Table Of Content
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Praise for PROCRASTINATION
“Trying to kick the procrastination habit? In their practice treating
procrastinators, [these] California psychologists. . . have pinpointed
several causes.”
—USA Today
“An exploration of what causes people to procrastinate and various
procrastination styles. . . . Fascinating.”
—Fitness
“Dr. Burka and Dr. Yuen . . . get procrastinators to feel better about
themselves. . . . In learning to reduce their delaying tactics, procrastina-
tors have much to gain in addition to faster performance and enjoying
life more.”
—New York Times
“Procrastination can be deadly to just about every aspect of your life. . .
Burka and Yuen. . . offer hope for those prone to delay.”
—Boston Herald
“Procrastination’s basic message: A tendency to be tardy is neither a
bad habit nor moral failing [but] a ‘complex psychological problem’
caused by fear.”
—U.S. News and World Report
“Warmly and even humorously written, but the points are clearly
made. . . . Burka and Yuen did not procrastinate in getting to the
remedies which have been successful in their clinical work.”
—Honolulu Star-Bulletin
“Burka and Yuen see procrastination as more than just laziness. For
some, it’s closer to a psychological block that keeps them from doing
what needs to be done.”
—San Jose Mercury-News
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“If procrastination is starting to play havoc with your sanity. . . for-
tunately there are. . . helpful tools [in] Procrastination.”
—Oakland Tribune
“A close examination of procrastination. . . . Most useful is the authors’
advice on how procrastinators can break their bad habits. . . . This fre-
quently lively book will certainly set time-wasters and task-avoiders on
the path to self-improvement.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A good overview. . . . The authors provide useful suggestions without
being slick. . . [and] give sensible advice for dealing with the procras-
tinators in one’s own life.”
—Library Journal
“Why do we make excuses and put things off? Jane Burka and Lenora
Yuen explain how we get that way, and what we can do to stop it.”
—In Business
“Want to stop procrastinating and be more productive? Read this now!”
—Working Woman
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PROCRASTINATION
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PROCRASTINATION
Why You Do It,
What to Do About It Now
Jane B. Burka, PhD &
Lenora M. Yuen, PhD
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
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Copyright © 1983, 2008 by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Designed by Trish Wilkinson
Set in 10.5-point Minion by the Perseus Books Group
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burka, Jane B.
Procrastination : why you do it, what to do about it now / Jane B. Burka
& Lenora M. Yuen. — Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7382-1170-1 (alk. paper)
1. Procrastination. I. Yuen, Lenora M. II. Title.
BF575.P95B87 2008
155.20'32—dc22 2008034692
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in
the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more
information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus
Books Group, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, or call (800)
810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
A Note to Our Readers xi
Part One
UNDERSTANDING PROCRASTINATION 1
1 Procrastination: Nuisance or Nemesis? 5
2 Fear of Failure: The Procrastinator on Trial 19
3 Fear of Success: Hello Procrastination,
Good-bye Success 33
4 The Procrastinator in Combat:
Fear of Losing the Battle 49
5 The Comfort Zone: Fear of Separation and
Fear of Intimacy 65
6 Do You Know What Time (It) Is? 73
7 Current Neuroscience: The Big Ideas 89
8 Procrastination and Your Brain 101
9 How You Came to Be a Procrastinator 117
10 Looking Ahead to Success 137
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viii Contents
Part Two
OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION 153
11 Taking Stock: A Procrastination Inventory 163
12 Setting and Achieving Goals 175
13 Learning How to Tell Time 193
14 Learning to Say Yes and No 215
15 Using Your Body to Reduce Procrastination 227
16 Tips for Procrastinators with ADD and
Executive Dysfunction 237
17 Neither Here nor There: Procrastination and the
Cross-Cultural Experience 247
18 Living and Working with Procrastinators 259
Epilogue 275
Appendix A: Procrastination: Twenty-five Years of Research 277
Appendix B: A Short List of Techniques for Managing
Procrastination 289
Appendix C: Notes and Sources 293
Index 315
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the people in our private practices and our
Procrastination Groups and Workshops for deepening our un-
derstanding of procrastination. Hearing their stories, understanding
their struggles, and helping them progress has been one of the great
joys of our professional life. Their words, phrases, and stories have
significantly enriched this book.
We appreciate the support and encouragement of the many
friends and colleagues who helped make this book possible. Carol
Morrison offered wise editorial advice as well as frequent personal
boosts. Ken Rice graciously shared his extensive research on perfec-
tionism. Barbara Blasdel, Karen Peoples, and Leslye Russell are mem-
bers of a writers’ group that provided psychological guidance and
inspiration along with editorial eyes and contact creativity. Apologies
to the many friends who remained supportive even while being neg-
lected. Barbara Kaplan, Gerson Schreiber, Ingrid Tauber, Kathy De-
Witt, Virginia Fredrick, Beth Herb, Anna Muelling, and members of
the Lindemann Study Group and the Stanford Professional Women’s
Book Club offered steady encouragement with open hearts and great
patience for many canceled meetings. Our dear friend Taraneh
Razavi opened not only her heart to us, but her wonderful beach
house where we spent many weekends working with a magnificent
view of the Pacific Ocean. Taraneh, we don’t know how we would
have done it without your generosity.
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