I really enjoyed reading this book about how to tackle procrastination and eradicate bad habits to the profit of good habits. The method explained in this book is really good, I am going to use it starting from today! This book is a must if you want to feel good about yourself and have more good things done in your life!

I confess that I procrastinated reading this book. Yes, I have plenty of excuses but I know they are just that — excuses. I was impressed with the wealth of research presented to back up the claims in this book. The authors have thoroughly researched the topic and present many psychological and scientific studies to support their approach. Don’t worry, it is not at all like a textbook; in fact, it is more conversational in tone.  The book is well organized into four sections - Motivation, Discipline, Outcomes and Objectivity. The sections includes tools to help the reader in their quest to end procrastination and a valuable recap at the end of each chapter.

The book begins with a thorough explanation of procrastination — why we do it, including biological underpinnings. The End of Procrastination is much more than learning how to get things done.  Ludwig ties it into the bigger picture - your vision and purpose in life. Throughout the book there are powerful exercises as well as tools to help you discover your personal vision and learn what motivates you so that you can ultimately quash procrastination.  Some of the tools were familiar to me but here they were slightly different and potentially more effective. Ludwig integrates several different strategies to ultimately end procrastination. 

Ludwig explains that overcoming procrastination is a process as is fulfilling your personal vision.  This book is much more than a system to end procrastination; it aims to help you manage your life more effectively and be more successful. Ludwig makes it simple by providing the reader with self-assessments and exercises.  He even makes the worksheets to begin to implement the process available on his website so that you can get going filling them in and using them to help you succeed. 

Don’t rush through this book or try to read it in one sitting. Take your time, absorb the material and do the exercises and you too will end procrastination once and for all.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so thankful not only that I requested this book from Netgalley, but also that I got it! This book is a game-changer and I've already begun implementing some of the suggestions. As soon as I finish my review, I'll start working on the rest. And I'm planning to buy a physical copy of this book because, although it's easy enough to get all of the information through the e-book, I want to be able to go back and flip through it whenever the mood strikes, and that can be a challenge when I'm reading something else on my Kindle. I'm also trying to think of friends and family who might benefit from a copy of this book. It looks like I have birthday gifts figured out! I have a teenaged son who is a master of procrastination and I'm planning to begin teaching him what I've learned. 

So what did I learn? You can't simply address procrastination by coming up with a plan without addressing the underlying causes of the behavior. This book does that, plus it teaches coping strategies for those often subconscious motivations. There are concrete suggestions and the tone of the book is compassionate and non-judgmental When the student is ready, the teacher appears. I wish I'd been ready for this book about 30+ years ago! 

This book is succinct, helpful, and inspiring. There's no fluff; anecdotal stories are used enough to be explanatory and memorable, not superfluous. The book is easy to read and understand and easy to implement thanks to free worksheets available at their website. https://procrastination.com/working-materials. This may well be the best book I have ever read on the subject of procrastination. Though you can probably access the worksheets without buying the book, you'll be missing out on so much. Buy the book!

This book is awesome!  It breaks down into steps that anyone can do.  It is a keeper and a good reference to follow.

This book reflects on the how and why and cultural implications of procrastination, brings in the latest science on procrastination, and also offers a concrete plan and steps that the reader can take to get themselves out of a procrastination lifestyle and toward more fulfillment, achievement, and happiness. I know, I know, it's a lofty claim, but I do believe this book delivers on it, by breaking down the motivation, discipline, outcomes, and objectives of tasks. 

Because the recommendations and assessments are based on the science of how our brain works, the interventions you can make in your own life really work. I appreciated how concise and well-organized this book was; it is truly actionable for someone who feels stuck, as well as someone who just needs a "boost."  

My only complaint was that some of the advice seemed superficial and, while it's good to be reminded of basic concepts, sometimes there was not enough depth in the concepts and suggestions. But, I do think it is a very good tool for someone who has little or no skills in motivating themselves to stop procrastination!

To me, you are getting a lot of quick facts/information - not a whole lot of information but the reader gets the point. The tool pages help the reader answer questions and get ideas down. It is more of knowing what procrastination is and how it works.

Nice, concise and well organized - this author has researched human behavior and has come up with a composite of intentional actions to do to prevent getting into the mindset of procrastination.
Ludwig breaks down the process into 4 sections:
Motivation - time is finite, don't waste it! Creating a personal vision for personal satisfaction
Discipline - take actions that are in keeping with your personal vision
Outcomes - emotional / material results from your actions
Objectivity - reduce biases to see reality more clearly / where you can make improvements

The author is very personable and tells you not take on too much all at once to avoid failure - common sense, but  it feels enlightening to read it!

