The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Stuff Done - Hardcover

Steel, Piers, Ph.d.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061703613 ISBN 13: 9780061703614

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2010

Synopsis

Draws on more than a decade of research to counsel readers on how to recognize and overcome procrastination habits, offering insight into biological and psychological factors while challenging popular beliefs. 50,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Piers Steel, PhD, is the world's leading researcher and speaker on the science of motivation and procrastination. He studied and taught at the business and psychology schools of the University of Minnesota before moving to the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, where he is a professor of human resources and organizational dynamics. He has been studying procrastination and its effects for more than ten yearsùafter spending decades practicing it. Dr. Steel's award-winning research has appeared in magazines ranging from Psychology Today and New Scientist to Good Housekeeping and Profit. His work has been reported in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and USA Today. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and two sons.

From the Back Cover

Using a mix of psychology, science, self-help, and a decade of groundbreaking research, Dr. Piers Steel, internationally recognized as the foremost authority on procrastination, explains why procrastination is dangerously on the rise and tells us how to overcome the destructive patterns that affect our health and happiness to create more positive lives.

If you think you are not one of the 95 percent of those of us who procrastinate, take Dr. Steel's test in The Procrastination Equation. Or if you think you procrastinate because you're a perfectionist you're wrong. So, why do we surf the Web instead of finishing overdue projects? Why do we say we'll start that diet tomorrow? Why do we stay up late watching television instead of going to bed? And how do we overcome these bad habits that we know work against our best intentions? Based on more than a decade of research, and written with humor, humanity, and solid science, The Procrastination Equation explains why we do what we do or, in this case, don't offering answers to such questions as:

• Are we biologically hardwired to procrastinate? If so, why?
• How does procrastination cost us?
• What tricks do we play on ourselves when we procrastinate at work, school, and home?
• If visualizing our dreams isn't enough to make them real, then what steps must we take?

Along the way, Dr. Steel dispels the myths and misunderstandings of motivation and procrastination, replacing them with a clear explanation of why we put off until tomorrow what we should be doing today. He then offers specific techniques we can use to tame and prevent the bad habits that adversely affect our health, happiness, and careers, all the while celebrating the very human foibles that make us who we are. The Procrastination Equation is the definitive and accessible guide for anyone who struggles with this age-old dilemma.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061703613
• ISBN 13: 9780061703614
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 307