The art of procrastination : a guide to effective dawdling, lollygagging, and postponing, including an ingenious program for getting things done by putting them off

This is not a book for Bill Gates. Or Hillary Clinton, or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort to discover that were not wastrels and slackers, but doers . . . in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it structured procrastination:__In 1995, while not working on some project I should have been working on, I began to feel rotten about myself. But then I noticed something. On the whole, I had a reputation as a person who got a lot done and made a reasonable contribution. . . . A paradox. Rather than getting to work on my important projects, I began to think about this conundrum. I realized thatI was what I call a structured procrastinator: a person who gets a lot done by not doing other things.__ Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, __The Art of Procrastination__ is a wise, charming, compulsively readable bookreally, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list (1. Learn Chinese . . .) and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastinationon the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off a letter or paper at the last possible minute; on the other, its a dangerous time suck (Perry counters this by never surfing until hes already hungry for lunch). Or what may be procrastinations greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule. For example, Perry wrote this book by avoiding the work he was supposed to be doinggrading papers and evaluating dissertation ideas. How lucky for us. ReviewThis is a fun audiobookguaranteed to make fellow procrastinators chuckle and laugh throughout its relatively short run time. By the way, it took John Perry 16 years to turn his essay into a book and it may well have been worth the wait.__DWDs Reviews__ (__DWD's Reviews__ ) With a charming brand of vocal confidence and one of the clearest baritone voices in audio, Brian Holsopple does a wonderful job of delivering . . . [Perrys] invitation for procrastinators to stop beating themselves up.__AudioFile__ (__AudioFile__ ) About the AuthorJohn Perry is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Stanford University and currently teaches at UC Riverside.He is the co-host of the nationally syndicated public radio program __Philosophy Talk__, and winner, in 2011, of an Ig Nobel Prize in Literature for the essay Structured Procrastination. He lives with his wife in Palo Alto, California. This is not a book for Bill Gates. Or Hillary Clinton, or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort to discover that we{u2019}re not wastrels and slackers, but doers . . . in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it ?structured procrastination?:In 1995, while not working on some project I should have been working on, I began to feel rotten about myself. But then I noticed something. On the whole, I had a reputation as a person who got a lot done and made a reasonable contribution. . . . A paradox. Rather than getting to work on my important projects, I began to think about this conundrum. I realized thatI was what I call a structured procrastinator: a person who gets a lot done by not doing other things.Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a wise, charming, compulsively readable book{u2014}really, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list (?1. Learn Chinese . . .?) and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastination{u2014}on the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off a letter or paper at the last possible minute; on the other, it{u2019}s a dangerous time suck (Perry counters this by never surfing until he{u2019}s already hungry for lunch). Or what may be procrastination{u2019}s greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule. For example, Perry wrote this book by avoiding the work he was supposed to be doing{u2014}grading papers and evaluating dissertation ideas. How lucky for us

This is not a book for Bill Gates. Or Hillary Clinton, or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort to discover that we’re not wastrels and slackers, but doers . . . in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it “structured procrastination”:

In 1995, while not working on some project I should have been working on, I began to feel rotten about myself. But then I noticed something. On the whole, I had a reputation as a person who got a lot done and made a reasonable contribution. . . . A paradox. Rather than getting to work on my important projects, I began to think about this conundrum. I realized that I was what I call a structured procrastinator: a person who gets a lot done by not doing other things.

Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a wise, charming, compulsively readable book—really, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list (“1. Learn Chinese . . .”) and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastination—on the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off a letter or paper at the last possible minute; on the other, it’s a dangerous time suck (Perry counters this by never surfing until he’s already hungry for lunch). Or what may be procrastination’s greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule. For example, Perry wrote this book by avoiding the work he was supposed to be doing—grading papers and evaluating dissertation ideas. How lucky for us.

Discover the power of putting things off: "Insightful, sensible, and amusing" (Harry G.Frankfurt, #1 New York Times –bestselling author of On Bullsh*t ). This is not a book for Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort it is to discover we're not wastrels and slackers, but doers... in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it "structured procrastination." Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a wise, charming, compulsively readable book—really, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list ("1. Learn Chinese") and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastination—on the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off work at the last possible minute; on the other, it's a dangerous time suck. Most importantly, he explores what may be procrastination's greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule. "John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor." —Thomas Cathcart, author of The Trolley Problem "Reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life." —Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker

Discover the power of putting things off: “Insightful, sensible, and amusing” (Harry G. Frankfurt, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of On Bullsh*t).This is not a book for Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort it is to discover we’re not wastrels and slackers, but doers . . . in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it “structured procrastination.”Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a wise, charming, compulsively readable book—really, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list (“1. Learn Chinese”) and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastination—on the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off work at the last possible minute; on the other, it’s a dangerous time suck. Most importantly, he explores what may be procrastination’s greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule. “John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor.” —Thomas Cathcart, author of The Trolley Problem“Reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life.” —Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker At last: Self-help for procrastinators. (The secret: acceptance!) Filled with charm, tongue-in-cheek wit, and the insights of a lifelong introspective dawdler, The Art of Procrastination is a philosophical self-help program for every reader who suffers the pangs of being a procrastinator. John Perry celebrates this nearly universal character flaw by pointing out how often procrastinators are, paradoxically, doers . They may not be accomplishing everything on their to-do lists, but that doesn’t make them slackers. It just indicates a need to rethink the to-do list. He also introduces the philosophical notion of akrasia (the mystery of why we often choose to act against our better judgement), examines the torturous relationship between procrastination and perfectionism, and shows how to give yourself permission to do an imperfect but, in fact, perfectly good job. These are strategies— task triage, horizontal organization . Underlying causes— right-parenthesis deficit disorder . Anecdotes and ideas. But above all, an attitude of acceptance. Pat yourself on the back for what you manage to get done—but don’t stop enjoying that time you waste, too. Who knows where daydreams will lead? Introduction: The paradox of procrastination -- Structured procrastination -- Procrastination and perfectionism -- To-do lists -- Get rhythm -- The computer and procrastinator -- A plea for the horizontally organized -- Collaborating with the enemy? -- Fringe benefits -- Do procrastinators have to be annoying? -- Deep concluding thoughts -- -- Appendix: How to kick the habit : read at your own risk. Procrastination - just about everyone has struggled with it. Written by an internationally recognised Stanford philosopher, this book offers a new outlook: instead of focusing on your deficits, you can recognise the myriad things that you do accomplish while avoiding 'the important project'. Explains the principles of structured procrastination and provides tips and techniques to chronic procrastinators for developing an attitude of acceptance for their accomplishments while enjoying the time they waste.