Productivity Series Book #4

Self help books aren't really my thing. And this wasn't either. I found more quotes and sayings such as 'Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.' That was what it all boiled down to.

I wasn't impressed with this one.

Netgalley/ St. Martin's Business December 31, 2018

The End of Procrastination is a wealth of self-improvement information. I was expecting a regular pop culture book on how to make lists, how to build rewards and how to explain the next time you didn't get something done on time (that old '"dog ate my homework: excuse will only work for so long).  These authors have a much more ambitious aim -- to change your life. The material here goes far beyond the realm of just changing habits, it changes your approach.

As a writer, and as a human being trying to keep my life in order, I found that setting and keeping to priorities among the many clamoring for my time was my greatest weakness. While many of these chapters held multitude of solutions it was near the end that I got a breakthrough. It was a simple mind-map exercise that's often used by creative people to generate ideas. The authors suggested using this tool to randomly record my to-do items on a blank sheet of paper, unlined is best, Then start connecting them from the most important to the least important, noticing connections where you might combine similar tasks to do at the same time. It doesn't take long really, and when you've finished that part it soon becomes clear which tasks will be first, which ones second and so on, including the ones you may decide to delegate or not do at all.

This was my breakthrough. But I do believe that anyone who finds themselves frequently procrastinating can make similar breakthroughs. This will also be helpful to those who find themselves in temporary but overwhelming situations. For this reason, I recommend the book to everyone.

Wish i had not procrastinated on reading this book....
Petr does a great job of showing us how to reframe our thinking about problems and tasks that we need to do from a mental point of view. getting out of our own way to work past the walls we have in getting things done and build habits of being a "Doer"

This book covers more than procrastination as it provides tips for being successful in life in general. I enjoyed this book and its illustrations that added some humor to the seriousness of the topics covered

I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book on NetGalley.

THE END OF PROCRASTINATION provides a wealth of information on the nature of procrastination and is full of actionable tools based on well-referenced psychology research. At the end of each section, a recap is provided for quick reference and serves as a refresher. The book is broken into four sections: Motivation, Discipline, Outcomes, and Objectivity. The authors manage to make the topic fun through clear, practical prose, and fun naming conventions, such as “Negative Hamster Loop.”

I fully intend to implement the tools provided in the book. They are flexible, easy to use, and aid the user by helping to anticipate potential risks in making the effective. I’m certain that the “To-Do Today” tool will take my to-do list to the next level. Some of the tools were familiar to me and others were brand new. One of the things I like about the book is that perfection is not expected. The authors describe overcoming procrastination as a process and provide plenty of suggestions on how to get back on track.

I look forward to the release, so that I can order a paperback edition for my reference library.

Good book a different way of talking about WHAT most of us do, PROCRASTINATE !  I think some of us learned this by example.  But we can retrain yourself to not do this lots of ideas and some incite to why we do this , but in the end WE have to take control!

The End of Procrastination
by Petr Ludwig

I finished this book two months ago and am just now getting around to writing the review.  That tells me something.

The book is very well researched and is organized into four sections: motivation, discipline, outcomes, and objectivity.  Each chapter provides a self-assessment and there are many activities designed for reflection and motivation.  This is not meant to be read in one sitting.  It is meant to be worked. Unfortunately, it did not inspire me to do the work.. Although the author gives many anecdotes along with tips, I didn't relate to it.

To get the most out of this book, I recommend a print copy.  A print format lends itself to revisiting key sections and notation.  That is just how my brain works..  I am going to generously give it a 4-star rating, because I am accepting the fact that my lack of success and interest is probably my fault, not that of the author.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin'sPress for an eARC in return for my unbiased review.

This book covers more than just simple procrastination as it provides tips for being successful in life in general. I enjoyed this short read and its illustrations that added some humor to the seriousness of the topics covered.

