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Conquer procrastination. Present tense: decision paralysis. the most useful ideas from the book

Luke Melhauser

Executive Director Institute for Machine Intelligence Research. Writes a blog about rationality and personal effectiveness.

Valerie's problem is a task that has no value to her. We all put off things we don't like. It's easy to meet up with friends and have a few drinks or open a video game - it's harder to fill out your tax return. And this obvious fact is confirmed by numerous studies.

We put off until later what we don't like.

But the most strong factor triggering procrastination is Tom's problem. This is impulsiveness. It would have been easier for Tom to book a room in advance, but he was distracted by more important and interesting matters and did not remember the need to book a room before last minute, when he found himself faced with a very modest choice of hotel rooms. Dozens of studies have proven that procrastination is closely related to impulsivity.

Impulsivity relates to a larger component of procrastination—time. The influence of an event on our decisions is less the further it is in time. Future rewards are much less motivating than immediate rewards. Temporary delays have a particularly strong effect on impulsive people.

Expectations, values, procrastination, and impulsivity are the four main components of procrastination. Piers Steel, a leading procrastination researcher, explains: “Reduce the size of the reward or doubt that there will be a reward - that is, reduce the value and expectation - and you are less likely to put in the effort. Delay the reward for completing a task or add impulsiveness to your character, and motivation will also decline.”

The Procrastination Equation

All of the above brings us to the procrastination equation:

lesswrong.com

Although the knowledge base about procrastination is growing, this equation applies to every major study because it is based on the best current theories about motivation.

It is worth increasing the reward (this includes both the pleasure of completing the task and the value of the results), and motivation grows. Expectation great benefits also always leads to increased motivation.

You may have noticed that this part of the equation is one of the basic equalities of expected utility theory in economics. But she is criticized for not taking into account the time factor.

For example, in 1991, George Akerlof observed that we subconsciously perceive current expenses as more significant than future expenses. Akerlof's research led to the rise of behavioral economics, which took into account, among other things, time.

Therefore, a denominator appeared in the equation, taking into account the effect that time has on our motivation. The longer we have to wait for rewards for work, the less desire we have to do anything. The negative effect of procrastination is enhanced by our impulsiveness. The motivation of highly impulsive people suffers from any delay.

The Procrastination Equation in Action

As an example, imagine a college student who has a coursework due at the end of the semester. Unfortunately for the student, colleges have built an impenetrable wall of procrastination components. Firstly, even if the value of this coursework for the final grade is very high, its immediate value for the girl remains extremely low. Especially if she is afraid to write papers, like most students.

Moreover, her expectations of the result will also be low. Evaluate quality coursework it’s difficult, and different teachers can give different grades for the same assignment: for an essay completed with a solid B, they can give an A+ if you’re lucky, and a C if your luck turns down. And between the time the coursework is assigned and the end of the semester, a lot of time will pass. And if a student is prone to impulsiveness, the negative impact of procrastination on her motivation increases dramatically. Writing a term paper is exhausting work (that is, it has low value), the results cannot be predicted (the performer has low expectations), and the deadline is not soon (a long delay).

But that's not all. Dormitories and grounds educational institutions, perhaps the least suitable places to work on the planet. You can always find a lot of accessible pleasures (clubs, parties, communities, relationships, games, events and alcohol). Under such conditions, is it any wonder that the coursework was never written? All of these distractions add to the effect of not being able to get a reward immediately and of being impulsive.

How to beat procrastination

Although there is a lot known about procrastination in neuroscience, I do not want to review all scientific theories in this article. Instead, it is better to jump straight to solving the problem.

Once you know the procrastination equation, your basic strategy is obvious. Since there's usually nothing you can do to speed up your rewards, you need to focus on the three parts of the equation that you can control. To defeat procrastination, you need:

believe in success;
increase the value of the task (make the process of completion or the reward more enjoyable);
reduce your level of impulsiveness.

You may think it's out of your control, but researchers have found several useful methods for achieving each goal.

