The Procrastination Equation

How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done

By: Piers Steel

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

“The Procrastination Equation will teach you how to bust the excuses that are preventing you from doing your best work and living your best life….So don’t put it off any longer. Read this book. Today.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

“Illuminating….Piers Steel shows us the secrets of procrastination, how it affects us and how we will, one day, be able to prevail.”
—Dan Ariely, author of The Upside of Irrationality and Predictably Irrational

Using a mix of psychology, evolutionary biology, self-help, and more than a decade of research, Dr. Piers Steel, the world’s foremost authority on procrastination, offers a tried and true method helping us to identify, understand, and break free of our self-destructive bad habits and create more positive lives for ourselves.

Great book, annoying speaker.

I love the content of the book, but the speaker’s voice reminded me of a used car commercial and my brain kept associating his voice with the content of the book.

The book is great. Would love a different speaker.

Dated research, but comprehensive

In contrast to many other readers who thought there wasn’t enough practical advice in this book, I found the opposite. The book was *too full* of suggestions, so many that at a certain point I felt like I was listening to an obnoxious uncle who insists on his own personal wisdom, advice, and opinions. Regardless, taken at face value, it’s all sensible enough advice.

My bigger issue is with the use of very outdated psychology. He keeps talking about the “limbic system” as though it’s a real biological thing (instead of an abstraction inherited from very old scientific beliefs). The ideas still work, but it is grating to keep hearing him talk about it as though it’s a scientific fact.

Engaging and Enlightening

Just like you, I struggle with procrastinating. so I chose to use one of my credits to get an audio book to hopefully kick the habit.

After listening to a few samples and reading reviews, this seemed to be a good choice. I began listening immediately, and I could hardly "put it down."

It is well written, the narrator does a great job at bringing it to life, and the information is practical yet educational.

I have finished the book, and I think I am doing a better job at getting stuff done. Although, I am pretty sure I am procrastinating by writing this review. Enjoy!

Have yet to finish it…

Any additional comments?

Not the easiest book to listen too. Have downloaded and listen to 30 plus hrs. of other books since I got this one. I have come back to this for a while but unable to get through it even on cross country flights…

Good luck procrastinating after listening to this

I really enjoyed this book. Good luck trying to procrastinate after listening to this. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge and perspective. I really appreciate piers approach and presentation on the subject and his extremely insightful guidance

insights into procrastination, and how to beat it.

I learned a lot from this book. I highly recommend it. I'm already putting some of its suggestions to work.

as good as it gets

this book is about as good as a self help book can be. well written, well supported by science, memorable, and realistic in it's clams.

Useful - especially last few chapters

Good material. Narration was decent. I wanted to skip the first few chapters and get to the recommended solutions.

Awesome Book!

Very modern and up to date information. I have listened to it 3 times now which I usually don't do with a book but I learned something new each time and the book is very entertaining also. I would say it helped me focus and realize some of the time wasters in my life. Highly recommended this book to anyone.

Great underlying premise. Tedious book.

It's worth reading the beginning, where he lays out the "equation," which gives a framework for understanding motivation and procrastination. But the rest of the book, which offers specific strategies, offers mostly common advice. And his tone, which I guess is meant to be friendly, came off to me as flippant and annoying. (That may have been the reader...) Anyway, hard to rate because the central concept is the most helpful thing I've encountered about procrastination. But the book itself... I almost quit before I finished.