End Procrastination Now!

Advance Praise for

End Procrastination Now!

Bill Knaus's comprehensive discussion, based on decades of experience, doesn't just talk about procrastination, it offers structured lessons for assessing and changing patterns of thinking and acting. Easy to read and understand, the book is a valuable resource for becoming more reliable and responsible in everyday life.

—Richard Wessler, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, PACE University

Author of
Succeeding with Difficult Clients

This book sets a new standard for self-help books on how to overcome procrastination. Don't procrastinate. Use the innovative ideas and exercises to stop struggling with procrastination, improve your effectiveness, and raise the quality of your life.

—Arnold A. Lazarus, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology,

Rutgers University, ABPP

Coauthor of
The Sixty Minute Shrink

Anyone struggling with procrastination will find this packed with innovative ideas, quick tips, and powerful self-help exercises to lead a productive and happy life. Read it and profit.

—
Janet Wolfe, Ph.D.

Former Executive Director, Albert Ellis Institute

Adjunct Professor, New York University

Internalize this three-pronged approach by the world's foremost authority on the subject and overcome this obstacle to your sustained, future happiness.

—Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D.

Author of
Critical Thinking Unleashed

If you are a procrastinator, and a lot of people are, do not delay this time— READ THIS BOOK. Dr. Knaus is the go-to doc on this serious topic.

—Frank Farley, Ph.D., L.H.

Professor, Temple University and

Philadelphia Former President,

American Psychological Association

This is a book that should be part-and-parcel of college and university students' required reading lists because it will help them not only to be more successful, but also to enjoy their academic work more, too!

—Rene F.W. Diekstra

Professor of Psychology, Roosevelt Academy,

International Honors College University of Utrecht

End Procrastination Now!
provides a practical and sensible approach to dealing with a habit that can stand in the way of success—in any field. Dr. Bill Knaus's clear writing style and liberal use of examples makes this book a valuable resource for understanding how the pattern of procrastination develops and is maintained. More importantly, this book provides the skills and techniques necessary to take action in making a positive change.

—Priscilla M. Clarkson

Dean, Commonwealth Honors College,

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Once overcoming denial, the greatest snare for a person trying to overcome an addictive behavior is procrastination. Dr. Knaus has distilled a lifetime of involvement with research and professional experience into a coherent, pragmatic, and cogent program for getting off your butt and just doing it!

—Joe Gerstein, MD, FACP

Founding President, SMART Recovery Self-Help Network

Get It Done with a
Proven Psychological Approach

William Knaus, Ed.D.

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Foreword, by Jon Carlson

Acknowledgments

Introduction: End Procrastination with a Three-Step Approach

Part One The Cognitive Approach: Change Procrastination Thinking through Self-Awareness

1
Perspectives on Procrastination and Awareness for Change

2
Defeat Procrastination Thinking

Part Two The Emotive Approach: Build Emotional Tolerance and Stamina for Unpleasant Tasks

3
Flex Your Emotional Muscle to Overcome Procrastination

4
How to Handle Stress-Related Procrastination

Part Three The Behavioral Approach: Follow-Through to Get It Done

5
Act Decisively

6
Powerful Behavioral Techniques to Curb Procrastination

7
Applying Techniques to Address Procrastination in the Workplace

Appendix: Sample Therapy Script for a Procrastination Scenario

Resources

Index

If it weren't for the last minute,

I wouldn't get anything done.

—Anonymous

We all put things off. For example, I managed to put off writing this foreword until the night before the final deadline. Had I read this book sooner, I would have used Bill Knaus's ideas to get the foreword done long before the deadline.

Fortunately, no one procrastinates 100 percent of the time, but everyone procrastinates, some more than others. According to
Psychology Today
, 20 percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. This book is not focused on procrastinators, but is actually about procrastinating actions, thoughts, and feelings. You'll benefit from this book if you experience occasional procrastinating actions or if you are someone with a more serious problem who has considerable stress and anxiety.

The characteristics commonly associated with procrastination are varied, including low self-confidence, calling attention to how busy you are, stubbornness, manipulation as a means to cope with pressure, and being a frustrated victim. Adlerian psychology has taught me that all behavior has a purpose. So when I read a book
on procrastination, I am always looking for the goal or purpose of this type of behavior. Some people use procrastination for the purpose of avoiding difficult or time-consuming tasks. Others use it because they lack knowledge or skills and are afraid that if they screw up, others will find this out (i.e., nothing ventured, nothing lost!). Some use it as a way to express anger (passively) at another by withholding their best efforts. This book will help you learn just how complex human behavior can be and discover the many reasons or goals that might be met by delaying a necessary activity.

Procrastination is often seen as a method for coping with the anxiety involved in making difficult choices or decisions and taking action. This response has become especially prevalent in today's world, where choices are such a big part of everyday life and very few people have been taught choice-making skills. Because we do not know what to do, we do nothing and hope that the situation will go away. This is akin to riding a horse facing backward or swimming upstream. It seldom works, and it can have destructive consequences.

In
End Procrastination Now!
Bill Knaus will teach you a three-pronged approach to cutting through procrastination and accomplishing more in life. The three prongs are:

1. Educate yourself about how procrastination works and change procrastination thinking (the cognitive way).