Much of the advice below comes from the best book on procrastination in existence, The Procrastination Equation by Piers Steele. It explains these and many other methods in more detail.

Optimize your optimism

If you don't believe that you will succeed, you won't be motivated to complete the task. Everyone has heard the advice: “Think positively!” But how to do this? To date, researchers have identified three main techniques for increasing optimism: the success spiral, vicarious victory, and mental comparison.

Spiral of success. One way to gain optimism is to use the success spiral. As you achieve one challenging goal after another, you receive confirmation of your ability to succeed. Set yourself a series of meaningful, challenging, but achievable goals and achieve them one at a time! Set yourself up for success by doing what you do well to keep your confidence high.

Extreme sports and adventures are best suited for training the spiral of success: rafting, rock climbing, hiking. Learn something new. For example, learn to cook. Or start doing karate. Take on more responsibilities at work, get involved in social activities. Take your favorite hobby to the next level. The main thing is to achieve one goal after another and think about your success. Your brain will reward you: you will be in a winning mindset, which means you will be able to cope with procrastination.

Substitute victory. Pessimism and optimism are contagious. Wherever you are, you have the opportunity to access communities that are simply radiating positivity. Visit 5-10 of these associations to join the best one. Let them first help you believe in victory, and then you will achieve your goal.

You can also expand your optimism by watching inspiring movies, reading inspiring biographies, or listening to motivational lectures.

Mental comparison. Many popular self-help books suggest using creative visualization, the practice of regularly and vividly visualizing what you want to achieve: a car, a career, an achievement. Surprisingly, research shows that this method can destroy your motivation.

To prevent this from happening, use the technique of mental comparison. Once you have imagined what you want to achieve, mentally contrast it with what you have now. Imagine your old, creepy car and your small bank account. This will help you view the current state of affairs as an obstacle that must be eliminated in order to achieve your dreams, and will give a jumpstart to planning and execution.

It should be noted that excess optimism can also be a problem, although less common. Identify why you procrastinate, make a backup plan in case you fail, and use the techniques described in this article to succeed in combating procrastination.

Increase the cost

It is difficult to be motivated to do something that has no value for you, or, worse, is completely unpleasant. The good news is that value is somewhat relative and can be constructed. The plasticity of value is a well-studied area of psychophysics. Researchers offer some tips on how we can add value to tasks.

Flow. If the task you're avoiding is boring, try making it more challenging to match your skill level. This will help you get into a flow state. This is what the heroes of the movie “Super Cops” did - they invented strange games and tasks to force themselves to do their boring work. Myrtle Young(Myrtle Young), for example, figured out how to make her work in a factory producing potato chips more exciting: she looks for celebrity traits in the tubers before sending them onto the conveyor belt.

Meaning. Finding meaning helps you make sure that the tasks facing you are related to something you love for no reason, even if the connection is indirect. For example, imagine this chain: you read a book, which means you pass the test, which means you finish your studies with flying colors, get a job and build the career of your dreams.

Energy. Obviously, tasks are more difficult to complete if you lack energy. Get down to business when you are in full combat readiness. Energy reserves depend on your circadian rhythm, but most people are at their peak within a few hours of waking up. The productive period lasts about four hours. Of course, for this you need to get enough sleep and exercise regularly.

The following life hacks also work:

drink;
eat less flour;
use pharmaceuticals (strictly as prescribed by your doctor);
Do a short, intense workout once a week;
if you feel tired, wash your face with cold water, take a shower, do a series of jumping jacks, or go for a run;
listen to music that lifts your spirits;
put things in order in your life, because any mess drains your brain and prevents it from functioning throughout the day.

Awards

An obvious way to add value to a task is to reward yourself for completing it. Bitters should be taken with sugar. Combine long-term benefits with short-term pleasure. Find a work partner with whom you enjoy communicating. Prepare delicious coffee that you will drink while solving the problem. For example, when I need to do something unpleasant, I bribe myself with ice cream.

