Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.

Procrastination Books

This board is for book reviews. Put the book name in the Subject, then say what you think of it in the body of the message. Others can add comments if they've read the book, too.

"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield

At the DA meeting tonight, a friend of mine handed me this book. I spent most of the meeting reading it, and it is great. I'm going to order it on amazon.com.

It focuses on work procrastination - especially procrastination on creative work like writing or entrepreneurial work. This is my biggest problem area, so this book really spoke to me. It's a very spiritual book, and like nothing I've read before. When I've ordered it and read the whole thing, maybe I'll have more to say about it.

Too Perfect: When Being in Control Gets Out of Control

Author: Allan E. Mallinger, M.D. and Jeannette DeWyze

I'm finding this book cuts so close that I'm wincing my way through it. It's difficult for me to read - not because it drags or it's poorly written (it's not), but because I'm recognizing myself in ways that are not completely comfortable.

I bought this book because of the chapter on Demand Resistance, which I believe is the main reason I procrastinate. Demand resistance is a component of the obsessive personality style, as is perfectionism. Both cause procrastination.

"The Flinch" by Julien Smith

It's free. (You can download both the book and - if you don't have a Kindle - a program to read it on your computer at Amazon.)

It's very short. (There's a lot of advertising material for other books attached at the end, though.)

It's about flinching from frightening task - but that was already obvious to you, wasn't it?

... and for all those reasons, I won't write anything more about it, because it'll probably be faster if you just skim it.

Wich book?

I just get THE PROCRASTINATOR'S DIGEST and I think the idea is interesting : the audience of the book (here procrastinators) should dictate the way the book is written (short chapters, ...).

Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement

I got a lot out of this book:

"Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement"
by Kenneth W. Christian, Ph.D
You can find the book at bookstore or library with the ISBN code:
ISBN-10: 006098872X
ISBN-13: 978-0060988722

Don't let the name of the book scare you!
It's actually very encouraging and inspiring.

The book describes a lot of what procrastinators deal with.

The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination - Leo Babauta

I read this little e-book after downloading it online. I found it very encouraging. I have been reading widely about procrastination, so most of it is familiar stuff, but I still think it's motivating stuff. This is primarily because the author himself was a procrastinator and has been able to make remarkable changes in his own life. He also runs the popular blog called Zenhabits.

 Hope it is useful to anyone who might be looking for a pick-me up. Anyone else read it?

The Procrastinator's Digest

The Procrastinator's Digest: A concise guide to solving the procrastination puzzle

by Timothy Pychyl

 

This is a very short, very inexpensive E-book (less than $3 on Amazon) written by the creator of the IProcrastinate Podcasts and the "Don't Delay" blog on Psychology Today.  CONCISE!   Dr. Pychyl summarizes the academic literature in a self-help, practical, non-academic writting style.  You can read this book in under an hour.  Worth every penny (and minute). 

"The Procrastination Equation" by Piers Steel (best book on procrastination!)

This is a really important book, and if you haven't read it, you need to read it. I'm not going to summarize the whole thing, but here are the important points you need to know:

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

It's been a while since I've signed on to PA. That was a mistake. As a means of returning to the fold I'll discuss what I think is an obvious facet of some peoples' procrastination: fixed mindset. It must have been mentioned somewhere on the site, but as I didn't find it in the articles or to a large extent in the forums I decided to cover it in more depth. 

http://michaelgr.com/2007/04/15/fixed-mindset-vs-growth-mindset-which-one-are-you/ 

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

This book is not explicitly about procrastination, and it’s not structured for easy self-help. However, I found it worth reading and reviewing here because of its very hopeful message about the possibility of changing long-standing character traits.

Looking for a review of "Fearless Productivity" by Paul Brodie

It can be downloaded from a website of the same name, and according to the website of course is super-useful, but I could not find any independent reviews for it. Still 37$ is a lot for a student, especially if its not so great.



So I was looking for someone here with chronic procrastination who read it and tried the methods. Did they work, and if yes, was it hard to stick to them or could you integrate them easily into your schedule?

10 Minute Toughness

This is a very simple system. I really find it works for me. I am an anxious type and despite victories I still lack confidence. This is sports psychology that can be useful in everyday life.

Just my opinion: I posted this here in case it may help someone else. 

   PS: I find peace by carrying an index card that reminds me that God looks after the faithful.

 

 

 

 

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

OK, so this is not exactly a procrastination book lol.  It is a children's fable, recommended for 9-12 year olds, so perfect for my level of maturity.   If you've never read it, or even if you read it as a child, I highly recommend it.   It's quite entertaining and thought provoking.   10-year Milo goes on a quest to save the Princesses Rhyme and Reason.   On the way he is distracted by all kinds of monsters, of which these are my favorites:

The Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit.

Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done

by Joseph Ferrari

 

The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done

by Piers Steel.

Excellent, excellent, excellent!.  Very clever and witty author.  Entertaining to read and based on scientific, empirical data.  More importantly, half of the book is devoted to self-help.  I read the book cover-to-cover today (as a way of procrastinating, of course).  I'm really excited to try out the techniques.  Let's hope I don't put it off.

Procrastinators Anonymous is even cited in the book!  Get the book and see if Dr. Steel quotes your PA post (there are at least 2).

 

Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

Not exactly a procrastination book, but it's an interesting read.   I'm still reading it but I wanted to share a story with you.

Instant Motivation - short video

I've used this technique a lot lately and it has really helped!  It's a simple visualization thing, but the way this guy presents it is great.   I hesitate to share a youtube video because it's a trigger for some people, but I think this one is worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpS_cJP5nzs

 

Procrastination Decoded

Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic - anyone tried?

http://dissolveprocrastination.com Has anyone tried this? It looks amazing but I'm broke and scared to spend the money even though there's a money-back guarantee if it doesn't work.

THE PRESENCE PORTAL website is created as a resource center THIS IS ALL ABOUT PARTICIPATION - NOT PERFECTION

This web site has all kinds of free resources with Michael Brown and others,

         http://www.thepresenceportal.com/

I enjoy audios and there are many as well as :

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