The now habit: a strategic program for overcoming procrastination and enjoying guilt-free play

216 Pages·2007·1.33 MB·English

by  Fiore Neil A

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1. - WHY WE PROCRASTINATE
Chapter 2. - HOW WE PROCRASTINATE
Chapter 3. - HOW TO TALK TO YOURSELF
Chapter 4. - GUILT-FREE PLAY, QUALITY WORK
Chapter 5. - OVERCOMING BLOCKS TO ACTION
Chapter 6. - THE UNSCHEDULE
Chapter 7. - WORKING IN THE FLOW STATE
Chapter 8. - FINE-TUNING YOUR PROGRESS
Chapter 9. - THE PROCRASTINATOR IN YOUR LIFE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY NEIL A. FIORE

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Coping with the Emotional Aspects of Cancer

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With Susan C. Pescar
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Copyright © 1989, 2007 by Neil A. Fiore
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fiore, Neil A.
The now habit : a strategic program for overcoming procrastination
and enjoying guilt-free play / Neil A. Fiore.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eISBN : 978-1-440-68404-3
1. Procrastination. 2. Work—Psychological aspects.
3. Play—Psychological aspects. 4. Time management. I. Title.
BF637.P76F
155.2’32—dc22

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers
and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the
author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after
publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not
assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
http://us.penguingroup.com
This book is dedicated to all those people who had the courage and perseverance
to seek help with the frustrating problem of procrastination. It has been written
for all those who, in their quest for help, brought with them a battered 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.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book came out of my own struggles with procrastination, motivation, and
creativity, but in large part it is based on the experiences of thousands of
coaching and therapy 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 believed in the early, rough draft of the manuscript and had the
vision to see this book. I will continue to be grateful for the advice and help of
my agents. I am very grateful to friends who read rough drafts and offered
constructive criticism, but I especially 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 inspiration of Janice Gallagher, both of whom
contributed greatly to the organization of this book.
FOREWORD TO THE NEW EDITION
It’s been almost twenty years since The Now Habit was first published, and
thirty years since I began to develop and test the strategies of putting guilt-free
play into your schedule (creating an “Unschedule”) and “choosing to start” as
ways to remove the obstacles to your natural motivation and optimal
productivity.

Since then, in my seminars and private sessions with coaching and therapy
clients, I’ve been challenged by some of the most entrenched forms of
procrastination. Repeatedly, I’ve found that going back to Now Habit basics—
the Unschedule, fifteen to thirty minutes of uninterrupted work, and using the
Flow State/Centering exercise—works in most cases. The Now Habit has stood
the test of time.
In this revised edition, I’ve refined and clarified some concepts and exercises,
but the essential message of The Now Habit remains the same:
Procrastination is a habit you develop to cope with anxiety about starting or
completing a task. It is your attempted solution to cope with tasks that are
boring or overwhelming. When you use the Now Habit strategies to lower
your anxiety, fears, and self-doubts, you can stop using procrastination as an
escape and can double your productivity and, often, double your income.
When you learn to work efficiently—in the Flow State or Zone, using more of
your brain-cell power—you have less reason to avoid important, top-priority
tasks.

The Now Habit frees you of shame and blame and moves you to a leadership
perspective in your life. From this awakened sense of a larger, stronger self, you
are free of the inner conflict between the inner voices of “you have to” versus
“but I don’t want to.” You begin to live your life from choice—a leadership
function of your higher, human brain and your new identity as a producer.