Passion

Of course, the most powerful way to increase the value of a task is to focus on something you truly love. I don't need to find extra motivation when I research changes in ethical systems or review scientific publications about self-improvement because I enjoy it. Some people love playing video games and make a career out of it. To figure out in which profession you will have to solve your favorite problems, take vocational orientation tests. In the USA, for example, there is a service that will help you find a job in demand that matches your character.

Keeping impulsivity under control

Typically, impulsivity is the biggest variable in the procrastination equation. Steele offers two methods to deal with this problem.

Self-restraint. Odysseus could not have sailed past the sweet-voiced Sirens if he had relied on his own willpower. Knowing his weakness, he took care in advance of how to resist temptation: he literally tied himself to the mast. Several methods of preliminary self-restraint are good for coping with impulsivity.

The first method can be called “throw away the key”: block out all distractions. Many people find increased productivity by not allowing the television to be turned on in their home. I haven't had one for many years. But now TV shows and more are available on the Internet. To reduce its impact, you may need special applications. Or you’ll just have to turn off the router while it’s working.

The second method is to make failure really painful. For example, with the help of this resource you can save money that you will lose if you do not achieve your goal, and an outside observer should evaluate your activity. To raise your bet, specify in the settings that if you fail, your money will go to the account of the organization you hate. And ask your controller to tell you about it on Facebook if you fail the building.

Setting goals. Hundreds of books promote SMART goal setting. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Anchored. Are these recommendations supported by quality research? Not really. Firstly, in this system, “attainable” goals duplicate “realistic” ones, and “time-bound” and “measurable” ones are included in “specific” ones. Second, this diagram misses important concepts. Above we talked about the importance of goals that challenge and help you achieve your goal, and also mean a lot to you, that is, related to things that you love in themselves.

It is also important to divide one large goal into several small ones. Small results are easier to achieve one by one, and deadlines for small goals are much shorter. As a rule, if you make a plan for daily goals, it will help you get over the starting line, that is, fulfill the most important goal - to start. The first goal might be writing, the second might be the task for today. When you complete the first five-minute task, you are already on your way to achieving today's goal, no matter how long it takes: 30 minutes or several hours.

And one more thing: answer the question, is your goal measured by process or result? Compare two goals: spend 30 minutes on something and create a product. Set goals in different ways for different tasks and choose the option that works for you.

Since we are all dependent on our habits, often turning a goal into a routine helps achieve results. For example, do exercises at the same time every day.

Conclusion

So, to defeat procrastination, you need to increase your motivation to solve every task that you want to put off. To do this you can:

recharge with optimism and believe in success;
make the task more enjoyable;
Take steps to manage your impulsivity.

For each step, use the methods described above (set goals, block distractions, use a success spiral).

Attention! Don't try to be perfect. Don't try to completely eliminate procrastination. Be realistic. Too much self-control can make you unhappy, so it's important to strike a balance.

Now you have all the tools to defeat procrastination. Determine which part of the equation requires you to put in the effort, and identify the methods that work best for you. Get faster, better, stronger!

And read more about the procrastination equation.

Average reading time: 5.5 minutes

Have you ever asked yourself why procrastination is taking over our world so aggressively and quickly? Why is it so difficult to concentrate and finish what needs to be finished?

And I will answer you.

Imagine an ancient Greek. To survive a bout of procrastination, he had to painfully choose between the new volume of Aristotle or the tragedy of Sophocles. Ha ha ha.

It's not serious.

That's what we're doing! We have to fight worse demons! Here you have Twitter, and Facebook, and the new season of “House of Cards”, and YouTube, and a zombie shooter, and... The whole world entertainment in one tablet!

Procrastination does not wait passively for us to conquer it completely and forever. It evolves, develops and becomes more sophisticated. Like a computer virus, it penetrates our workplace — distracts, wastes time and is malicious in every possible way.

Let's turn on the protection!