Author: Ptr Ludwig

Publisher: St. Martin’s Essentials

Genre: Self-Help

Page Count: 272 pages

ISBN-10: 1250308054 

ISBN-13: 978-1250308054 (Audio CD)

Publication Date: December 31, 2018

To Be Published in 10 Languages 

Originally Published: May 2013 by Jan Melvil Publikování

Pre-order (English Version) Now From Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Powell’s, MacMillan Publishers

My Rating: 3 and 1/2 Stars

About the Author (From Publishers’ Page):

Ptr Ludwig
Ptr Ludwig is a science popularizer, entrepreneur, and consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He explains crucial and difficult things simply and easily. Peter helps to improve intrinsic motivation, efficiency, and the happiness of people at work and in their personal lives. In The End of Procrastination and in his talks, he transfers the knowledge of neuroscience and behavioral economics into practice.

From Website:

The motto of his life is: “A person who goes with the crowd, usually does not get further than the crowd itself. However, a person who is able to leave the crowd, can get to places where no one has ever been.”

Social Media Sites: Twitter, Twitter (GrowJob Institute) Czech, GrowJob Website (Czech), Facebook (GrowJob) Czech, Author’s Website (in Czech), PROCRASTINATION.COM, LinkedIn (Czech), Goodreads

About ADELA SCHICKE (From Publisher’s Page):

Adela“Adela Schicker is the co-founder of Procratination.com, the institute that helps companies and individuals to reach their full potential. Adela translated The End of Procrastination and is helping it to reach the international audience. She speaks at conferences and training companies worldwide, making sure that science can be explained simply and made useful for everyone.”

From website:

“Adela is a personal growth consultant and motivational speaker. She is an avid traveler having lived long term in 11 different countries in 4 continents. A vast number of different learning and working environments has given her a keen eye for people’s talents and has made her a highly effective networker. Armed with these skills together with scientific knowledge, Adela is focusing on helping companies, and individuals create and pursue their visions.” 

“Better self. Better world.”

Social Media Sites: Twitter, Procrastination Website, Linkedin, Goodreads

Description of THE END OF PROCRASTINATION (From Publishers’ Page):

Simple, science-based tools to stop procrastination

Even with overflowing inboxes, thousands of unread notifications, and unmet deadlines, most people still can’t manage to take control of their time and stop procrastinating. The End of Procrastination tackles this ubiquitous issue head on, helping you stop putting off work and reclaim your time. Author Petr Ludwig shows that ending procrastination is more than a wise time management strategy—it’s essential to developing a sense of purpose and leading a happier more fulfilled life. 

The keys to overcoming procrastination are simple. With eight clear, approachable tools—from quick daily worksheets to shift your perspective to to-do lists that actually help you get things done—The End of Procrastination provides everything you need to change the way you manage your time and live your life.

Based on the latest research, The End of Procrastination synthesizes over one hundred scientific studies to create a program that is based on the way our brains actually work. By understanding exactly why procrastination happens and how our brains respond to motivation and self-discipline, the book provides readers with the knowledge to conquer procrastination on an everyday basis.

My Review:  3 and 1/2 Stars

I APPRECIATED reading THE END OF PROCRASTINATION: HOW TO STOP POSTPONING AND LIVING A FULFILLED LIFE. I was excited when I was notified that I had been approved to read and review this book because the truth is I tend to procrastinate, but I am always able to explain why. It’s my ADD; although, I have to say that procrastination appears to be part of ADD. All the professionals I know with ADD, including myself, will tell you the same thing, and we will also tell you that we purposely wait until the last moment to begin a task because we work better under stress to accomplish whatever it is we are working on, with excellent results.

Ludwig says, “People love leaving things to the last minute. They justify their actions by claiming that they work better under pressure. However, the opposite is true, putting things off until the very last moment creates fertile ground for stress, guilt, and ineffectiveness,”

I believe Ludwig is overall correct when talking about the general populous; however, there are exceptions to Ludwig’s belief, such as those with ADD, depression, sickness, etc.. The vast majority know there is never a one size fits all. That said, I found myself hyper-focusing and drawn into Ludwig’s book. I began to believe that regardless of being ADD, there are several areas of THE END OF PROCRASTINATION, as well as resources on the website PROCRASTINATION.COM that I would put to use in managing my life. There is yet another statement made by Ludwig that I firmly disagree with.

“Every morning, we wake up in a world where there is less violence and military conflict than in any other time in history,” – Ptr Ludwig

Perhaps in Sweden life is less violent and maybe they are not involved in the military conflicts the United States are. Let’s take a minute and look at the United States war history. America has been at war 93% of the time – 222 out of 239 years since 1776. Here is a link to Global Research to give you the facts. I’m not going to provide statistics on violence because if you are American or reside in America, you know the facts. There are significant geographical variants in violent crime in the United States, some areas have decreased while other regions have increased. Our current political climate is making things worse as the hate pot is once again being stirred-up.

