I really enjoyed the information in this and hope to utilize it more as time goes on. I have a big problem procrastinating and this gave helpful tips on how to attack a workload without being overwhelmed. I'm definitely keeping this in mind for new tasks.

The End of Procrastination
How to Stop Postponing and Live a Fulfilled Life
by Petr Ludwig and Adela Schicker

Procrastination has become a natural part of the human conditioning. The End of Procrastination has a surplus of good, self-improvement information concerning procrastination. As the readers progressed to the specifics and the science of procrastination, it is easy to understand. I was expecting a regular pop-culture style of book about goal setting and procrastination cures.

It is more of awareness-charting exercise that is often used by imaginative people to generate ideas. I saw this book, I was thrilled it was thin, thinking that I could get through it quickly; but DO NOT expect to read through this book quickly, take your time, absorb the material and do the exercises and absorb each of the steps. It is designed to be referred to and used as reinforcement of methods discussed.

The author's Petr Ludwig and Adela Schicker; show the importance of taking steps to apply the science. The authors have an intention of changing a person’s life by going beyond the realm of just changing habits; but changing the readers approach and have a complete set of tools to help end procrastination broken up onto four sections:
1. Using Motivation; time is finite, don't waste it! Creating a personal vision for personal satisfaction.
2. Being Disciplined; take actions that are in keeping with your personal vision.
3. The Outcomes of Your Actions; the emotional or material results from your actions.
4. Objectivity and False Perceptions; reduce prejudices to see reality more clearly, where you can make improvements.
I would encourage readers to visit each section and take good notes on how to approach each section and apply it to ending their procrastination.

I was excited to be granted an advanced copy of this book, to get into the phycological aspect of why and how to deal with procrastination. I was engrossed with the wealth of psychological and scientific research presented, backing up the authors approach in this book. It is certainly a good read and I would happily recommend it to anyone who: 1.might see their own procrastination as an impairment, 2. people that enjoys learning about how to improve themselves or 3. if a person is self-employed and needs to motivate themselves to work.

The End of Procrastination is well-researched with footnotes, using amply scientific data, studies and references; which makes the book read more like a college textbook with a conversational in tone. The vocabulary seems to indicate this book is envisioned for academics and training professionals to help others. The book is concise and well organized the authors have researched human behavior and have come up with a composite of intentional actions to do to prevent getting into the mindset of procrastination.
St Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy and I what to thank not only the publisher; but, also the authors. I will give the author’s and their book a 4-star rating, because of the depth of the terminology used; most people do not have the ability to grasps some psychological terms.

This was an excellent self-help book.

Many self-help books just preach to you. Petr helps you put the techniques into action by providing links to worksheet to use to practice the techniques.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

This book helped me to recognize my patterns of self-destruction that lead to my avoidance of the things that I really wanted to accomplish. I also realized how perfectionism is getting in my way of not only my goals, but my health.

Very helpful, practical ways to end procrastination forever. Once you accept that procrastination usually has an emotional underpinning (fear, anxiety, perfectionism) it's easy to practice some daily habits that will help you achieve your goals without angst or drama. Highly recommend.

Petr Ludwig and Adela Schicker offer readers information for determining "why" and "how" they procrastinate. They also offer some practical techniques and solutions for overcoming one's whys and hows. I had some trouble getting into the author's style, perhaps this is a translation? Once I stopped personally procrastinating, I adopted several of the ideas presented. I really appreciated the no o\nonsense approach, and the variety of tips and tricks .
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I will admit that I'm a creature of procrastination. I will put off things until the last minute because I'm always getting distracted. This book shows me why I do these things and offers tips on how to keep procrastination at bay. I enjoyed this book a lot.

Awesome book!

I was very good at procrastination......and so needed a book which can drag me out of this habit....and then i found this book.

Some very useful and practical instructions....you'll have lots of Ahhaaa moment (I certainly did)

I have improved on procrastinate prevention...thanks to this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this gem!

PS; This is a book, you'll read and re-read and come back to it over and over again!

This is an excellent book, providing easy-to-apply scientifically sound tools, focusing on conquering procrastination..

The end of procrastination is a must read book for anyone who has ever had a problem getting motivated. This book explains the difference between procrastination and laziness, they are NOT the same. At the end of each chapter it basically summarized the chapter you just read. This is a good book, even for one that doesn’t have a problem, but you know someone who does. This could help you help them. Enjoy! :)

Using science to take apart the mechanisms and motivations for procrastination, The End of Procrastination aims to provide the tested tools the authors have already put into practice with clients and seminar attendees. Well written with a ‘been there, done that” sympathy, the authors never talk down to readers yet still manage to succinctly guide readers o to a more organized, orderly and ultimately (hopefully) a more satisfying life path.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I go through bouts of procrastination - always have - and so I was thrilled to be granted an advanced copy of this book! At first, I struggled with the author's voice; it was a bit of a turn-off for me. But as I continued and progressed into the specifics and the science of procrastination, that kind of faded to the background.