And to cope with such an insidious advanced enemy, we need advanced means. They must:

Take into account modern scientific achievements. From the forefront.
Hit all levels and mechanisms of the enemy. Volley fire.
Use simple but effective methods. Which work.

And there are such means. They are improving and improving. For example, a book by Czech psychologist Petr Ludwig "Beat procrastination". The comrade shares his own experience and the experience of his many clients.

The Path of Master O: motivation, self-discipline, results and objectivity. Using simple, effective techniques, we let's activate think tanks enjoyment, realize your potential, and beat procrastination.

9 most useful ideas from the book:

Decision paralysis is a consequence of the vast opportunities that lie before us. Too good is also not good. It is difficult to decide, make a choice and take action.

After 20-30 repetitions the elephant will begin to perform the task automatically, then the skill will develop. Then the barrier can be raised a little.

Gradually we will learn to overcome those obstacles that initially caused fear and disgust.

9. Learned helplessness - a vicious circle of hopelessness

Sometimes we get ambushed. One bad thing happens, then another - and we think that everything is bad. A feeling of helplessness and depression sets in.

Carefully! This experiment contains elements of cruelty and excessive violence:

An ordinary hamster of medium fluffiness was placed in a box and closed with a transparent lid.

On the first day the hamster tried to get out, jumped a lot, but he hit the top of his head against the transparent lid. The next day his activity decreased.

After a couple of days the hamster stopped jumping altogether. Then the lid was removed, but the hamster didn't even try to escape. He gave up. He decided that he would never be able to get out.

This condition called learned helplessness. We can meet her too:

We do nothing - and then we scold ourselves - we begin to doubt our abilities - doubts reduce self-confidence, cause a feeling of helplessness - we don’t even try to do anything.

That's it, the circle is closed.

And what to do if this happens?

First you have to be honest admit: yes, I was attacked by a “hamster”. It happens.
Top up your cognitive resource: Drink a cup of coffee or juice, or take a five-minute walk outside. If you are completely tired, take a nap.
Tell yourself: yes, it’s hard. But I'm still alive. I can still fix everything. I can do something right now.
Reboot the hamster. Press an imaginary button and delete the image of the sad hamster. That's it, we're starting over.
Make a list of things you can do right now. Start with something simple and uncomplicated.
Do the first thing. Proudly cross it off your list and do the winner's dance (or beat your chest, or imitate the Tarzan scream).
And go to next.

With this approach, you can get out of the “hamster” state in a few minutes.

By performing even one of the listed techniques, you can significantly increase your productivity.

Each of us has had the experience of putting off important things for later, delaying their completion as much as possible, doing whatever we want instead - unable to explain to ourselves why we are doing this, and then being tormented by a feeling of guilt due to missed deadlines and the fact that we are someone else again. then they let us down. The author of the book, who was convinced from his own experience of the insidiousness of procrastination, comprehensively studied the problem, identified the causes of its occurrence and proposed several simple and effective ways to combat it.

Using in everyday life the method of getting rid of the “disease” created by Peter Ludwig, which affects millions of people around the world, you can radically increase own efficiency, unleash your creative potential 100% and learn to live every day to the fullest, receiving joy and satisfaction from the fact that from now on all your tasks are completed on time.

Characteristics of the book

Date written: 2013
Name: Beat procrastination! How to stop putting things off until tomorrow

Volume: 220 pages, 127 illustrations
ISBN: 978-5-9614-3557-3
Translator: N. Shvedyuk
Copyright holder: Alpina Digital

Preface to the book “Beat Procrastination”

More than 100 years have passed since the first publication of Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer, which introduced the world to the concepts of the unconscious and psychoanalysis. Since then, science has come a long way: dozens of methods and thousands of methods of psychotherapy have emerged, and the direction of training has developed.

When the problem is identified and the cause of its occurrence is found, a good specialist able to understand and launch the mechanisms for solving it, in particular, by building a system of training and exercises. Peter Ludwig’s magnificent book describes a way to combat the evil of individual consciousness - procrastination.

