Procrastination : why you do it, what to do about it now PDF
Preview Procrastination : why you do it, what to do about it now
0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page i Praise for PROCRASTINATION “Trying to kick the procrastination habit? In their practice treating procrastinators, [these] California psychologists. . . have pinpointed several causes.” —USA Today “An exploration of what causes people to procrastinate and various procrastination styles. . . . Fascinating.” —Fitness “Dr. Burka and Dr. Yuen . . . get procrastinators to feel better about themselves. . . . In learning to reduce their delaying tactics, procrastina- tors have much to gain in addition to faster performance and enjoying life more.” —New York Times “Procrastination can be deadly to just about every aspect of your life. . . Burka and Yuen. . . offer hope for those prone to delay.” —Boston Herald “Procrastination’s basic message: A tendency to be tardy is neither a bad habit nor moral failing [but] a ‘complex psychological problem’ caused by fear.” —U.S. News and World Report “Warmly and even humorously written, but the points are clearly made. . . . Burka and Yuen did not procrastinate in getting to the remedies which have been successful in their clinical work.” —Honolulu Star-Bulletin “Burka and Yuen see procrastination as more than just laziness. For some, it’s closer to a psychological block that keeps them from doing what needs to be done.” —San Jose Mercury-News 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page ii “If procrastination is starting to play havoc with your sanity. . . for- tunately there are. . . helpful tools [in] Procrastination.” —Oakland Tribune “A close examination of procrastination. . . . Most useful is the authors’ advice on how procrastinators can break their bad habits. . . . This fre- quently lively book will certainly set time-wasters and task-avoiders on the path to self-improvement.” —Publishers Weekly “A good overview. . . . The authors provide useful suggestions without being slick. . . [and] give sensible advice for dealing with the procras- tinators in one’s own life.” —Library Journal “Why do we make excuses and put things off? Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen explain how we get that way, and what we can do to stop it.” —In Business “Want to stop procrastinating and be more productive? Read this now!” —Working Woman 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page iii PROCRASTINATION 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page iv 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page v PROCRASTINATION Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now Jane B. Burka, PhD & Lenora M. Yuen, PhD A Member of the Perseus Books Group 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page vi Copyright © 1983, 2008 by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Designed by Trish Wilkinson Set in 10.5-point Minion by the Perseus Books Group Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burka, Jane B. Procrastination : why you do it, what to do about it now / Jane B. Burka & Lenora M. Yuen. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7382-1170-1 (alk. paper) 1. Procrastination. I. Yuen, Lenora M. II. Title. BF575.P95B87 2008 155.20'32—dc22 2008034692 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page vii Contents Acknowledgments ix A Note to Our Readers xi Part One UNDERSTANDING PROCRASTINATION 1 1 Procrastination: Nuisance or Nemesis? 5 2 Fear of Failure: The Procrastinator on Trial 19 3 Fear of Success: Hello Procrastination, Good-bye Success 33 4 The Procrastinator in Combat: Fear of Losing the Battle 49 5 The Comfort Zone: Fear of Separation and Fear of Intimacy 65 6 Do You Know What Time (It) Is? 73 7 Current Neuroscience: The Big Ideas 89 8 Procrastination and Your Brain 101 9 How You Came to Be a Procrastinator 117 10 Looking Ahead to Success 137 vii 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page viii viii Contents Part Two OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION 153 11 Taking Stock: A Procrastination Inventory 163 12 Setting and Achieving Goals 175 13 Learning How to Tell Time 193 14 Learning to Say Yes and No 215 15 Using Your Body to Reduce Procrastination 227 16 Tips for Procrastinators with ADD and Executive Dysfunction 237 17 Neither Here nor There: Procrastination and the Cross-Cultural Experience 247 18 Living and Working with Procrastinators 259 Epilogue 275 Appendix A: Procrastination: Twenty-five Years of Research 277 Appendix B: A Short List of Techniques for Managing Procrastination 289 Appendix C: Notes and Sources 293 Index 315 0738211701 text.qxd:Layout 1 10/10/08 3:52 PM Page ix Acknowledgments We are grateful to all the people in our private practices and our Procrastination Groups and Workshops for deepening our un- derstanding of procrastination. Hearing their stories, understanding their struggles, and helping them progress has been one of the great joys of our professional life. Their words, phrases, and stories have significantly enriched this book. We appreciate the support and encouragement of the many friends and colleagues who helped make this book possible. Carol Morrison offered wise editorial advice as well as frequent personal boosts. Ken Rice graciously shared his extensive research on perfec- tionism. Barbara Blasdel, Karen Peoples, and Leslye Russell are mem- bers of a writers’ group that provided psychological guidance and inspiration along with editorial eyes and contact creativity. Apologies to the many friends who remained supportive even while being neg- lected. Barbara Kaplan, Gerson Schreiber, Ingrid Tauber, Kathy De- Witt, Virginia Fredrick, Beth Herb, Anna Muelling, and members of the Lindemann Study Group and the Stanford Professional Women’s Book Club offered steady encouragement with open hearts and great patience for many canceled meetings. Our dear friend Taraneh Razavi opened not only her heart to us, but her wonderful beach house where we spent many weekends working with a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. Taraneh, we don’t know how we would have done it without your generosity. ix
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