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Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It
By Jane B. Burka, Ph.D. & Lenora M. Yuen, Ph.D.
Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books, 1983, 227 pages, $15.95
Procrastination is greatly underestimated and largely misunderstood among individuals from all walks of life and varying levels of intellect. It may not be mere laziness or “waiting to the last minute to complete a task.” On the contrary, Burka and Yuen describe true procrastination as a “postponement of behavior” that protects the individual from emotional distress. In Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It, the authors discuss environmental factors (competitive society, the lofty expectations of parents, social cliques, restrictive authority figures, etc.) that often influence the development of procrastination and accompanying perfectionism. Procrastination is frequently exercised in attempts to maintain control, as well as defend against fears of failure, success, attachment/separation, and/or losing personal battles. As a result, procrastinators are usually unable or unwilling to implement the appropriate skills necessary to break out of their comfort zone. The authors provide numerous examples of ways in which procrastination may be alleviated, yet also warn readers of likely internal and external consequences if such measures are not practiced.
Burka and Yuen claim to be reformed procrastinators, and even offer personal examples of specific struggles with time management, motivation, and the psychological battle with procrastination. Both authors are psychologists who practice psychotherapy in private practices. In addition, Burka and Yuen worked together while on staff at the University of California at Berkeley Counseling Center, and have addressed the issue of procrastination in public, corporate workshops and seminars. The authors conducted group psychotherapy at the university’s counseling center for individuals struggling with procrastination; and they led workshops and seminars for corporations throughout the United States. The experience acquired through their work in various settings has largely contributed to the information discussed in this book. Throughout the book, they honestly share common pitfalls experienced on the road toward positive change, and encourage the reader to closely examine his or her own life for insight.
Although Burka and Yuen’s book is more than 20 years old, the information contained within its pages is still relevant to the present day. In fact, as the American society becomes increasingly fast-paced (given technological advances), more individuals may procrastinate in attempts to regain control over their lives, or exhibit perfectionism as a result of competitive and demanding societal pressures.
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It is divided into two parts. The first section discusses the reasoning behind why many individuals procrastinate, and how such behaviors become a part of one’s daily repertoire. The second section of the book presents specific methods one may use to develop a more realistic approach to managing time, making decisions, setting goals, interacting with others, and monitoring his or her emotional stability.
Burka and Yuen wrote this book to confer its reader with a sense of legitimate autonomy when making future decisions and completing upcoming tasks. Another intended purpose for the book is to provide a measure of comfort to those who procrastinate by empowering each to cogently perceive the importance and function of control. The authors hope that readers of the book will actively identify those behaviors that reinforce procrastination, and confidently incorporate more helpful strategies for the maintenance of long-term mental health. Due to the nature of the book’s content and the method in which it was written, anyone who personally struggles with procrastination, or knows someone who does would benefit from reading it. Also, individuals who are depressed, timid, or experiencing anxiety may learn valuable assertiveness and time-management skills (helpful in minimizing procrastination) that could alleviate such troublesome issues. Specific advice is given to those who have a child, spouse, employee, or employer haunted by procrastination. However, since one individual’s procrastination may affect many different people, the book was written with a diverse audience in mind.
Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It would be a valuable resource for psychotherapists to use in conjunction with psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Readers are encouraged to admit the problematic nature of procrastination, and guided to take an active role in evaluating the erroneous thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs that perpetuate the problem. Psychotherapists may use cognitive techniques to help the client become more aware of his or her unrealistic expectations, emotional problems, and negative interpretations of others’ thoughts and actions. Burka and Yuen emphasized the significance of one’s early experiences playing a major role in the development of procrastination. Therefore, clients may be assuaged by identifying with likely predictors for the problem, and by recognizing that their issues are not unique.
Readers are also provided with practical exercises designed to record and display the maladaptive behaviors of a procrastinator. Psychotherapists may use the following instruments and resources (as well as others mentioned in the book) as an adjunct to other behavioral methods or homework assignments. By maintaining a “procrastination inventory,” individuals would be able to recognize the areas in their lives (in the household, at work, at school, with personal care, in social relationships, and with finances) that present the most challenges with procrastination. Such information may be useful in assisting the direction of psychotherapy. Psychoherapists could also implement a “two-week experiment,” as described in the book, during which the client would set a reasonable goal, break up the objective into smaller (more manageable) tasks, and observe the progress or failures along the way. Finally, psychotherapists could instruct their client to keep an “un-schedule.” This involves making a calendar that shows all of the activities the individual has planned for the upcoming week, in addition to the areas of free time. Time spent working toward a designated goal is recorded as well. By completing this exercise, clients learn to make more specific goals, observe when time is wasted, and prioritize which activities are meaningful.
Psychotherapists not using cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy may experience less benefits from incorporating Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It into the treatment process. Other types of psychotherapy may not appropriately utilize the techniques mentioned in the second half of the book. These techniques require the individual (client) to search his or her cognitive motivations for behaving in a procrastinating way. Alternative psychotherapies may not adequately address the importance of emotional or cognitive insight and behavioral change. Burka and Yuen focus on both the procrastinating behaviors and the underlying (internal and external) causes of the behaviors – consistent with the objectives of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies. The authors appear to view procrastination as a conscious decision. Those types of psychotherapy that emphasize the role of the unconscious may not be able to incorporate this book into the treatment process.
The effectiveness of this book may be compromised because of several potential weaknesses, however. First of all, the very nature of procrastination may limit one’s motivation for reading the book. Secondly, the issue of denial may preclude an individual with procrastination to accept that he or she has a problem. He or she may be unable and/or unwilling to see the negative effects of current behaviors. Change would be unlikely to occur, if it was seen as unnecessary. Finally, although Burka and Yuen generally referenced research findings throughout the book, substantial efforts to report more detailed accounts of the relevant research were not made. Perhaps, this was seen as an ineffective method to discuss the characteristics of procrastination with a broad audience.
In addition to the strengths already discussed, this book possesses other helpful and effective qualities. It was written in terms that the average adult with a twelfth grade reading level would understand. As a result, Burka and Yuen provide basic descriptions of why individuals procrastinate, and what they can do about it. Given the topic of the book, the authors’ straightforward approach adequately garners interest, and encourages procrastinators to continue reading. Relevant case examples and engaging scenarios were used to explain key points, and make the information more applicable to the reader’s everyday life. Lastly, the breadth of the topic was sufficiently covered, and its exposition was probably aided by the fact that the authors possessed a noticeable empathy for those affected by procrastination.