Author: Neil A. Fiore
Synopsis |
The Now Habit (1998) is based on the following premises: • The best procrastination cure is a deadline. • You can’t get motivated until you know what to do. • Stimulation is more effective than drudgery. • An enjoyable job is more likely to get done. Learn the four steps to accomplish anything: choose a task, break it down into small steps, set deadlines for each step, and reward yourself for completing steps along the way. |
Detailed Summary of The Now Habit
Do you have trouble getting started? Do you find it impossible to focus when you have to read something complicated? If so, you’re not alone. The Now Habit can help you get things done and stop procrastinating.
The Now Habit is based on research in the field of psychology, which has found that procrastinators tend to be afraid of failure. They fear that if they start a task their performance will be inadequate and that they’ll be judged as inferior people.
Procrastination is a habit that’s difficult to break, and the worst part is, you know it’s bad for you. Yet, you do it anyway, again and again. The Now Habit Summary applies the principles of habit formation so you can finally break the procrastination habit, once and for all.
The Now Habit takes procrastination seriously because all of us procrastinate sometimes. Whether you’re sleeping late, watching TV, playing video games, shopping, scrolling on Facebook, reading magazines, or just sitting around talking with friends, your time is wasted.
It’s one of the first things people will tell you about their first time. “I couldn’t put it down! I stayed up all night!” You know that feeling—you’re getting lost in a story. Maybe you’re on the edge of your seat, waiting to see if that main character will survive the night. Maybe you’re laughing at the same jokes, or crying over the same heartbreak. And then, when you finally set it down, you can’t stop thinking about it.
The Now Habit Summary Key Points
The book’s primary focus is on helping individuals overcome procrastination and increase productivity. Procrastination is a bad habit that makes you lazy and demotivated in every work. One of the main reasons why people procrastinate is because they try to make their projects perfect, and they fear taking responsibility.
To break the chains of procrastination, one should follow the rules to improve oneself and be more enthusiastic about work. The book is divided into several sections, each addressing a different aspect of procrastination and providing strategies for overcoming it.
You might also like to read Stillness is The Key Summary.
What are Procrastination and its warning sign?
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks. It is often driven by various factors, such as fear of failure, lack of motivation, difficulty focusing, and difficulty prioritizing tasks. Some common warning signs of procrastination include:
- Difficulty getting started on tasks, even those that are important or urgent.
- Constant distractions or interruptions while working.
- Perfectionism or fear of failure causes one to avoid tasks or delay starting them.
- Chronic lateness or missed deadlines.
- Excessive stress or anxiety related to unfinished tasks.
- Difficulty organizing or prioritizing tasks.
.Procrastination can have negative consequences, such as reduced productivity and increased stress.
Avoid the Fear of Failure through Procrastination
We’re taught to dislike work and fear failure. So what’s the difference? In school, you’d be punished for playing soccer if you didn’t finish your homework. But you’d never get in trouble for reading a book. You’re never told which you should do first, and so we learn to see our favorite things as hobbies or indulgences rather than as part of who we are and what we do.
Imagine if, instead of discipline, they’d been given the following: a clean workspace, with all the supplies they needed to work and a fun workplace buddy. A workplace buddy who kept them on task and motivated them when they felt discouraged.
They might still procrastinate – some children just do – but at least their procrastination wouldn’t be seen as a problem, that needs to be fixed, but as a product of working at a reasonable pace for their specific learning style.
It seems like a logical conclusion. After all, who doesn’t like work (and getting paid for it), and who doesn’t want to try hard to get good results? And who doesn’t fear failure? Unfortunately, this is one of those conclusions that’s based on a complete misunderstanding of how the human mind works. It shows a lack of understanding of what drives behavior.
Human beings don’t like work, we dislike effort. We don’t want to fail, we want to succeed. And when we do fail, we aren’t afraid of failure itself, but rather the consequences that failure might bring. And as it turns out: we are often wrong in our assumptions about both success and failure.
Procrastination is the Great Enemy of Productivity
Procrastination is a form of self-sabotage and one of the great enemies of productivity, both for individuals and for businesses, as it results in missed deadlines, unhappy clients and employees, and lost opportunities.
The definition of procrastination is very broad. It includes activities such as reading long-winded books in which you lose interest before finishing them, watching too many episodes of your favorite TV show before going to sleep, and endlessly browsing the web while your to-do list is piling up. It refers to poor planning that often results in last-minute panics and stressful situations.
Contrary to its definition, however, procrastination isn’t always a negative behavior; sometimes it can be used as a tool to improve your performance and finally get things done. I’ve been procrastinating writing this article – I’m very excited about it but I’ve been putting it off for weeks because I want it to be perfect, to be of the highest possible quality.
In other words, my unconscious desire has become that this newsletter will be the best one yet. Why? Because I’m proud of it; because I want it to reach as many people as possible; because I want to give people value for their time. This approach is often helpful, but it can also be a trap.
Perfectionism makes us afraid to take a risk, put ourselves out there, and make mistakes. If we can’t succeed perfectly, we might as well not try at all…We never learn anything from our mistakes.
Do not Waste your Time on Distractions and Do what really matters
Block your distractions. This can be as simple as opening a new tab on your browser with a reminder not to open it unless you’ve closed the document you’re working on or saving a list of what you have to do on your phone rather than looking at it every minute.
Distraction is everywhere. There’s a constant influx of new emails, meetings that pop up at the last minute, and a never-ending list of things that need to be done right now. We’re bombarded with so much information that it’s difficult to focus on the thing we need to do.
A way of organizing your focus and blocking distractions can help you quickly get back on track when you’re interrupted. According to a study by Harvard Business School, successful people spend roughly four hours a day working on their most important tasks, while an average employee spends less than two. And it’s not just how many hours you work, but how productive you are during those hours.
“If you take just a few seconds to note it down and then come back to your original task, you’ll be much more likely to remember it. Then you can evaluate whether or not that was important and how long it needs to be on the list.”
The Now Habit Quotes
“The Now Habit perspective does not accept that laziness, disorganization, or any other character defect is the reason you procrastinate.” –Neil A. Fiore
“To make changes, you’ll need to break out of automatic pilot and start making conscious choices when” –Neil A. Fiore
The Now Habit Summary Review
It is one of the most productive books. This book is written in a way that every person could understand. I would recommend this book to everyone dealing with procrastination.
To whom I would recommend The Now Habit Summary?
- Anyone who wants to boost up his motivation.
- Anyone who wants to accomplish big things in life.
- Anyone who does not remember things.
Link: https://amzn.to/3z3AQqE