One of the first academic books on procrastination, this text gives an introduction into different research perspectives on procrastination, the measurement and treatment of procrastination, as well as different phenomena (e.g., perfectionism, depression) associated with procrastination. The Art of Procrastination discusses the benefits of procrastination and how to use it to your advantage.

Another especially useful thing is that it explains the cognitive and behavioral biases that are behind the habit of procrastination. While it might not be full of nitty gritty details, it gives a great overview and guide for entrepreneurs, students, parents, or anyone who wants to stop their habit of delaying their work and start living a more productive life. Soon: An Overdue History of Procrastination, from Leonardo and Darwin to You and Me. This book examines the phenomenon of procrastination through psychological and historical lenses, and focuses on how it affected various notable people throughout history. It offers a relatively sympathetic and positive view of procrastination, and suggests that it can help us figure out what matters to us. As we have already covered, the friction that causes procrastination is usually centered around starting a behavior. Once you begin, it’s often less painful to keep working. This is one good reason to reduce the size of your habits because if your habits are small and easy to start, then you will be less likely to procrastinate. This book offers a concise explanation and guide to why people procrastinate and what they can do to stop.Zohar AH, Shimone LP, Hen M. Active and passive procrastination in terms of temperament and character. PeerJ. 2019;7:e6988. doi:10.7717/peerj.6988 The fun-driven procrastinators. Novelty-seekers or fun procrastinators are willing to do anything apart from the task. While getting excited about new ideas is an excellent personal quality, it can interfere with the ability to take the time to do what needs to be done. The foundation of any successful planning, in his opinion, is investing in self-discovery and getting to know your inner drives. Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy

One of my favorite ways to make habits easier is to use The 2-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” The idea is to make it as easy as possible to get started and then trust that momentum will carry you further into the task after you begin. Once you start doing something, it’s easier to continue doing it. The 2–Minute Rule overcomes procrastination and laziness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can’t say no.

These thoughts can be difficult to challenge and change, but Pychyl provides strategies for doing so. The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging and Postponing. This relatively light and humorous book was written by philosopher John Perry, who is noted for suggesting the concept of “structured procrastination”, which involves getting things done by procrastinating on something more important. Self-talk – Notice how you are thinking, and talking to yourself. Talk to yourself in ways that remind you of your goals and replace old, counter-productive habits of self-talk. Instead of saying, "I wish I hadn't... " say, "I will ..."

In the third section, Perry discusses the dangers of chronic procrastination and offers tips for overcoming them. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. This book is one of the best-known books on personal productivity. The tips and techniques outlined in this book can be useful to procrastinators, by helping them manage their time and deal with tasks in a way that reduces the likelihood of procrastination. A common criticism of this book is that while the system that it presents is simple, the book itself is too long, so consider just looking for a summary of the GTD system online. However, there is no doubt that extreme forms of perfectionism are associated with procrastination.Your mind is a great place to have ideas, but a terrible place to manage them. This is perhaps the core teaching of the book. Your mind is great at generating ideas, but you need to put them into a reliable system. Otherwise you’re feeling confused and overwhelmed a lot of the time.