Undoubtedly, the main advantage of the book is that it is extremely practical. The author, who has extensive therapeutic and training experience, managed to describe the most complex concepts and situations in a simple and interesting way, while maintaining the accuracy and quality of presentation of the material, which is important for professionals. I believe that the book will be in demand not only by the general public, but also by specialists - to improve their work methods.

The author focuses readers' attention on different key concepts: group processes, objectivity, personal vision... The most important element of the author’s methodology is to ensure the longevity of the resulting behavioral changes. Peter Ludwig leads the reader to the understanding that any activity must have real meaning - only then does it become possible to receive true satisfaction.

The methods proposed by the author to combat procrastination are minimalist and simple. You can start working already by reading the first pages. There is nothing superfluous in the book, but everything you need to win is there. Peter Ludwig gives us the full comprehensive solution tasks.

What is procrastination and why fight it?

When we cannot convince ourselves of the urgency of completing necessary or desired tasks, it means we are procrastinating. Instead of important things that make sense to us, we do something insignificant: watch TV series, water the flowers in the office, play computer games, we waste time on social networks, eat (even if we are not hungry), do repeated cleaning, wander aimlessly around the office, or simply “spit at the ceiling.” Later, due to self-reproach and frustration, a feeling of helplessness arises, again leading to doing nothing.

But attention! Procrastination is not easy laziness. A lazy person does not want to do anything and does not feel any concern about it. A procrastinator would be happy to do something, but he is unable to start.

Procrastination should not be confused with rest. During rest, we are filled with new energy. When we procrastinate, on the contrary, we lose it. The less energy we have left, the greater the chances of postponing the task indefinitely and doing nothing again.

People like to leave everything until the last minute, explaining that they work better under pressure and with an approaching deadline. But in reality, this is not true: putting things off until the deadline is a breeding ground for stress, blame, and inefficiency. It doesn’t hurt to remember the well-known proverb: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

History of procrastination syndrome

People have suffered from procrastination since time immemorial. Even the ancient poet Hesiod paid attention to this problem in the poem “Works and Days”:

And don't put things off until tomorrow,
until the day after tomorrow:
The barns are empty for those
who is lazy and always works
Likes to put things off:
Wealth comes from effort.
Meshkotny fights troubles
all my life continuously.

A procrastinating person, a procrastinating person, an underachiever - this is how we can describe today’s procrastinator.

The Roman philosopher Seneca warned: “As long as we postpone life, it passes away.” This quote states the main reason why you need to fight procrastination.

Procrastination is one of the main obstacles that prevents us from living a full life. Regret about missed opportunities and the associated self-reproach take up much more time than it would take to solve the problem. A recent study found that when people are on their deathbeds, they regret the things they didn't do more than the things they did.

Due to procrastination, we waste time that we could spend usefully. If we manage to defeat it, we will be able to redo more things and realize our life's potential more effectively.

Present Tense: Decision Paralysis

What's the deal with procrastination these days? Today there are more and more opportunities for procrastination. Learning to deal with procrastination is one of the most important tasks of a modern person.

Over the past hundred years, average life expectancy has almost doubled. During this time, child mortality decreased almost tenfold. Today we live in a world in which there is less violence and military conflict than at any time in human history. Thanks to the Internet, almost all the world's knowledge is available to us. We can travel almost without restrictions throughout the planet. Knowledge of foreign languages helps to find understanding in foreign countries. In our pockets mobile phones, more advanced than supercomputers 20 years ago.

The opportunities offered by the modern world to harness our potential are enormous. You can imagine them in the form of scissors. The more chances we have in modern world, the more widely these imaginary scissors of possibilities. And today the number of these chances is greater than ever.

Ideal modern society is built on the idea of expanding individual freedom, on the belief that the more of it people have, the more satisfied they will be. According to this theory, with each opening scissors of possibilities we should become happier and happier. So why are people today not happier than their ancestors? What challenges does the expanding range of options pose?

