The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging and Postponing

by John Perry

Overview

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?
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761171676
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/30/2020
Pages:	114
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

John 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.

What People are Saying About This

Bruce McCall

“I intend to write a rave about The Art of Procrastination just as soon as I’ve cleared my desk this afternoon—or at least by first thing tomorrow—because reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life.”
—Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker

Various

“A splendid way to avoid one’s work.”
—Ben Schott, author of Schott’s Original Miscellany

“Do not put off reading this charming guide to more effective procrastination. Dr. Perry is the Fabius Cunctator in our war against the Hannibal of the undone. Be gone, elephants of nagging duty.
—P. J. O’Rourke, author of Holidays in Hell

“Insightful, sensible, and amusing.”
—Harry G. Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit

“John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor.”
—Thomas Cathcart, coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .

“The Art of Procrastination is a gem—its practical wisdom as spot-on as its humor. Now that I’ve devoured this hilarious and insightful tome, I not only know that I’m a structured procrastinator, but I’ve also picked up some invaluable tips on how to fool myself into being more productive, which to put to use someday.”
—Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction

“What are you waiting for? Read this book!”
—Patricia Marx, author of Starting from Happy

“John Perry’s book is lively, funny, engaging and wise. And—fortunately for procrastinators—short. It’s just the thing for a moment or two away from the task at hand!”
—Timothy A. Pychyl, PhD, author of The Procrastinator’s Digest

“I intend to write a rave about The Art of Procrastination just as soon as I’ve cleared my desk this afternoon—or at least by first thing tomorrow—because reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life.”
—Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker

“There are lessons both deep and funny to be found in our capacity to put things off, and Perry is the ideal guide—a writer of superlative wisdom and wit. Forget whatever you were supposed to do next, and read this book.”
—Mark Kingwell, PhD, coauthor of The Idler’s Glossary

“The Art of Procrastination rings startlingly true. Perry reconstructs the inner dialogue of the procrastinator with a droll, lighthearted style that has inspired me to try his strategies (alarm clocks, self-deceptions, and self-forgiveness).
—Patrick Byre, CEO, Overstock.com

Ben Schott

“A splendid way to avoid one’s work.”
—Ben Schott, author of Schott’s Original Miscellany

Patricia Marx

“What are you waiting for? Read this book!”
—Patricia Marx, author of Starting from Happy

Patrick Byre

“The Art of Procrastination rings startlingly true. Perry reconstructs the inner dialogue of the procrastinator with a droll, lighthearted style that has inspired me to try his strategies (alarm clocks, self-deceptions, and self-forgiveness).
—Patrick Byre, CEO, Overstock.com

Harry G. Frankfurt

“Insightful, sensible, and amusing.”
—Harry G. Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

“The Art of Procrastination is a gem—its practical wisdom as spot-on as its humor. Now that I’ve devoured this hilarious and insightful tome, I not only know that I’m a structured procrastinator, but I’ve also picked up some invaluable tips on how to fool myself into being more productive, which to put to use someday.”
—Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction

Thomas Cathcart

“John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor.”
—Thomas Cathcart, coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .

PhD Timothy A. Pychyl

“John Perry’s book is lively, funny, engaging and wise. And—fortunately for procrastinators—short. It’s just the thing for a moment or two away from the task at hand!”
—Timothy A. Pychyl, PhD, author of The Procrastinator’s Digest

PhD Mark Kingwell

“There are lessons both deep and funny to be found in our capacity to put things off, and Perry is the ideal guide—a writer of superlative wisdom and wit. Forget whatever you were supposed to do next, and read this book.”
—Mark Kingwell, PhD, coauthor of The Idler’s Glossary

Editorial Reviews

“A splendid way to avoid one’s work.”
—Ben Schott, author of Schott’s Original Miscellany

“Do not put off reading this charming guide to more effective procrastination. Dr. Perry is the Fabius Cunctator in our war against the Hannibal of the undone. Be gone, elephants of nagging duty.
—P. J. O’Rourke, author of Holidays in Hell

“Insightful, sensible, and amusing.”
—Harry G. Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit

“John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor.”
—Thomas Cathcart, coauthor  of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .

“The Art of Procrastination is a gem—its practical wisdom as spot-on as its humor. Now that I’ve devoured this hilarious and insightful tome, I not only know that I’m a structured procrastinator, but I’ve also picked up some invaluable tips on how to fool myself into being more productive, which to put to use someday.”
—Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction

“What are you waiting for? Read this book!”
—Patricia Marx, author of Starting from Happy

“John Perry’s book is lively, funny, engaging and wise. And—fortunately for procrastinators—short. It’s just the thing for a moment or two away from the task at hand!”
—Timothy A. Pychyl, PhD, author of The Procrastinator’s Digest

“I intend to write a rave about The Art of Procrastination just as soon as I’ve cleared my desk this afternoon—or at least by first thing tomorrow—because reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life.”
—Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker

“There are lessons both deep and funny to be found in our capacity to put things off, and Perry is the ideal guide—a writer of superlative wisdom and wit. Forget whatever you were supposed to do next, and read this book.”
—Mark Kingwell, PhD, coauthor of The Idler’s Glossary

“The Art of Procrastination rings startlingly true. Perry reconstructs the inner dialogue of the procrastinator with a droll, lighthearted style that has inspired me to try his strategies (alarm clocks, self-deceptions, and self-forgiveness).
—Patrick Byre, CEO, Overstock.com

From the Publisher

This is a fun audiobook—guaranteed 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.”
—DWD’s 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 these observations on why we don’t do what we say is important to us. His comfort with himself helps make this laid-back writing sound even more relaxed and inviting. The author, an academic philosopher, says that “structured procrastinators” are not just arrogant or self-defeating people with their heads in the sand. They usually are quite productive, though not in conventional, linear ways. With his common-sense suggestions for improving bad habits, Perry’s message of self-acceptance is a moving invitation for procrastinators to stop beating themselves up and take a fresh look at how they manage their time and lives. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2012 - AudioFile