Table Of ContentN E I L F I O R E , P H . D
OVERCOMING
PROCRASTINATION
P R A C T I C E T H E N O W H A B I T
A N D G U I L T - F R E E P L A Y
mjf BOOKS
NEW YORK
Published by M J F Books
Fine Communications
322 Eighth Avenue
New York, N Y 10001
Overcoming Procrastination
L C Control Number 2002111084
I S B N 1-56731-556-9
First published in hardcover as The Now Habit by Tarcher/Putnam, a
member of Penguin Putnum Inc.
Copyright © 1989 by Neil A. Fiore
This edition published by arrangement with Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Manufactured in the United States of America on acid-free paper co
M J F Books and the M J F colophon are trademarks of Fine Creative Media,
Inc.
B G 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to all those people who
had the courage and perseverance to seek help
with the frustrating problem of procrastination.
I t has been written for all the people who, in
their quest for help, brought with them a bat
tered sense of self-worth, a desire to save some
part of themselves, and a burning conviction
that they had some good work to contribute. But
most especially, this book is for Elizabeth.
Contents
Introduction xi
1 » Why We Procrastinate 1
2 « How We Procrastinate 27
3 . How to Talk to Yourself 48
4 . Guilt-Fre Play, Quality Work 68
5 » Overcoming Blocks to Action 86
6 « The Unschedule 10
7 . Working in the Flow State 137
8 . Fine-Tuning Your Progres 15
9» The Procrastinator in Your Life 178
Bibliography 197
VI
Acknowledgments
This book came out of my own struggles with procrastina
tion, motivation, and creativity; but in large part it is based
on the experiences of thousands of clients and seminar
participants who have shared their difficulties and their
triumphs with me. I wish to acknowledge the contribution
of these courageous individuals who repeatedly faced
their fears and found within themselves the strength to try
again. Their stories are told with the names, jobs, and
situations changed to protect their privacy.
I also wish to acknowledge the constant support and
love of my family and friends who offered me so many
guilt-free meals and opportunities for guilt-free play. The
staff at the University of California, Berkeley's Counseling
Center deserves special mention for its support over
many years. I want to thank Jeremy P. Tarcher, who be
lieved in the early, rough draft of the manuscript and had
the vision to see this book. I wi l l continue to be grateful
for the advice and help of my agents, Peter Beren and
Jack Artenstein. Friends were invaluable in reading
rough drafts and offering constructive criticism, but I es
pecially appreciate the assistance of Jayne Walker and
Harriet Whitman Lee. And I wish to acknowledge the
editing skill and wise counsel of Hank Stine and the inspi
ration of Janice Gallagher, both of whom contributed
greatly to the organization of this book.
ix
Introduction
Human nature has been sold short. . . [humans
have] a higher nature which . . . includes the
need for meaningful work, for responsibility,
for creativeness, for being fair and just, for
doing what is worthwhile and for preferring to
do it well.
—ABRAHAM H. MASLOW
Eupsychian Management
Whether you are a professional, an entrepreneur, a middle
manager, a writer, or a student who wants to overcome
problems with procrastination—or i f you simply want to
be more efficient in completing complex and challenging
projects—this program wi l l help you get results. I f you are
organized in your larger work projects, but find that the
small, essential tasks of everyday living get ignored,
Overcoming Procrastination will help you set priorities for,
start, and complete these tasks as well. I f you are a pro
fessional whose busy schedule doesn't allow for leisure time,
the Now Habit strategic program wil l legitimize guilt-free
play while i t improves the quality and efficiency of your work.
I f you suffer from extreme panic and blocks when
confronted by pressure to perform, this book wil l show
you how to overcome the initial terror so you can get
started. I t wi l l teach you to use empowering inner dia-
xi
xii
logue that leads to responsible choices, while avoiding
ambivalant statements such as "should" and "have to."
The typical procrastinator completes most assign
ments on time, but the pressure of doing work at the last
minute causes unnecessary anxiety and diminishes the
quality of the end result. Procrastination is a problem that
we all have in some areas of our lives, be i t balancing the
budget, filing a complicated legal brief, or painting the
spare bedroom—anything we have delayed in favor of
more pressing or pleasurable pursuits. We all have tasks
and goals we attempt to delay—or totally escape.
FROM PROCRASTINATOR
TO PRODUCER
The procrastination habit catches people in a vicious
cycle: get overwhelmed, feel pressured, fear failure, try
harder, work longer, feel resentful, lose motivation, pro
crastinate. The cycle starts with the pressure of being
overwhelmed and ends with an attempt to escape
through procrastination. As long as you're caught in the
cycle, there is no escape. You can't even enjoy the recu
perative and creative benefits of guilt-free leisure time.
Suddenly, any time spent on play—and even time spent
on more enjoyable work—feels like an uneasy shirking
from what you should be doing. By negatively affecting
the way you think and feel about work, leisure, yourself,
and your chances for success, procrastination becomes a
part of your identity.
Instead, you can cultivate the Now Habit: the ability
to put aside the fear of failure, the terror of feeling over
whelmed, and low self-esteem, and focus your mind on
