Procrastinators, read this -- now!
Written: Apr 24 '01 (Updated Apr 24 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well-written, interesting exercises, wide range of topics.
Cons: Second part less engaging, some topics discussed only briefly.
The Bottom Line: Recommended for anyone who has struggled with long-term procrastination issues, especially writers.
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| ebolles's Full Review: |
You know who you are. You have that great novel/screenplay/biography/whatever in your head. You may have an outline, notes, and maybe even a partial manuscript. You want to start writing (or finish), you really do, yet you never seem to get around to it. You are a procrastinator. And perhaps it is not only writing you put off, but other aspects of your life as well. Maybe you procrastinate about having a social life, finding a better job, working smarter, improving your relationship with important people in your life, cleaning the house -- whatever your problem, this book may be able to provide some insight and solutions for overcoming your procrastination.
Epinions as procrastination?
Hmmm...maybe you procrastinate by spending your time writing and rating epinions? Not that I'm knocking this interesting site, but really, for some of you (perhaps many of you) who spend a large chunk of your time here, aren't there often things you should or would rather be doing? Goals, dreams, achievements that could be worked toward with the time spent hanging out on the Internet? Now, before you go, "damn it, you are so right, ebolles! I am going to log off right now, and go compose a symphony/write a novel/climb Everest/finish my twenty foot sculpture," please, finish reading this review first and see if this book might be something that could help you.
The main idea behind the book
In The Tomorrow Trap psychologist Karen Peterson examines what she defines as Procrastination-Protection Syndrome (PPS). PPS is not about time management or organization issues, but chronic procrastination problems. It is also not about task-oriented procrastination problems. For instance, if you repeatedly procrastinate about going to the dentist, simply because you don't like going to the dentist (who does?), or a certain aspect of your job because you simply don't like that particular task, this book is not for you. The book looks at more serious procrastination issues and attempts to help the reader solve them by discovering underlying psychological and/or physiological causes.
Shame, shame, shame
At the center of PPS is shame, defined as a universal and normal aspect of the human psyche -- in limited degrees. Shame can be learned at any age from a variety of influences and according to Peterson, is generally at the root of serious procrastination problems. The book is divided into two parts. Part one looks at "the Tomorrow Trap" or PPS and part two presents ways of escaping from the trap. Throughout the book, Peterson illustrates different problems with case studies from her practice, as well as her own personal struggles with procrastination. Both sections also contain worksheets focused on different topics, many of which use writing with your non-dominant hand as a way of connecting with feelings that may lie in the non-dominant side of your brain.
Chock full o' topics
Areas of problems which are examined include: spontaneity, creativity, effort, solitude, childhood problems such as abuse and inconsistent parenting, anger, anxiety, assertiveness, fear of failure, fear of rejection, and writer's block. The idea that certain compulsive behavior -- workaholism, overeating, alcohol, smoking, computer addiction, just to name a few -- may feed into procrastination problems is also looked at. And methods to uncover sources of procrastination are discussed, such as psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, writing as therapy, using a family photohistory, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, psychotherapy, and art therapy. While by no means comprehensive, the book does provide a good general introduction to these methods.
Why I give it four stars (four and a half for writers)
I do not read self-help books too often. Many I have encountered are either too general, try to take on too much, are difficult to read, or sometimes just plain silly. I found this book to be quite good, however, and extremely well written, particularly the first part. Peterson presents her theories and case studies clearly and persuasively. And even though not all the problems discussed in the book will apply to most readers (at least I hope not), most are still interesting. I found the second part less engaging at times, but it is partially because I had less interest in some of the topics. This book is well worth a read for anyone who has struggled with procrastination, but especially writers, since this is the author's area of expertise. At the least, this book may make you think about why you procrastinate; at best, it can point you toward ways to overcome it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ebolles
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Member: Elizabeth
Location: 420 17' N 710 25' W
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 203 members
About Me:
Aspiring novelist who enjoys harassing fish, taking blurry underwater photos and self-medicating with chocolate.
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