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

Joking about procrastination

What did you like best about The Art of Procrastination? What did you like least?

I love the way Brian Holsopple reads the book. Very natural and adequate to the text.
If you are looking for a way to prove procrastination is not such a big deal, this is the book for you. But if you are interested in finding the roots, definition and possible tools to overcome a habit that can become truly destructive and make life really miserable, then don't choose this one.

Amusing and helpful.

I wasn't sure if this would be dry and academic but it turned out to be quite the opposite. The narrator did a wonderful job, he was spot on with the comedic parts and this really made the whole listen fly by. I found the writer insightful and offering realistic advice. Lots of information so I will be listening a few times I expect.

So Enjoyable!

I loved this audiobook. The information presented is humorous, but practical. I loved the personal stories as they served to remind me, 'Hey! I'm not THAT bad!'. Even while dealing with procrastination in a funny way, Mr. Perry still managed to help you see how you can move your projects along and that you still might be doing productive things...maybe just not THE thing you need to do. It's a nice way to make you feel good about yourself when you're beating yourself up for not being as busy as you'd like to be.

The narrator did a great job and it was a pleasure to listen to him.

I will look for other works from both author and narrator.

feel better about your procrastination

this is a good book to validate you procrastination. It so points out the bad procrastination habbits as as well as the good ones.

Entertaining

A quick read that really only accomplished a good laugh while making me feel better about myself! I guess the first step is admitting you have a problem.....maybe one day I'll get around to finding a book that gets me to step two.

Hilariously practical and insightful

I actually couldn't help but laugh out loud - at the office - and Perry's entertaining yet functional way of dissecting the spirit of procrastination - and the major trend in the modern corporate and political environments.

I immediately recommended this book to my teammembers and leaders. It probably wont cure you of your procrastination (not possible) - but at least you'll have a much clearer view through yours and others' self-deception.

Good listen, A lot of Information I've heard befor

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I likely would not recommend. It was good, but not groundbreaking.

If you’ve listened to books by John Perry before, how does this one compare?

I have not listened to John Perry in the past

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the practical, advice on how to combat procrastination better than the detail on why progcastination happens.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This audio book did not elicit an extreme reaction one way or the other.

Deep Gratitude from a Structured Procratinator

What did you love best about The Art of Procrastination?

My 3rd grade teacher wrote on my report card I was a procrastinator - John Perry finally made that okay for me. Thank you Mr. Perry. I am proud to be a "Structured Procrastinator".

What other book might you compare The Art of Procrastination to and why?

I can not think of one. The author is an accomplished professional. He is realistic and takes a humorous approach to solving by normalizing what for many has been a life long struggle.

He slips in a few helpful hits and good ideas. I have already signed up for LazyMeter.com. I do wish they would change their name - but I love their simple approach and visual graphs that shows you really aren't lazy - which is after all the whole idea.

What does Brian Holsopple bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voice, lovely pace and humor.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Structured Procrastinators Unite and Create a Horizontal Filing System!

Any additional comments?

It was a wonderful book. I have already recommended it to several others.

unexpectedly entertaining, down-to-earth, fun

Where does The Art of Procrastination rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I never write reviews but this is one of the most entertaining books I've heard (and writing a review is a nice way to avoid doing other things :); I LOVE Perry's sense of humor and self-effacing honesty. This is a great read/listen.... I also suspect it will be incredibly helpful (still listening to the book).

How to feel better about being lazy

If you are a procrastinator hell bent on believing that your lifestyle isn't to the detriment of the lives of everyone around you, this book is for you. It will provide you with ammunition to help you believe that you aren't just a narcissistic time waster, even though in actuality, you are. The author is of a class of academics I find loathsome; Self-important and willing to avoid work at all costs. The book is more comedic than serious, and if you want a good laugh or to placate your guilt with meaningless the prattle, this book is for you.