The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing

By John Perry

Discover the power of putting things off: “Insightful, sensible, and amusing” (Harry G. Frankfurt, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of On Bullsh*t).

This is not a book for Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg. Clearly they have no trouble getting stuff done. For the great majority of us, though, what a comfort it is to discover we’re not wastrels and slackers, but doers . . . in our own way. It may sound counterintuitive, but according to philosopher John Perry, you can accomplish a lot by putting things off. He calls it “structured procrastination.”

Celebrating a nearly universal character flaw, The Art of Procrastination is a wise, charming, compulsively readable book—really, a tongue-in-cheek argument of ideas. Perry offers ingenious strategies, like the defensive to-do list (“1. Learn Chinese”) and task triage. He discusses the double-edged relationship between the computer and procrastination—on the one hand, it allows the procrastinator to fire off work at the last possible minute; on the other, it’s a dangerous time suck. Most importantly, he explores what may be procrastination’s greatest gift: the chance to accomplish surprising, wonderful things by not sticking to a rigid schedule.

“John Perry is the wittiest philosopher since Marx (Groucho), and he brings to this book a delightful combination of wisdom and humor.” —Thomas Cathcart, author of The Trolley Problem

“Reading this straight-talking, badly needed book has changed my life.” —Bruce McCall, writer and illustrator for The New Yorker

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9780761175001

John Perry

John Perry is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Stanford University.

Reviews for The Art of Procrastination

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amusing, but not earth-shaking. I had already come to most of these realizations. I did like his comparison to left handers living in a right handed world with vertical and horizontal organizers. I am so much a left handed horizontal organizer that it's not funny. I use the floor for lack of enough horizontal space.At two discs, very manageable.

[caimanjosh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a short, amusing read. It also provided what do seem like some legitimate tips for those who tend to be (high-functioning) procrastinators. i'm afraid, though, that those who procrastinate by staring mindless at their phones or watching endless television may not find a lot of useful tips here. Even they might want to read it, though, as it's worth it for comic relief. Last note: if you pick this up and find yourself thinking, "Well, maybe I'll read this in a few days...", then it might be a good book for you. ;)

[venkiphy6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a very enjoyable read taking not more than 4 hours. The author's sense of humor adds a lot more to its enjoyment. I found the book extremely relatable to myself too. It basically gives a way to look at the overly exaggerated issue of Procrastination from an optimistic perspective. It would be an under statement to say this book can be life changing.

[everfresh1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very funny and at the same time very insightful. That I can say as a real 'structural procrastinator'. Don't expect any revelations how to overcome your procrastination. I think author gives a few helpful small points, but I am not sure how helpful they are. Still very interesting and entertaining work in very small package (another plus)

[timtom_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an amusing read, if only because all of its readers probably used reading it as an excuse to not doing anything more useful, and it's nice not to feel alone in such moments. Which is precisely the only reason why this book was written: to reassure procrastinators that they are not alone and that most of the time they still get things eventually done. That's nice, but I doubt that there remains a single procrastinator on this planet who is unaware that his plight is shared by a large population.

[squeakychu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For great laughs and a mirror image of myself, I found this book startling. Stanford philosophy professor John Perry explained why procrastinators are those who actually get things done and why. I now feel better about myself. At least I'm not alone. In a constructive way, the author explains how individuals can deal with procrastination in order to move forward and lessen personal guilt. This is just such hilarious reading, I cannot help but recommend this book for everyone whether or not readers self identify as procrastinators.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been meaning to read this for a while but kept putting it off. Several times while reading this book I had the eerie feeling the author was writing about me.

[viviennestrauss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know it appears that it took me more than two years to read this book (started May of 2013) but after reading the opening chapter, I misplaced the book in our upstairs bedroom. I found it today while reorganizing my library and instead of continuing to move books up and down a flight of stairs, I chose to sit down and read this book, cover to cover. What a delight! It was highly amusing and good to give names to things I've been doing my whole life. What Perry refers to as "structured procrastination", I had already named "productive procrastination". What I did not know, is that I am a horizontally organized person rather than vertical as is with most structured procrastinators. Fun reading and it took serious discipline to not stop between chapters and google things I hadn't heard of before. Those were put on my to-do list for days when I want to avoid doing what I should be doing.

[jwood652 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Instead of doing other things, I am writing this review. The book tells us about structured procrastination. When we procrastinate, we usually are doing something, just not the task we are avoiding. The art is to structure our to do list with tasks at the top that seem to be important enough to avoid so that you accomplish the next task. The author also tells us that we need to accept less than perfect results, enabling us to get things done, doing a completely acceptable job. The author makes many good points, allowing us to explore how we decide what to accomplish, giving us some tools to get things done. One example is to add not to dos to our list such as do not read email or do not go on Facebook. I enjoyed reading the book although it's more of an attitude adjustment than a step by step guide. It is an enjoyable read, delivered with a witty style, sneaking helpful strategies in along the way. So realize that despite all your procrastination, you do get a lot accomplished and also realize that perfection is an ideal, not a goal. So position reading this book on your to do list so that you read it someday soon. You'll enjoy it.

[thothj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An awesome book! I no longer feel ashamed because I procrastinate.

[ltbxf4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was entertaining. Nailed me in many ways, but not all, so I must not be a structured procrastinator completely.