The Now Habit

By: Neil Fiore Ph.D.

Narrated by: Neil Fiore Ph.D.

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Here's the first comprehensive strategic system for overcoming the causes and eliminating the effects of procrastination.

Here are techniques to help any busy person get more things done more quickly, without the anxiety and stress brought on by delay and pressing deadlines.

If you are a professional, manager, student, entrepreneur, writer, or homemaker, this audiobook will help you achieve your goals more rapidly, whether they are large, complex challenges or the small, essential tasks of everyday life and work. If you now work effectively, even though you have too much to do and too little time, The Now Habit will show you how to prioritize your goals to allow more time for guilt-free play.

Step by step, Neil Fiore, Ph.D. reveals numerous tested strategies for ridding your life of procrastination:

• Use the symptoms of procrastination to trigger the cure
• Overcome the perfectionism and fear of failure that lie behind procrastination
• Benefit from making positive statements about work instead of sabotaging yourself with negative statements
• Make your worry work for you
• Use the "Unschedule" time-management techniques
• Accomplish more in less time through efficient "flow state" work styles
• Assist the procrastinators in your life in overcoming their problems

The Now Habit promises you the chance to truly enjoy guilt-free recreational time, knowing the work is really behind you.

Download the accompanying reference guide..

©2006 Neil Fiore, Ph.D. (P)2007 Gildan Media

A keeper

Dr. Fiore warms to the task of being a narrator. During the first half of the book he seems to be learning how to narrate, but towards the end of the book his narration picks up speed and he modulates his points well. Amazon reviews show people buying several books on procrastination and saying this is the only one that helps. Be sure to download the extra material - a pdf file and print it out.

Unique insights well worth learning

In this book Dr. Fiore provides a unique insight on causes of procrastination and some surprising strategies to deal with it. Having read some 3 or 4 books over 10 years in an effort to deal with the habit (I just never quite get around to it!), I have found Dr. Fiore's ideas among the most effective yet.

Some have commented on his narration style, and yes it is a little slow. I found turning up the narration speed on my iPod the only remedy needed.

For me this book, plus 'Eat That Frog', provide everything one needs to know to change behaviour and stop procrastinating. Now it is up to me!

Very good, I think

I like the book's opening: there are several types of procrastinators, and they procrastinate for different reasons. One of those types fit me almost perfectly -- I am good at getting the big things done, but I hate all the details. Just knowing that made me feel better.

The author then explores the psychological reasons why we procrastinate. He doesn't brow beat the reader saying it's bad. Procrastinating is rewarding, in fact, but only in the short term.

Moving on to what to do about it, the author offers many excellent suggestions. Several strategies are simple and effective, for example stop talking to yourself as a victim, but instead make the choice to do something. I have started doing those things and they do help.

There are several other things as well, which take more work. And therein is my problem. I just don't have time to work out an un-schedule right now... but I'll definitely start tomorrow.

Highly Recommend

I found this book to be inspiring and life changing. I too initially found the narration to be slightly slow and awkward but that worked itself out and/or the content was so terrific I was no longer distracted by it.

I've listened to the good doctor's book twice and have already put a lot of his advice into practice and it has made a huge difference. Things that had been on my to do list for MONTHS have already been completed and with this positive momentum I'm actually looking forward to tackling other previously daunting tasks.

Without a doubt, this is the BEST time management book I've ever purchased.

really improved my life

Fiore isn't the greatest narrator available (he speaks a little slowly for me), the content is really great. I already own the book; having it in audio format is both revealing (I've learned a few new things) and useful for review. I have recommended this for family members who suffer -- as I do -- from difficulty completing tasks.

Unlearning Procrastination: Finally

Learn from this illuminating but readily understood analysis of procrastination as a complex defense that is usually misunderstood as a weakness, incompetence, academic ineptitude, etc. Fiore illucidates the manner in which proscrastination is used defensively against other unpleasant feelings and thoughts. And why sheer will power will not over come patterns of procrastination. The author goes a step further and offers ways to "unlearn" procrastination and deal effectively with the problems that gave rise to it.

Difficult listening.

Great content, poor delivery. I wish that this author had given over the job or reading this valuable book to somebody who could make the experience of listening to it less fatiguing. Consider buying the print version - I finally had to do that.

Mindless dross

I couldn't barely get through the first chapter. I was hoping for helpful hints on how to improve my performance and eliminate procrastination. Maybe I will try it again but I really don't want to spend time listening to someone who sounds like they need a psychiatrist more than a counselor.

Seriously I don't want to listen to stories of people whose lives have become a slow moving train wreck.