Ptr Ludwig’s book has an Introduction, is divided into four independent sections, and a conclusion. Part One is on How Motivation Works With a Toolkit and Helps You Create a Personal Vision. Part Two is Discipline, The Shift of Effective Living Up to Your Vision. Part Three is Outcomes of Your Actions – Tools to Help You Gain Greater Emotional Stability. Part Four is Objectivity – the Ability to See Through the False Perceptions You Have of the World and Yourself.

I was all in reading THE END OF PROCRASTINATION: HOW TO STOP POSTPONING AND LIVING A FULFILLED LIFE. Unfortunately, when I came to The Comfort Zone of the Masses: Birthplace of Evil in the book, where Ludwig began speaking of meeting with Professor Phillip Zimbardo who many may not be familiar with, the book became convoluted. If you are now currently, or have ever served in law enforcement, force protection or anti-terrorism, in or out of the military, you will be more likely to be familiar with Zimbardo and his Stanford Prison Experiment. I was one of many required to watch Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment that had been taped in the 70’s. I did not learn anything I did not know from watching the tape, nor did I need a psychology degree; although I did minor in psychology, to know that without leadership, you are going to fail, as are your people.

Phillip Zimbardo has a YouTube video in which he says, “I MADE A BIG MISTAKE!” There is another Zimbardo YouTube video interview in which Zimbardo talks about the Stanford Prison Experiment and his book THE LUCIFER EFFECT, which I have, and I have read more than once. And one more YouTube video worth watching is A Study of Evil in which Zimbardo talks about becoming involved in speaking on behalf of a soldier  (National Guardsman) from Abu Ghraib at his court-martial to defend his actions of abuse. Zimbardo would later write a book called THE LUCIFER EFFECT in which he speaks on behalf of the National Guardsman on trial for abusing the enemy combatants at Abu Ghraib. This National Guardsman was one of the hundreds of men and women Guardsmen assigned to oversee the Abu Ghraib enemy combatant camp.

This is where I shook my head because what Ptr Ludwig had been writing about, and I had been reading changed very suddenly, and the change did not align with what he had been writing about up until this point. This is the point that Ludwig lost me as I saw no apparent connection. It seemed to me that Ludwig was more interested in having the name Zimbardo connected to his book than the content in his book from this point of separation.

I remembered, once again, how embarrassed I had been and remain today by the horrendous actions of the National Guardsman assigned to run the Abu Ghraib enemy combatant camp. I also could not understand, at the time, why we had assigned a National Guard Unit to oversee this enemy combatant camp without active duty military police, and I was mad as hell that the leadership made excuses to save themselves. Some may wonder why I took the events at Abu Ghraib so personally and why I care so much? This was a slap in the face to the United States military. I was an American servicewoman who was on active duty and responsible for another enemy combatant camp. So, I saw the repulsive actions of the enlisted, as well as the lack of leadership in the camp as inexcusable.

We had a National Guard Unit, but the unit was intermixed with active duty personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. We also had leadership in our enemy combatant camps around the clock. I made it a point to show up at unannounced times throughout the day, night and early mornings to walk the blocks to ensure what happened in Abu Ghraib did not occur in my camps. Had leadership been present in Abu Ghraib, this alone would have prevented the hideous events that took place there. By leadership, I am speaking to officers, whether Navy, Army or Air Force, as well as senior enlisted personnel. It was their absence and dereliction to duty that resulted in the shame and humiliation to the United States military. This was just one example of many as to why the United States is hated as we are around the globe today. And to be clear those held in Abu Ghraib or any other enemy combatant camp were never prisoners, they were enemy combatants. The terms are significant.

Ludwig stated, “Zimbardo taught us how to become an everyday hero.” I don’t see how. Zimbardo also stated, “People do things because other people are doing them. They don’t want to be exposed to the social pressure and discomfort that would arise if they left the herd.”

This is not what happened in Abu Ghraib. Leadership failed.

In Where Do Negative Emotions Come From? Ludwig makes the following statement, “Negative people often inadvertently spread their emotions to the people around them.” This I concur with as I believe we have all witnessed this in life. But Ludwig goes on with, “Just take a look at an average pub on a Friday evening. You will see people complaining in unison about how everyone is a thief, nothing works, and everything is terrible.” I don’t know how many pubs Ludwig visited to come to this conclusion, but I can tell you that this is not fact-based. And if one finds themselves in a pessimistic pub, leave that pub and find another pub where people are happy and celebrating life.

