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

Procrastinate on listening to this

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who has lots of time to waste or better yet someone who decides to procrastinate and doesn't listen to this book.

Would you ever listen to anything by John Perry again?

No, I would rather have a root canal.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He had a sort of glib tone and it was ridiculous since any intended "humor" in the book was corny and silly.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Art of Procrastination?

Unfortunately, you can't burn a digital book.

Any additional comments?

At 8 dollars, it's overpriced... If it was free it would be overpriced. Procrastinate and don't waste your time or money on this garbage.

It was pretty nonsensical

I regret buying the book it actually added no value. The title is the only thing worth (reading/listening ) to. Save yourself time and money don't bother

Not even if you have nothing else to do...

I think many of us are sometimes either encouraged to purchase or dissuaded from reading a book by a publisher’s summary. I know that I can be influenced by them. Like most things in life we are trying to decide about, we search for support of our position to do something that we are leaning toward such as purchasing a book. We use these summaries as well as the reviews of others to give us that little extra nudge to hit that “Add to Cart” button. In deciding to purchase The Art of Procrastination..., I believe that I was totally misled by the summary and in disagreement with most of the reviewers. This book was one of the smallest wastes of time I can imagine.

The book was one of the smallest wastes of time only because it was so short. I finished it in one round trip drive to and from a work assignment. Thank goodness I didn’t waste that time doing something that required my full attention... or... maybe I did. There’s continuing debate about whether we can safely multitask while driving. Though the book certainly was not so profound as to draw my attention away from the road. It was not so laugh-out-loud funny as to cause my eyes to tear up and obstruct my vision of the road. It was not so wise as to cause me to ponder and plumb its depths and unconsciously and dangerously change lanes. Not once did I think of Thurber, Wodehouse, or Harry Frankfurt’s *On Bullshit* though there was plenty of dung to conjure those thoughts and be analogous to the contents of this book along the country roads of my drive. The book was not for me at all insightful, charming or witty. It did not entertain, educate or illuminate.

I can only conclude that the author is, as he claims to be, the consummate procrastinator: Anything else the author might have had to do and that he put off doing, had to be more important than writing this book. If you are looking to procrastinate, justify and avoid doing something else more important then read or listen to this book. But I can promise you that almost anything else that you do instead will be more rewarding. If your wish is to discontinue your procrastinating, you will find no insights here: avoid it.

Hmmm

One of those examples where the narrator ruined the book for me. The concepts were okay - but I just did not feel engaged.

Is this a joke?

What disappointed you about The Art of Procrastination?

I can't figure out if this guy is kidding or not, but he spends way to much time praising procrastination and no where near enough time explaining how to bend it toward usefulness, as the cover seems to promise. The overarching theme seems to me to be extremely selfish, as he seems to honestly advocate taking on projects--things that other people may be depending on--and allowing them to stretch out just so you can find motivation to work on other things. He callously and even gleefully describes missing deadlines based on his own assessment of when the task actually needs to be completed. I really found nothing uplifting or encouraging about this book.

What could John Perry have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Approached the subject with more humility.

Any additional comments?

I am going to return this book.

Boring ..not worth thev$$$

I realize this book was less than 2 hours long ... But it was a waist of time ... Would have shut it off if I wasn't sitting in traffic... Don't bother

Not for me . . .

Would you try another book from John Perry and/or Brian Holsopple?

No. It wasn't even the least bit interesting.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Nothing. I couldn't even finished it. It is very rare that I abandon a book all together. But after trying three times I gave up on it all together. I've listened to about 2,000+ audiobooks some a long as 70 hours long. But I just couldn't listen to this book.

Bored me

Would you try another book from John Perry and/or Brian Holsopple?

No.

What could John Perry have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Read a better book.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes. The pace was just not for me.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance.

Any additional comments?

Some of the observations made no sense.

You may not want to put off listening

Self help? Philosophy? Whatever.
Seriously, I did put off listening to this for a while. I can't remember why. It was a "dinner" book (my boyfriend and I listen to books - with many interruptions for discussion - instead of watching TV), and we may have been listening to something else.
Anyway... This is an unabridged short listen. It made me feel better about being a procrastinater, and also gave tips about how to get around that inclination.
It was okay, but it was inexpensive enough to pay for it outright rather than use a credit.
:-)

Doing everything except what you should

What did you love best about The Art of Procrastination?

My brother once said, "Did you ever notice how everything is more interesting when you have homework looming? Even bad TV?" Well this short book discusses why that is. It will get you thinking about your procrastinating and when you are likely to do it.
You know better. Still you persist.
I found this discussion of putting-things-off humorous, honest and real. It does not make lists of helpful tools so you can cure your bad habit. Instead the author just assumes that you procrastinate and will continue to do so. And the discussion goes from there. For some reason that works for changing my habits more than those hokey "you should" books. This book is as long as a movie. Once started, I didn't procrastinate. I listened to the entire book in one evening. It was fun and thought provoking and I think helpful.

An article about acceptance could do

Witty author but little to no substance in this read. It’s just about accepting yourself as a structural procrastinator with one or two actionable tips boobytrapping your environment.

The only book to complete for 10 years

After almost accomplishing 2 degrees and unimaginable level of career achievement but this is the first book I completed in 10 years! I guess this proves how procrastinating I am, I have a deadline of one week to submit my MSc dissertation draft......