Petr was great at highlighting actionable steps to take to utilise the science. He has a toolbox full of tools to help end procrastination and it's very easy to understand. The reason I didn't give this book more stars is because nothing felt earth-shattering. Also, I stepped away for a few days during vacation and picked it up to finish later and I'd forgotten most of the points that had been made.

It was certainly a good read and I'd happily recommend it to anyone who:
- sees their procrastination as an impediment
- enjoys learning
- is self-employed and needs to motivate themselves

One of my favourite books on productivity of all time. I love it, I'll buy it to read it again. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read it in advanced.

While this book was relatively accurate (minus the Stanford Prison Experiment), I found this book very difficult to read. I didn't feel it had a story or anything to hold my attention. The information was presented in what seemed like a long list of points the author wanted to make.
I know the author must have given his best, but it's not my cup of tea.

Hands down, the best book I've read on the topic. I'm planning to actually purchase a copy of this (or more likely, I'll try to get a faculty/desk copy, because I want to make all my students read this and assign it in all my classes). I'm going to try to keep this review short and to the point.

Things I loved:
1. THERE ARE CITATIONS! PRAISE THE GODS OF REFERENCES! I'm so sick of non-fiction books not including references. There are dozens of pages of notes and he backs up everything he says with actual research. Yay!

2. A good mix of text and graphics. All types of learners can benefit from this book since the material is broken up into different presentations, yet they complement one another rather than competing.

3. Chapter summaries at the end, which serve as a nice refresher (especially as an on-going reference.

4. Online tools/worksheets that correspond with the exercises in the book.

5. It's direct and to the point. It's not a try-hard book. It's not gimmicky. It's not preachy.

6. Despite having read like 100 books on this topic over the years (I'm on my 4th round of grad school and I work in higher education...these types of books are everywhere), there were still things in here that I hadn't seen before, read about, or at least were presented in a new way. The idea of a weekly meeting with yourself, for example, seems so simple yet why hasn't that ever been proposed before? Why didn't occur to me? Genius.

Things I didn't like:
- some of the font was hard to read.
- that's it.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! (Even though I'm a little late finishing it...procrastination, amirite?)

END OF PROCRASTINATION by Petr Ludwig and Adela Schicker is subtitled: How to Stop Postponing and Live a Fulfilled Life. It has been previously published internationally and has a fun video summary here:
https://www.goodreads.com/videos/142115-the-end-of-procrastination
Ludwig relies on visual cues and diagrams to relay information from studies on motivation, decision-making and effectiveness, but he concludes, "there is a gap between what science knows and what people do." Sadly, I think the relatively negative review of this book in The Washington Post summarizes it best – people who need END OF PROCRASTINATION may not pick it up and those with good executive functioning skills do not really need it, do they? I had asked for an advance copy because we know that teens need help developing and practicing those time management skills. Although this text seems more geared to adults (suggesting a SWOT analysis and other activities), we do already have a several other relevant books in our collection that deserve a look (whether by teens themselves or the adults trying to guide them):
* Overcoming Procrastination for Teens by Knaus (New Harbinger, 2016; see also their Grit Guide for Teens, 2017) – both are filled with worksheets and prompts which could be used in advisory/homeroom.
* The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Covey (Simon & Schuster, 1998) – a classic which I have taught with Special Education teachers.
* The Crumpled Paper was Due Last Week by Homayoun (Penguin, 2010)
* Make Time by Knapp (Currency, 2018)
For those who are more interested in some of the scientific and psychological studies on attention, distraction and time management perhaps consider titles like The Organized Mind from Levitin, Flow by Csikszentmihalyi, Focus by Goleman, or Now You See It by Davidson.

Boy do I have a problem with procrastination. I procrastinated reading this, working through the points and even writing this review. I want to feel the peace that one gets when they get things done, in a timely manner. Don't get me wrong I take care of my level A important stuff, it's the B level daily grind stuff I avoid till it bites me in the behind, I need help with. When I saw this book I was thrilled it was thin so I could get through it quickly and get back to avoiding getting that B stuff done. Well, this book needs to be read slowly in bits. Yeh, it requires time to think and absorb the steps. Time I could have been off procrastinating, darn it. There are four sections, only four uncomplicated solutions and steps to follow to relieve the stress and start functioning productively.
I liked the simplicity of it and the facts it covered. It had scientific facts, lots of background on the whys. I don't know if will work long term but I'm working at it. SO far so good, and my stress level has gone down. it's nice to not be behind.