Sorry I wasted a credit on this and, ironically, it's too bad that i procrastinated on listening to it since it's too late to return it.

Best procrastination book I have ever read

I picked up this audio book after hearing "The Now Habit" recommended on several productivity blogs whose authors I respect. This is the best book on productivity I have ever read. Fiore describes the psychological root causes for procrastination, and provides several very sensible and doable strategies for attacking the causes.

Some reviewers have complained about the quality of the narration. Personally I think the criticisms are exaggerated. The book is narrated by the author, Neil Fiore, and he has a nice reading voice. Yes, at the beginning of the book his reading is a slow and a bit tentative, and this was mildly distracting. However, by about 1/5 into it, Fiore hits his stride and after that it was a pleasure to listen to.

Fantastic. I will definately also be picking up the printed book.

Content is good but the narration is so bad you'll fall asleep before you learn anything

This is one of the worst narrated books ever...and I listen to over 100 books a year. I'm sure the content is decent but I couldn't get past the slow, sleep inducing voice of the narrator. If you put the speed at 1.25 you'll get further than you otherwise would. Don't waste your money on this. Read the book instead.

Blew me away - he's right. The book works.

I'm a terrible sceptic and have tried just about everything, including multiple courses, to deal with my procrastination. For some people it is a minor irritation, but for me it has blighted my life. I am a bright person who should have done much better in my life, and now I understand why.



My degree is in counselling, but this guy has a level of insight into procrastination and the very emotional and psychological reasons for it that I totally lacked. He has done a lot of research on it and, I believe, has made a discovery. I think he really has found the crux of what causes procrastination for people like me, and it is not (for the most part) anything to do with time management or schedules.



I will not spoil the book by giving away what he found, except to say that it was about two or three chapters in that I had the realisation of my life. For the first time in years I have genuine hope that I can get beyond this handicap I have carried around with me all my life. It is a relief to finally know what causes it and I can never "un-know" this knowledge.



The author narrates his own book, and although he isn't the best narrator out there, you get the benefit of feeling his passion for the subject and he injects real meaning to something he obviously feels strongly about. He strikes me as a really kind and understanding person and, with my counselling head on, this is just what you need from someone who is helping you with a problem that can be as personal and difficult to face as procrastination.



So, thank you very much Neil!

Fantastic Help

This was my first audiobook, and i was unsure if I could adjust to listening rather than reading a book. However, the Now Habit struck a cord with me so many times that I found it easy to concentrate. The advice is so much better than other books I've read related to procrastination. I've found it easy to put the techniques learned into practice and I'm starting to reap the rewards. I'd recommend this book to anyone who ever puts things off and then suffers with the guilt of doing so.

Interesting stuff

I am not a huge fan of self help books but I have read a thing or two on the topic of procrastination, since I am one of the world's worst! Most of the concepts and information in this book were new to me and left me feeling (for the first time ever) that I might not have to spend the rest of my life in a constant and exhausting battle to get things done on time.



Even if I never manage to fully become as efficient and organised as I hope to be, the reduction in shame that came from listening to this has made it a good read.

practical revelations and insights

loved this book. the whole journey was just a series of revelations and insights about how I work and deal with procrastination. zero pop psychology and finally some non-judgemental insights into procrastination. this book is definitely worth spending a credit on. listen, implement and finally get on with things.

Life Changing!

Good, organized and practical tips , plans and advices that generate results literally in a couple of hours. It is simply amazing!

Now is the time

Great book full of loads of strategies to prevent procrastination. This book would serve a beginner or seasoned practitioner of procrastination

Beat procrastination

A useful book with good tips and techniques for beating procrastination without beating yourself up. I'll definitely revisit this content again.

Actual tools to overcome procrastination

Found myself on a self help audio book binge at the moment. They tend to blend into each other. This one has stuck in my head. Instead of cheerleading me with positive thought and platitudes it helped in two ways:
1) helping identify procrastination behaviour
2) recognition that I don't have to martyr myself to work and instead schedule fun, relaxation etc without guilt as long as I can just start

The delivery is a bit odd, slow and hesitant, but speeding up the playback really helped. The faults actually added a bit of fallibility to the delivery, stopped it sounding didactic like so many other self help books.

Get past that and there's something really sincere and useful in here.

useful tips

a good guide of ways to limit procrastination and perfectionism. read well with informative case studies

Awful

I listened to this when I couldn’t sleep - soon nodded off then.
Felt that he never got to the point and narrator had a monotone voice - not for me I’m sorry to say - I Hadid high expectations.