I'm not usually one to read a bunch of self help sort of books, though I occasionally will run through one on a recommendation, such as the odd finance book about getting debt under control. But, despite other problems that I have in life the single biggest, hands down, is procrastination.

People who don't procrastinate will look at a procrastinator and see only that that person is either not working hard enough or putting off work. They don't procrastinate and as such don't understand the motivations and reasons behind why someone would. So they demand "get to work" and "just do it" and "work harder" which more often than not will just cause more procrastination.

This book is the first I've ever come across that actually understands procrastination. Reading through its pages I found myself nodding my head a lot because it described my internal struggle with work almost perfectly. And more importantly, the methods and exercises it provides for battling procrastination seem perfectly valid and easily doable. I've already started changing my habits by simply recognizing when I'm headed toward procrastination and being able to head it off before it happens.

And most importantly, this book isn't just about working harder. It's about working better and integrating play into your schedule because it recognizes the single most important element to procrastination - the reason we get bummed out and piddle around is the prospect that work is going to take away time from play. So by putting play on your schedule first and building work around play, you flip the whole thing on its head.

The only hesitation I had in giving this 5 stars is that the last couple of chapters delve into the sort of hippy zen breathing chanting mantra type stuff that I tend to loath in self help books. But up until that point it was an excellent book, and really you can ignore that part and still get a lot out of it. ( )

This is a heavy book, as in there is a lot of take in and comprehend, but it's well written. I started reading this book few years ago but put it down. Came back to it as an audiobook this year. I think it's better suited for audio listening, but only if you can focus on this alone. This is not a multitasking audio book. Great words of wisdom and advice. I've gained a lot from looking at my "un-schedule" even if I may not follow it every day. Also working on changing my mindset about things so that I am not dreading each task in life and procrastinating on everything. ( )

I almost didn't make it part the first half. There was a lot of repetition and it didn't seem to provide anything new to me. However, the last half of this book provided some helpful tools. I wish the section on managing people who procrastinate was longer and more in depth. As a parent, I think it was probably one of the most helpful sections. ( )

It started out with some promise but then devovled into yet another positive talk self-help book with no substance and little help. The Unschedule will not become part of my life. At least it was a quick read, though that was perhaps due to the major skimming towards the end.

This is a book I wish I'd read at eighteen; it probably could have saved me more than a few years of painfully figuring out the right habits to deal with anxiety-driven procrastination. Having taken the long road to the same conclusions, however, I didn't find myself picking up many new ideas here.

I did take away a good reminder about the importance of making time for real play and relaxation without guilt (something I'm super bad at), though I didn't find the ideas of scheduling play very appealing.

As with most psych/self-help books, it could probably be a third of its length and not lose much.

I listened to the audio-book during my commute. I found it to be quite calming and kind. The basic takeaways are to make time for fun things and non-work, then fit in work around it. Stop telling yourself you "have to" or "need to", and instead say, "I choose to..." and give yourself more choices. Be a persistent starter (continue by starting on the next small step). Do the "work of worrying": When you start to worry ask yourself a series of questions to understand what is really the worst thing that could happen and what could you do and what alternatives would you have and what small thing could you do now.

You can find a lot of the tips online, but it was nice to hear about the different clients' stories. There is a good amount of detail to help you understand how it might be applied, and they also have a lot of diversity. ( )

I imagine this was pretty decent in the moment, judging by the stars I gave it, but here I am two months later trying to remember a single thing about it. Apparently it was just that forgettable. ( )

The book makes a number of good points, especially about how our actions are a result of our opinions and beliefs. Procrastination, given certain set of beliefs, becomes the "rational" choice. ( )

How do you overcome procrastination? It may seem counterintuitive to start with play, but that is what Neil Fiore recommends. If you approach a task feeling like you "have to" do it, you'll be naturally resistant. But if you put guilt-free play onto your "un-schedule" first, and then freely make the choice to start a task in the remaining time, procrastination may become a thing of the past. I read a lot of time management books (usually while procrastinating), and this one reiterates much common advice. Break tasks into small pieces. Just get started. But Fiore is unusual in his focus on the importance of play. He advocates being realistic about how much time you actually have for project-based work, setting realistic goals, and making sure you make time for enjoyable activities too. It was somewhat serendipitous that I finished this one right before finals week! ( )

Some seminarians I visited were all reading this book and since procrastination has always been one of my problems I read it too. The main point seems, in retrospect, to allow oneself to have some fun as a reward for getting the scutwork done. ( )

I finished reading this book five minutes before writing this review. I borrowed it from my local library and the anti-procrastination techniques the book talks about were good enough to get me to finish the book several days before the due date. I've seen some of the book's recommended strategies mentioned elsewhere, but the book does a great job of bringing it all together. The one area that I thought could have used more material was in dealing with procrastination in others. Procrastination by work colleagues was only superficially mentioned and procrastination by kids was never mentioned!

