Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30003 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From AudioFile
This audio has everything you need to know about putting things off--how to take action on the right stuff, how to discover why people get stuck, and a good lesson on how to organize your physical space so that it supports the habits you're trying to establish. There are many excellent examples of emotional hang-ups and normal fears that keep people from the futures they deserve. The author is especially good at communicating her own experiences as a procrastinator, so listeners will feel right away that she understands the issues and knows how to get things done. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"Rita Emmett's light-hearted book is the kind you should have by the bedside as you await the arrival of a tardy lover.  For anyone like me, addicted to punctuality, you'll find The Procrastinator's Handbook an enticing piece of work." - Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes (which took 22 years to complete) and 'Tis


"Don't put off reading this book." - Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Inside Flap Copy
A book for every procrastinator from an author whose own triumph over procrastination has moved her to show others the way.Exuberant, witty and practical, The Procrastinator's Handbook is an invaluable self-help tool and an entertaining read, with real-life stories of people who have overcome procrastination.

Rita Emmett gives comprehensive advice on:

* how to identify the behavioural styles and patterns procrastinators use for putting things off

* how to apply proven anti-procrastination tips and techniques for achieving goals

* how to develop strategies to move forward when stuck or when reverting to old procrastination patterns

* how to design personal action plans.

Customer Reviews

Decent, but there's better
I found this audio book to be mildly helpful - mostly full of generic tips I've heard many times before, with too many stories to illustrate her points for my taste. I also bought "Getting things Done" by David Allen, which I found MUCH more useful.

Written for housewives and middle management
It's quite disheartening to know that you have a problem, and then buy into a resource which many people swear by, such as this book, only to find out that it is completely useless. For me, this book started out badly in the very introduction and got worse and worse.

In her introduction, Emmett describes procrastination as a "funny subject". What is so funny about having your professional and personal life go down the drain because you can't get it together? When I want to be helped, I want to be taken seriously. I don't want my hindrance to be labeled as "funny".

The case studies seemed exaggerated, silly and a little condescending and one of them is plagarised. I know this because I read the exact same situation in an Ann Landers column about 25 years ago. I will never forget it because I read it out loud to my mom and we still bring up it from time to time -- the precise same words in the exact same order that Emmett uses in her book. This one citation made me wonder how many other case studies were made up.

Then there is the section on making a list of 101 items that you need to get done. Why on earth should I LOOK for things to do if I can barely finish what's on my plate in front of me? This section should not have been Chapter 2, for heaven's sake. Save it for the end, when we've learned how to take care of what's important first.

She mentions that there are some instances in which one should procrastinate, as in the case of writers who take weeks to write and rewrite and edit endlessly. She states that writers are doing themselves a favor by waiting to write closer to the deadline. Has this author never written a serious academic work which requires multiple drafts? Writing for scholarly journals or for publication and acceptance within the academic community is not a walk in the park. An exception should have been made here.

The section on how to accomplish unpleasant tasks suggests doing it to music or finding something about the task that is pleasant. To concentrate fully on writing an important paper to music is reckless, and there is no pleasant part of it. So now what do I do?

When I read a book, I do so with a pencil and paper to jot down ideas but in this case, I was jotting down what I hated about it. This book may be good for those who need to get their house, family and job in order and just basically need to get organized. I would not recommend it to someone like me who's procrastination is a serious disorder -- waiting until the last possible moment to get out of bed in the morning and then arriving late to work, knowing full well that people are waiting for and counting on you. Knowing that there are things to be done that are a matter of life and death for your career and still procrastinating anyway. Not being able to sleep at night thinking of everything you have to do, worrying about how it'll get done, and the next day at work --- continuing to procrastinate and find everything else to do except for work that needs to be done.

I've been reading about The Now Habit by Neil Fiore and I think it may be better suited for me.

Solutions for all the reasons we procrastinate
Procrastination is difficult to change as there are so many reasons to do it. This book addresses the variety of causes and how to overcome them. I really like the layout of the book which invites readers to dip in and sample. It deals with the different fears (of being rejected, of making the wrong decision, of change, of responsibility, etc.) that paralyze us and keep us from forward action.
Each chapter ends with an exercise to do. If you try them out, you end up setting goals, uncluttering, analyzing our relationships, setting up a reward system for ourselves, and many more worthwhile activities.
We all procrastinate to some degree. If yours bothers you enough to read this review, then you owe it to yourself to read this book.
Sprinkled throughout the book are inspiring thoughts on the topic.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rodgers