The Procrastinator's Digest - Book Review

I bought this if you'll remember after posting about my at times crippling procrastination.

I finally read it - quite quickly as it isn't a big tome.  I liked the style, each chapter is the same, there is a "mantra" to remember (I think it better to take these and develop your own but that is me), an example from the author's experience in research then some explanation and a smattering of cartoons to make the point memorably through gags.  There are some exercises for you to do to get you in the right zone to get over your procrastination in your particular situation.

So what have I learnt.  Actually that far more people are procrastinators than I thought, also that some of the thoughts I have that lead to procrastination are also common.  Really?!  Honestly I didn't think "normal" people would procrastinate over doing something due to a fear of failure... trust me I did think I was unique on that one... this is just my alcoholic self obsession showing through here!

Has it helped?  Well yes and no.  That is probably unfair - the point is (and it is stated in the book) you can't fix ingrained behaviour like this overnight.  I have got better, esp on things I want to do - I've done a bunch of stuff recently in some areas and it is simply as "I get started".  For example one of my bad rationalisations for procrastinating is "Oh I haven't time to do all that now.  I'll wait until I can finish it".  But I don't actually know how long it will take 'cos I've not done it!!!  So the other day for example I decided to start something and just leave it for another day if I didn't get it done by the time I needed to leave to go somewhere else... guess what?  I finished it all in loads of time!

I'm still struggling with some procrastination - at work mostly but I think that is a real fear around my insecurity in the new job I'm in - the department is still going through a change process and there is a lot of unrest in the place etc.  I'm frightened of upsetting the apple cart.   A dumb irrational fear and I need to work more on.

So as it says in Chapter 5 of Alcoholics Anonymous (the big book) "progress not perfection" :-)  We continue :-)


Comments

  1. sybil law7 February 2012 at 21:19

    I was going to wait until tomorrow to post and leave some smartass comment about procrastinating, but decided against it.
    I haven't even read it and it's working!
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Four Dinners7 February 2012 at 22:19

    The wifey once accused me of being a prcas..procrat..pro....thingy...

    My inability to say it, let alone spell it, led her to stop procrastinating....

    and I never said/wrote that..;-)

    This comment will self destruct in 5 seconds..;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kolley Kibber8 February 2012 at 10:16

    A lot of procrastination handbooks can be summarised in three words, "Just Do It". Much as I hate Nike, I do tend to nick their mantra and use it on myself when I'm being particularly resistant. No analysis, no discussion, just do it!

    Does it work? About 80% of the time, yes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shrinky8 February 2012 at 10:36

    I definitely should read this book! It does take courage to leave our comfort zone and to put ourselves "out there", and I for one, am certainly a master at inventing excuses as to why I "can't yet" get off my backside to achieve those goals I've set. Yet I know from past experience, the rewards for facing my fears far excells the frustration I feel for hiding on the sidelines. You go for it, Furtheron, truth is the only thing to really fear is the fear itself.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Girl From Back Then8 February 2012 at 10:42

    Procrastination is the thief of time! I think we all suffer from this, especially if it's something undesirable or laborious. Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure by unfairly deciding 'there's not enough time' or 'I can't do this', when like you said, how do we know until we knuckle down and try?

    Sometimes the simple act of thinking about doing it puts us off, so best way is to probably think we can do it, even if there is still a chance we can't.

    ReplyDelete
  6. looby8 February 2012 at 12:43

    I went to a Procrastination Workshop at Uni once and it was quite good. The bloke said if you're the type of person who leaves things till teh last minute, BUT they still get done to acceptable (or better) standards, then just do them at teh last minute and stop worrying in advance. That was quite liberating.

    But then I also read that Carlyle used to do three hours' work before breakfast, and found that that was such an efficient manner of him working that it released more free time.

    Anyway, that draining board needs a bit of a clean and then I suppose I should fold those clothes up over there and then I could do with aother coffee as it's a bit chilly and I need to get some bread...

    ReplyDelete
  7. ExtraO8 February 2012 at 16:25

    I think your whole life will be about progress not perfection...
    And most definitely this is not something you will change overnight... and maybe in some ways you'll be a procrastinator forever... maybe you just learn for which things you really need to get it done and which things you can leave for another day. :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tom Edwards' Poem "Why I don't drink anymore"

Thanks to my friend DeeJay for pointing this out to me - it was on a BBC2 show. An excellent summary of alcoholism I changed because I have the sickness of alcoholism, alcoholism doesn't come in bottles it comes in people. You should have seen me. I drank for happiness and became unhappy; I drank for joy and became miserable. I drank to be out-going and became self-centred; I drank for sociability and became argumentative and lonely; I drank for sophistication and became crude and obnoxious. I drank for friendship and made enemies, I drank to soften sorrow and wallowed in self-pity; I drank for sleep and awakened without rest. I drank for strength and felt weak. I drank for masculinity and it sapped my potency; I drank medicinally and got sick. I drank because I thought my job called for it and lost my job. I drank to stimulate thought and blacked out. I drank to make conversation and got to where I couldn't talk at all; I drank to forget and became haunted. I drank for freedom...
Read more

Guitar Review - Vintage VE2000GG Gordon Giltrap Signature 12 string

Image
Folks will remember my purchase a few weeks back of the Vintage Gordon Giltrap VE2000GG 12 string to replace my old Yamaha which sadly has seen better days... My requirement was for a nice playable 12 string electro-acoustic.  Most of my stuff is as you know acoustic rock orientated in the David Gray, John Mayer genre.  I'd had my eye on a Gordon Giltrap for a couple of years now anyway since a) I'm a big Giltrap fan b) I'd heard said Mr Giltrap use the 6 string version live a couple of times and was impressed c) it seems incredible value for money. Now then my life was made a touch my complicated by the appearance of the Paul Brett signature 12string.  This is a slight oddity in that this is a parlour sized guitar which to be honest wasn't my initial desire but has received rave reviews and also has been designed as a 12string from the ground up - unlike the Gordon Giltrap which is an adaptation of a 6 string design.  Not unusual to be fair most 12 strings ar...
Read more