I’m sure the release for The End of Procrastination by Petr Ludwig was timed for the New Year. It is the time when people buy more gym clothes (and occasionally a membership) and declare diets fated to last maybe days. I’ve had the book on my iPad for months. No, I didn’t procrastinate. I prefer to read books closer to their release date.

You’ve probably read a bajillion books helping you be more productive. There are also studies showing that procrastination can be helpful (in some cases). Instead of a general review of this self-help book, I will talk about the tips I gained from reading The End of Procrastination. Because reading and reviewing so many books gets boring for me.

Confirmation Bias

I’m sure the words confirmation bias appear nowhere in the 272 pages, but, for me, it featured heavily. It’s reassuring that many of the organization tools I use are also what Petr recommends. They’re not identical, but do the same thing to achieve the same goal.

Start with Low Goals

I think we all need reminders here. How many of you set audacious New Year’s resolutions? Run a marathon? Lose 20kgs? Then fail and give up a few weeks later. Petr suggests setting the bar low and gradually working your way up. Walk a 5km race, then run one, before moving to a 10km.

Build Yourself a Business Plan

Petr doesn’t call it a business plan (rather a personal vision), but it essentially is. And put it in writing. I do SWOT analyses for clients all the time, but I’ve never done one for me. What are my motivating activities? I think I know them but I’ve never sat down for an hour to focus on these things. Great advice.

Make it Visual

I love the templates Petr has created to help control procrastination. These are all pen and paper style reflections which work for some, but I can never do it for my To Do list (organized into today and do later tasks to make it achievable). I have daily recurring tasks, so I tried manual and use ToDoist instead. It automates sequences. He also recommends a habit list, which I also have as a recurring task. Yes, I will hit my red exercise ring on my Apple Watch each day. I will write in the gratitude section of my Best Self Journal each morning.

Hamster Analogies are a Little Weird

Petr tells the story of a hamster trapped in a box with a clear cover. The hamster quickly realizes it can’t jump out and gives up, even after the cover is removed. It’s in a discussion of learned helplessness which I get but would like to think humans are more curious than a hamster and observe differences around them, thus not accepting their fate. Or maybe I needed a human study example to accept the example. A side aspect of this (which I liked and Petr used to introduce the hamster is negativity being contagious. It’s why cable television is a success because by filtering the news you believe the world is only bad.

The referencing behind the tips could be improved. I know Petr’s not going for an academic audience so he’s trying to keep the flow going, but it didn’t work for me. I’ll never check footnotes at the end of the book or chapter, so giving more detail of who did the study and when will attribute it better and look more authentic.

But apart from that The End of Procrastination is a very useful book, either to aid your New Year’s resolution or just because productivity tips are always welcome.

First published on MassConsternation.com

Why We Procrastinate and How to Change

When we have so much to do, why do we still procrastinate? The opening chapter of this book presents current research that attempts to answer this question. The tone is conversational, so it’s not like reading a textbook, but it does give enough information to make the reader think about why they procrastinate. The chapter is succinct giving a lot of information in a short space. It makes the point that there is so much information available about why we procrastinate that the thought of tackling it can lead to more procrastination.

The book is structured around four sections: motivation, discipline, outcomes, and objectivity. The motivation section is tied in with our goals. What do you want to accomplish? Discipline presents ways to take action so that you can achieve your goals. Outcome has to do with the results of your actions, and objectivity presents ways to see reality more clearly.

In addition to theory, each section gives tools and exercises to help you end procrastination. The check points are helpful in assessing your progress. If you sincerely want to fulfill your dreams and stop putting off the tasks necessary to get what you desire, this book contains a wealth of information that will help you get there.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

I feel rather mixed about this self-help book.

On the plus side, Ludwig does a nice job of summarizing some tools that will be useful for procrastinators, should they (we...) implement them. Indeed, some of the tools are reminiscent of other personal coaching materials that I've encountered before (e.g., break down tasks into their parts rather than just list the overall goal on a to-do list, generate a personal vision to guide your tasks and to help you reject tasks that do not align with that vision). I think that these tools are quite helpful and Ludwig has made them accessible.

On the negative side, I didn't like the cutesy cartoon approach to some of the material in the book. I didn't agree with some of the logic. Drawing from empirical research is admirable and I appreciated his reference to various psychological research. However, he sometimes misrepresented ideas or extended them further than seemed warranted. (Disclaimer: I am a cognitive psychologist, so I am familiar with much of the research he drew on.) Finally, I think that Ludwig needed to acknowledge that many of these tools would be most useful for a general audience, but that they will not be a cure-all. Although cognitive restructuring is an excellent tool, I don't agree with Ludwig's suggestion that using his inner-switch tool is going to cure all ills, including depression.

So, I would give this book a 4.5 rating for the tools themselves and have reduced my rating to 3 stars due to the details that bogged down the author's presentation of his procrastination tools.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.