emmett - it looks good.

Here's the address (sorry - forgotten how to do links). I had a look inside and it rings all my procrastination bells - putting off completion (I do the classic 98% and stop thing), time bingeing (by a different name), finding other things that 'need' doing etc etc. I like the format as well - clearly laid out and simply stated, without being simplistic.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1903269032/ref=ord_cart_shr/202...

I'm about halfway through this book, and so far I like it. It focuses on practical solutions, which is what I need. I've already analyzed the problem to death - I need ways to get myself to take ACTION. Simply understanding why I do what I do isn't enough. I think that's why "Procrastion" by Burka and Yuen didn't help me although I enjoyed it. It was mainly an analysis.

This is a classic in the procrastination field. It's based on Cognitive Psychology - a school of psychology which Albert Ellis founded. I never read it, but I have an idea of the approach because I used to go up to the Albert Ellis Institute on Fridays for the public demonstration.

I have a cassette tape of a mini-session I had with Albert Ellis himself (96 years old at the time) talking about my procrastination problem.

I cherish the tape, but the session didn't change my procrastination. Maybe I wasn't trying.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt the authors really understood what this problem was about, and some of their descriptions were hilarious.

I can't say, however, that it did anything to change my procrastination - it didn't. I just enjoyed it. But maybe the problem was me - maybe I wasn't ready to change when I read it. Maybe I'll take another look at it.