The Truth About Self-Help Books

Overcoming Procrastination

Book 3: Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It

By Jane B. Burka, PhD, and Lenora M. Yuen, PhD (Lifelong Books, 1983)

Tested by: Sharon Boone, lifestyle editor

My Goal: Finish things on time without becoming a frazzled wreck.

Procrastination is the bane of my existence. Either I can't seem to get started on a project or a few minutes into the job, I get distracted doing something totally unnecessary (like cleaning my stovetop, which I hate doing, when I should be writing). Blown deadlines, missed appointments, and a generally disordered life are the result. With a big personal writing project on the horizon, I turned to Burka and Yuen's book to finally get this penchant for putting things off under control for good.

The first half of the book is devoted to an exploration of what causes people to procrastinate and various procrastination styles, which, admittedly, I found fascinating. But a book aimed at people who put things off should get to the tips way before page 131.

Several weeks (and many stops and starts in reading) later, I got to two of Burka and Yuen's anti-procrastination techniques that seemed doable: 1. Take on small parts of a big project in increments of time; 2. Realistically estimate how long a task will take to finish. My inclination is to view a project in terms of all or nothing, making it seem impossible. But this time, instead of blocking out whole days to do nothing but work, I chipped away at my assignment by writing a paragraph or two while I waited for my clothes to dry or by making phone calls during my commute. Happily, the project got off to a more promising start than usual.

I also learned how to gauge time better. That meant not kidding myself that I could transcribe a half-hour taped interview in 20 minutes. By better estimating how long each stage would take, I didn't have to pull an all-nighter to make my deadline.

Bottom Line: I completed my project with less moaning and stalling and well before I normally would have. I wish I could say that I built on that first small success and have reformed my time-wasting ways. But this one book was just no match for a deeply ingrained procrastination habit. The advice gave me food for thought but wasn't enough to change my life.

Favorite Tip: Tell a friend exactly what you plan to do and by when. This makes you more accountable and less likely to avoid your goal.