The Art of Procrastination

A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing, or, Getting Things Done by Putting Them Off

By: John Perry

Narrated by: Brian Holsopple

Length: 1 hr and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

John Perry’s insights and laugh-out-loud humor bring to mind Thurber, Wodehouse, and Harry Frankfurt’s On Bullshit. This charming and accessible audio educates, entertains, and illuminates a universal subject. Procrastinators will be relieved to learn that you can actually accomplish quite a lot while procrastinating. In fact, the book itself is the result of Perry avoiding grading papers, refereeing academic proposals, and reviewing dissertation drafts. It also has a practical side, offering up advice that listeners can put to use. Who knew that placing "Learn Chinese" at the top of your to-do list would inspire you to get the less monumental tasks below it done?

Witty, wise, and beautifully written, The Art of Procrastination will make the perfect gift for the untold number of lollygaggers out there.

©2012 Original material © 2012 John Perry. Published by arrangement with Workman Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2012 (p) 2012 HighBridge Company

Finally!

I'm sure I'm not saying anything other reviewers haven't already, but I am truly glad I purchased this audiobook. I have spent years agonizing over my inability to use any sort of filing system regularly, no matter how organized and easy to use, never realizing that piling papers (I swear I know where most things are) makes me a horizontal organizer. Also, I have come to accept that a lot of the tasks I complete while procrastinating are, in fact, productive! I only wish I had found this book sooner.

Gave it to my wife to understand me!

I love the theory in this book, and the reading was very well done! As I listen to it I make notes for myself to teach my sons NOW how to deal with their genetic tendency towards procrastination.

If I had one complaint it would be that at one point while listening, the author uses "Paris Hilton and Glen Beck" as examples of the useless and banal. As someone who appreciates Glen Beck I found this comparison to be distracting and pointless. I had to stop listening for several days because it so disturbed me. I "get" that the author is a Professor, and College professor live in an insulated world of Liberalism and anti-"right" but why introduce this bigotry into a book which has nothing whatsoever to do with politics?

Il write a title later.

Overall this was worth listening to. However it is rather dry and I found myself wanting to procrastinate finishing it.

Perfectionist

Would you listen to The Art of Procrastination again? Why?

Yes, I think some of the explanations are worth revisiting. It was such a quick and insightful listen, so I could see myself listening to this book again and seeing if I had changed since my first listen.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I particularly enjoyed John's insight on "structured procrastination" and his explanation about how procrastinators are really perfectionists deep down.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The way John defines "perfectionists" was particularly mind-blowing. I related it to my cousin and she said, "I need to read that book!"

Entertaining and helpful

Great little book. Entertain and some useful nuggets / ideas. I wish it were longer.

Very funny!

Worth a listen for sure. An enjoyable book for a funny author.

It will make you feel better about procrastinating.

I will get back to the review later

I will never look at my procrastination as a weakness again! A great book for when you really need to be doing something else.

Enjoyable if not particularly helpful

I loved listening to this book. There were so many moments I was cracking up because it hit so close to home.

The author is fairly clear that this is not intended as a self-help book and is mostly just to remind you that you're not crazy. To this end, he is spot on. There were a few hints I found mildly helpful but the only real lesson to stop feeling anxious about procrastinating and learn to embrace it.

Don't wait; listen to this now

I'm sorry I waited so long to listen to this. And yes, I was putting off another book that's more directly work-related. Perry's droll sense of humor and humanity/empathy make this a compelling listen. A bonus for fellow academics in the humanities. I could identify with much of what he says and got some tips on dealing with my habits. I particularly like the suggestion to have "don't do's" to cross off also on one's to do lists.

2011 Ig Nobel-Winning Essay

John Perry's "The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing" (2012) is a fun little listen - if you get around to it (Imagine a winking emoticon here).

Dr. Perry (he has a PhD) is a philosopher and is on the faculty at Stanford and the University of California, Riverside. Unlike a psychologist, Perry takes what is (procrastination, in this essay) and looks at it a different way. A psychologist would take what is (a bad habit) and try to change it. In Perry's philosophy, have something you keep putting off? Put something more daunting on your "to do" list, like learning Ancient Latin; don't do that; and do what you've been putting off instead.

Perry was awarded a 2011 Ig Nobel for his work in this essay. "To be a high achiever, always work on something important, using it as a way to avoid doing something that's even more important." The Igs are awards for real research that "first make people laugh, and then make them think."

What I really, really liked was Perry's suggestion to put a "don't do" on the "to do" list. It works like this: Suppose that you normally hit the snooze on the alarm a couple of times. Or six. Put on your "to do" list, "don't hit the snooze button". And when you get out of bed the first time, there's a check mark on the "to do" list. It's a 'Not to Do' To Do List. That works for me.

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