This is primarily a problem of choice: the more opportunities we have, the more difficult it is to decide on something. The so-called decision paralysis. Thinking through all the options requires so much energy that we end up not being able to choose any of them. We postpone making a decision, and at the same time taking actions related to it. Let's procrastinate.

The more complex the options being compared, the higher the chance of postponing a decision. Given multiple options, it is likely that no matter which one we choose, we will still experience regret, imagining what would have happened if we had chosen a different option, or noticing the shortcomings of the decision we made.

Are you familiar with the situation when you know that you should do something, but despite this, you do nothing? When was the last time you put off any action or decision? Has it ever happened that you could not choose any of the opportunities that opened before you? What feelings did you experience at that moment?

Beat procrastination! How to stop putting things off until tomorrow - Peter Ludwig (download)

(introductory fragment of the book)

Quote
If we need to get up early, we have to turn off the alarm clock and leave the warm bed. If we want to help in an accident, we need to stop, get out of the car and take action. If we are interested in meeting someone, we must first contact that person. If we want to start entrepreneurial activity, then you need to learn how to negotiate. To live a meaningful and fulfilling life, you need to stop procrastinating.
Peter Ludwig

What is the book “Conquer procrastination! How to stop putting things off until tomorrow” about
Has each of us ever put off important things until later, delaying their completion as much as possible, doing whatever we want instead? unable to explain to ourselves why we do this, and then tormented by a feeling of guilt due to missed deadlines and the fact that we have let someone down again. The author of the book, who was convinced from his own experience of the insidiousness of procrastination, comprehensively studied the problem, identified the causes of its occurrence and proposed several simple and effective ways to combat it.

Using in your daily life the method of getting rid of the “disease” that affects millions of people around the world, created by Peter Ludwig, you will be able to radically increase your own efficiency, unleash your creative potential by 100% and learn to live every day to the fullest, receiving joy and satisfaction from the fact that From now on, all tasks are completed by you exactly on time.

Why the book “Beat Procrastination!” worth reading
From it you will learn what procrastination is and why you have it;
By following the author’s unique method, you can, without violence against yourself, get rid of the habit of putting off important things for later and begin to get everything done;
You will also learn what techniques and tools from the field of psychology will help you change your life for the better.

A few more words about the book
Procrastination is the habit of delaying doing things. This term appeared relatively recently, in 1977, but the phenomenon itself appeared, apparently, simultaneously with humanity, and its centuries-old history is full of drama, broken destinies and destroyed careers.

Unfortunately, the habit of putting things off is extremely addictive: once we have experienced the imaginary happiness and non-lethal nature of “nursing,” we seem to become infected with procrastination. But it can be very difficult to get rid of it: first, a person puts off completing an important task in order to do something more enjoyable, and then reluctantly returns to it, trying to complete the task in a rush in an extremely short time. Alas, even if he succeeds, the haste affects the quality of the work and, accordingly, the subsequent attitude towards the careless performer. But more often it happens that deadlines are not met. This leads to a guilt complex, a feeling of powerlessness and inferiority, as well as a reluctance to do anything at all. That is, to secondary procrastination. The circle closes.

Today, in order to keep up with the times, people are forced to do more: work harder, communicate more actively, think faster and constantly multitask. Procrastination greatly interferes with this. How to prevent a bad habit from taking root? The book “Beat Procrastination! How to Stop Putting Things Off Until Tomorrow” gives a clear answer to this question. Several simple “tools” invented by Peter Ludwig and his friends were tested first on themselves and then on a wider audience and were extremely successful! Peter Ludwig studied many scientific works on procrastination, and, taking the best from them, adapted the most effective methods for everyday practical application. The author's own experience became the basis for writing the book.

The book "Beat Procrastination!" - a wonderful guide for a modern city dweller of any age, allowing him to cope with general overload, loss of sense of time, dissatisfaction with his own achievements, indecision and self-doubt, and feel what it means to live life to the fullest! The book became a bestseller in the Czech Republic. Peter Ludwig regularly conducts seminars and trainings that help thousands of people.