Ludwig’s next mistake was to use veteran’s in his book. Ludwig says, “Depression and even suicide rates were high among these people. Therapists from the Hawaii Psychological Association were nonetheless able to find a way to help them.” Hear me when I say, that 22 active duty and veterans continue to take their lives every day. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) continues to be a Joint Forces Operation, meaning the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force are working together, and not as separate services.  I had to read the following statement many times to make sure I was not missing something,

“So, what was the next step? The researchers (Therapists from Hawaii) steered the veterans towards realizing that although what they had experienced was horrible, it would enable them to bear witness to war, which might help lower the chances of wars developing in the future. The researchers helped them view the worst things they had experienced from a more positive perspective.”

I have to point out that it’s not your veterans that get us into war. Thus the aforementioned highlighted text is a ridiculous statement. 

Also disturbing was comparing veterans to IBM employees, smokers trying to quit, a young man that’s attention is unrequited on a bus or a student that gets terrible grades. It’s unimaginable to me that anyone that has done their research would suggest veterans be lumped into those aforementioned as failures, shameful or losers. Flipping an inner switch will not work on veterans.

Veterans are told, “You have a new normal,” and this is what the veteran adjusts his or her life to. Negative stimuli will forever elicit negative emotional responses in veterans. If Ptr Ludwig arrived at his analysis of veteran’s from Zimbardo, he spoke to the wrong source about veterans. I carefully went through the list of references that were used in this book and was disheartened by how dated all the material was used to support the findings in the book THE END OF PROCRASTINATION: HOW TO STOP POSTPONING AND LIVING A FULFILLED LIFE. I was also surprised to find that the only sources used when it came to the suffering of veterans with PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc., came from Zimbardo and the Therapists from the Hawaii Psychological Association. There are so many more current studies available when it comes to veterans, and one of the most surprising finds is that the Veteran’s Administration, for one, was NOT a source.

I would have rated this book with five stars, but as soon as Ludwig began writing about Zimbardo, it felt as if I set one book down and picked up a different book. There are hundreds of thousands of veterans in the United States; however, this book is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth and perhaps do further damage. Ptr Ludwig would be wise to remove veterans entirely from this book or postpone publication until he has more thorough and recent studies that can be incorporated into the book.

“I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.” – Richard Feynman 

In an Author’s note, Ptr Ludwig wrote, “I, for example, concede the possibility that this entire book might be nonobjective. If this is so, and someone provides me with better information, I would be glad to re-evaluate my conclusions.

I would ask that you do not tie veterans to Zimbardo or use us as examples in your categories. I believe Ptr Ludwig’s book could be a good source for veterans, but not as it is currently written.

The book was a 5 Star read until I began reading The Comfort Zone. I recommend this book to anyone who is not a veteran.

Note: To see the review with photos and live links, please visit www.dbmoone.com. Thank you. 

And thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Solid and quick review of a helpful process for ending procrastination once-and-for-all. The author communicates solid evidence-based suggestions in a convincing and clear manner that could really put an end to procrastination and boost your happiness at the same time. Coupled with a solid system for getting things done and you could be unstoppable. Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read the net galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

How to move out of fear, because ultimate that is what procrastination is. Find ways to hide from the outcome. Great book,

This is a very clear, and well researched book that helps the reader move from procrastination to activity, and success.  Lots of good exercises that anyone can follow to move through a project, or the many projects and goals in life.  The book is non judgmental and presents a formula for success.

Good but Not Necessary

You may find this unique system for beating procrastination useful. There are plenty of helpful suggestions and good insights. Hang around long enough in this space or shine the light of attention on consciously getting your procrastination under control, you may find you don’t need to spend time reading these types of books. That time would be better spent coming up with strategies that work best for you and even more importantly, sticking with them. After all, who knows you better than you? Still, the book is short, concise, and to the point. Thank goodness because I’ve got work to do.
Procrastination is a topic that fascinates me and who isn’t after better self-motivation? Still, after immersing myself in more than my share of the personal development books, I think I can say, thanks but I’ve got this.
Now I just have to make myself do it. Got a book for that?

BRB Rating: Read It (maybe).