The big test for this book will be how well the recommendations work in the long term. Time will tell! ( )

I have read a lot of books on procrastination and this one translates many of the suggestions from the others into some practical steps. If you realize that so much of the problem comes from fears you have that may not be valid then you will want to start with Chapter 3, How to talk to yourself. You may have read in other books about what is holding you back like the shoulds, have-tos, negative attitudes, overwhelm, fear of failure, fear of finishing, ad nauseum. In this book you will learn valuable techniques to negotiate your way around those using techniques like the 'unschedule', reverse calendar, and doing your work in smaller blocks of time.

My copy is heavily highlighted. It doesn't have an index so I had to make special notations on the front pages about the sections I felt were most useful. No, it hasn't solved all of my issues but after reading this I understand much better at a practical level what I CAN do.

And for those of you--wherever you are --who are completely frustrated by a procrastinator--read Chapter 9, "The Procrastinator in your life" and find out how you can be a help rather than making it worse!!!

Yes I highly recommend this very readable book. ( )

Includes a sound understanding of the psychology of procrastination, but rather dry and uninspired reading--which I suppose makes finishing it a good exercise in overcoming procrastination. ( )

Continuing with my research on writer's block/procrastination, next up in the pile is Neil Fiore's The Now Habit. This book wasn't on my original list when I scoured the internet for research, but it should've been, because the person who introduced me to the book at a later date was the very person I'd gone to for suggestions not more than a week earlier! He used this book as a basis for an online chat on writer's habits, and it caught my attention enough to snag the title and read it all the way through.

I don't know if I've reached a point where everything I'm reading is kind of simmering into ONE GREAT TRUTH about procrastination and the things that cause it and how to fight it, or if Fiore just made much better sense than the others I've read. He lacks the philosophical crap of Pressfield (unlike Pressfield's book, Fiore's The Now Habit deserves to be labeled and shelved in self-help), and he also doesn't bother with eyebrow-raising notions of bi-vocal thinking introduced in Peterson's Write.

The biggest difference is that unlike the other two titles, both aimed at getting over procrastination and writer's block, Fiore's book has nothing to do with the craft of writing. Writing a novel might be a project he refers to from time to time, but Fiore is focused on the problem of procrastination itself. Like Peterson, he doesn't believe in beating people over the head with the notion that if you're a procrastinator, you must be lazy and therefore unworthy of your undertaking, and like Peterson, he believes that it's necessary and healthy for people to engage in play, because in doing so, your work becomes something else, something worthwhile, if only you can adjust your attitude about it.

There's nothing new-agey (except for maybe the relaxation exercise detailed in the back of the book) or preachy about Fiore's strategy or exposition. He tackles the problem of procrastination for what it really is rather than what everyone else assumes it to be (like Pressfield). His strategy focuses on how guilt-free play can lead to quality work, as well as how to use an "unschedule" to meet your deadlines and make big projects far more manageable, the latter being something that Kelly Stone touched on in Time to Write.

It's actually refreshing to read a book that has nothing to do with the writing process and all about procrastination and its roots. This book has clicked with me in ways the others haven't, and I suspect it's because it looks at procrastination as the big picture, rather than one narrow aspect of it (in my case, writing a novel). I would've killed to know about this book back when I started my degree in 2006, even more so to have known about this book in my second year in 2007, when procrastination had truly started to become disabling. Even without trying the "unschedule," I can already see how this book's principles and strategies can create a healthier, more productive mindset for someone like me, and I'm glad I've got this book in my arsenal.

My Rating

Must Have: Obviously. This book is for more than just writers, it's for anyone who puts off doing ANYTHING for any reason and feels guilty/worthless/lazy for doing so. It's for the workaholic as well. It's a book I'll recommend to anyone without feeling bad or needing to clarify my recommendation, so if you or someone you know suffers from procrastination of ANY kind for ANY kind of project, even if it's just paying the bills on time or not being late, this is the book to go to. ( )

It looks like "Getting Things Done" owes alot to "The Now Habit".

I like the idea of "The Unschedule".

At the very least, I can see how I spend my time. ( )

One of the smartest books on procrastination I've ever read (and I've read a fair number). A quick-and-dirty summary (with other relevant links) is here: http://snipurl.com/r3h5 ( )

This is one of the better audios on procrastination that many people have read. Heard most of this before but liked how it was presented. He treats procrastination as a behavior not a character flaw and there is a great chapter on self talk.
Excellent link to a mind map of the audio.
www.litemind.com/the-now-habit
One of many online summaries of the audio.
www.lifeoptimizer.org/2008/06/16/review-the-now-habit ( )

I procrastinate too much. I haven't got around to reading this yet. Hmmm.