Translation N. Shvedyuk

Project manager from the copyright holder side M. Shkubalova

Project Manager O. Ravdanis

Proofreaders E. Aksenova, S. Mozaleva

Computer layout A. Abramov

Cover design P. Ludwig

Art director S. Timonov

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

From this book you will learn:

What is procrastination and why do you have it?

How to get rid of it once and for all, doing everything on time and without violence against yourself;

What techniques and tools from the field of psychology will help you change your life for the better.

Hope is not the belief that everything will be fine, but the belief that everything has meaning - regardless of the outcome.

Vaclav Havel

He lives well who is inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

Bertrand Russell

Preface

When a problem is identified and the cause of its occurrence is found, a good specialist can understand and launch the mechanisms for solving it, in particular, by building a system of training and exercises. Peter Ludwig’s magnificent book describes a way to combat the evil of individual consciousness - procrastination.

The author focuses readers' attention on various key concepts: group processes, objectivity, personal vision... The most important element of the author's methodology is to ensure the longevity of the resulting behavioral changes. Peter Ludwig leads the reader to the understanding that any activity must have real meaning - only then does it become possible to obtain true satisfaction.

Boris Gorodkov,

psychotherapist, psychiatrist

About ten years ago I was convinced that my life was over. The brain suddenly stopped controlling half of the body. I felt fear, helplessness, but at the same time amazing calm. I lay in bed, and my whole life passed before my eyes. I also experienced that famous state when you see a bright light at the end of the tunnel - like in a movie. I summed up what I succeeded in life and what I didn’t. Gradually I came to terms with the fact that I was dying.

Fortunately, it turned out I was wrong. A few days later everything ended well - I experienced my first close encounter with death. This experience, however, became the most important in my life. Later, I wrote down the following for myself: “To die with the knowledge that you lived your life to the fullest!”

But as I began to implement this intention, I discovered that I would have to defeat a very powerful enemy: procrastination.

Along with several friends, I began to look for the reasons for our procrastination, indecisiveness and inefficiency. It turned out that quite interesting scientific works on this topic. Based on them, we gradually created practical tools to combat procrastination.

I collected many of the ideas that helped us create effective tools to combat procrastination during my travels around the world. Over the course of several years I visited a number of leading companies in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway. I had the opportunity to personally discuss with their management how they address the issues of motivation and efficiency of their employees. I looked behind the scenes at companies and institutions such as Adam Opel AG, ArcelorMittal, Novo Nordisk, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Miele, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KgaA, UNICEF and the European Space Agency.

Over the course of seven years of operation in the Czech Republic alone, about 5,000 people have completed our training and about 150 have attended individual consultations. Thanks to customer experience and feedback With them, we gradually improved our methods and techniques to combat procrastination.

In April 2012, Tomas Baranek from Jan Melvil Publishing approached me with a proposal to write a book. I told myself that this challenge of fate would allow me to further test the methods I proposed. I wonder if I can overcome procrastination and cope with creating a book?

Working with text is a typical activity for introverts, and I am an extrovert who is used to interacting with people, teaching and consulting, so creating a book turned out to be one of the most difficult tasks in life. To overcome the procrastination of the process, I had to use the entire arsenal of tools at my disposal against procrastination.

But if you are holding this book in your hands, it means I succeeded. I wish you pleasant reading and successful fight against procrastination. You'll see, you'll succeed!

Peter Ludwig

Introduction

What is procrastination and why fight it?

When we cannot convince ourselves of the urgency of completing necessary or desired tasks, it means we are procrastinating. Instead of important things that make sense to us, we do something insignificant: watch TV shows, water flowers in the office, play computer games, spend time on social networks, eat (even if we are not hungry), do repeated cleaning, wander aimlessly around the office or simply “spit at the ceiling.” Later, due to self-reproach and frustration, a feeling of helplessness arises, again leading to doing nothing.

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