Characters: 3/5
Seeing that “The Now Habit” is an informal text, there are not any reoccurring characters other than the author who is narrating this story. During the course of this book, somewhat relatable, yet generic characters are implemented into the book as an example of an “Average Joe” with only the details that they are struggling with some form of anxiety or procrastination. “For Joel, and many others like him, the anxiety of being overwhelmed is increased by the expectation that he should be able to start without anxiety, and by the severe self-criticism he directs towards his initial efforts” (98), though Joel’s situation is something I can relate to, his character is not particularly memorable considering that his character is abandoned a couple pages over after finding his resolution only to be replaced with another character in a similar situation named Judith. Generally, I enjoyed the short yet relatable presences of each character in this book as I see that they are decent tools to portray a person whose ability is deeply restricted by the inability to get things done. As for the narrator, I feel that he does an excellent job of projecting information while remaining possession of the reader’s attention which is important to those reading this book that are attempting to stop procrastinating.

Language 3/5
Throughout this book, the author alternates between simple, informative language and more complex sentences detailing and supporting the claim of the simple sentences. The mood of this book can fluctuate greatly depending on the topic of discussion. When the author is detailing the situation and problems of a person, the mood becomes more empathetic or sympathetic depending on the reader. In contrast to the previous feelings, gaining knowledge of a possible resolution changes the mood to a more hopeful state to the reader. On some occasions, the author may refer to the reader directly, “This is ‘your’ exercise. ‘You’ will be ‘in control’ at all times” (155), and depending on how the word “you” is being used by the author, it can be used as a means of provoking doubt out of one’s self or to give hope and the feeling of empowerment over one’s own life or time. Though the language used by the author is not completely astounding, he has great control of the tone and mood of the book as well as the reader’s emotions.

Information 5/5
tThe Now Habit is an informative text where the main topic of discussion was procrastination. Information such as the most frequently occurring reasons for putting off work were at first, briefly mentioned, then later described in a more complete manner using different characters as examples. “Trying to escape work by procrastinating will only increase your anxiety; ‘only work will diminish your anxiety’. Neither chocolate-chip cookies not TV will lesson tension about an overwhelming or unpleasant task. The only thing that really helps is to ‘start working’” (118). Overall, his explanations of how someone feels when overcome with anxiety due to procrastination and self-standards were shockingly accurate and effective including his ability to predict the way a person acts under that sort of pressure. If someone were to try to rewrite this book with a storyline, it wouldn’t be possible. The amount of sheer information in this book would easily overcome any story that the author would be trying to portray which would leave a bland, uninteresting overall book.

Theme 5/5
The Now Habit’s main objective is to help the reader identify the reader’s problems and help resolve them using different assortments of time managing documents in addition to attempting to change their way of thinking. “It (this book) will teach you to use empowering inner dialogue that leads to the responsible choices, while avoiding ambivalent messages such as ‘you should’ and ‘you have to’” (3). That is the message and theme that the author is trying to show and that is truly the main point of this book. The title of this book “The Now Habit” refers to the mindset of getting things done in the present, rather than holding something off until the moment of deadline.

Overall 4/5
My final score for this book is a 4/5. I enjoyed the book because of the how true and realistic the themes of this story is compared to everyday life. I would recommend this book to any person who feels any sort of uncertainty from procrastination as the amount of detail and personal experience is astonishing. After fully completing this book, dealing with procrastination will seem easier and more manageable.

Existem partes do livro bastante boas, aliás muito boas mesmo mas outras que não me agarraram tanto. É um misto.
Uma coisa que senti falta e que tenho verificado nos ultimos livros que li é um pequeno apanhado/resumo no fim de cada capitulo/secção. Isso ajuda a estruturar o pensamento e a ter as ideias bases presentes. Senti falta também de mais tecnicas mais praticas para experimentar.

The Now Habit by Neil A. Fiore is a very interesting and insightful, helpful book. The 9 chapters each go over different aspects of procrastination, such as why we procrastinate and strategies to overcome it. Fiore defines procrastination not as the problem, but as the consequence of other problems, such as fear, anxiety, and perfectionism. I like how on page 94 he writes, "It is not the goal, but the ultimate mission that kindles the imagination, motivating us toward ever higher levels of human achievement," highlighting our need for purpose above just achieving another goal and moving onto the next. I also like his understanding that procrastination takes energy, and that "Only work will diminish your anxiety,"(118) and that therefore there is no reason to procrastinate. I recommend this book to any fellow procrastinators that want to gain control over their lives.

Helped me understand that my procrastination is actually a form of anxiety. Now I know why i'm always late.

didn't finish....but not because of procrastination...no, I didn't finish because I enjoyed applying lessons learned and lost sight of finishing the book. Listening to this as an audiobook. I used it as a way to stay productive during the workday. Here is what I've learned so far: if you have to or should...you won't. Choose what you want to do...then you just might have a chance of getting it done.

I liked the beginning of the book a lot - plenty of practical tips and ideas. Unfortunately the end went off in a direction that didn't really work for me, but on the whole it was helpful.

I don't really read self-help books. I simply don't find myself interesting enough to spend hours on introspection.

Nothing makes me sadder than meeting a gorgeous man, who tells me is a reader only to learn he reads exclusively self-help. (I've been on Tinder a lot lately).

Additionally, most self-help books could be easily blog posts. They have just been stretched with mind-numbing repetitions and pointless anecdotes to justify the advance paid out to the author. And so is the case with this book.

I haven't met a person who would claim they never procrastinate. Everyone procrastinates. We all don't like doing certain things and we put them off. I did agree with Fiore's assessment of the reasons behind procrastination. It's not rocket science - we use procrastination as a defence mechanism to shield us from fear of success as well as a fear of failure. Of course it doesn't explain reason behind procrastinating on things like taking out the bins. I'm not particularly afraid of neither success nor failure when it comes to taking out the bins. This kind of procrastination is the rebellion of our inner child against chores, against what feels like a life full of chores and no guilt-free playtime.

So we procrastinate, then feel bad about it and nothing is achieved.

I did sort of know all of this already but the author's suggestions to overcome the problems didn't really work for me. Telling myself that 'I choose to do something', rather that 'I have to do something' is not useful advice, as I generally don't talk to myself, and just saying those words in my head won't actually make me believe them. In my heart of hearts I would still know I HAVE to go sort out my council tax bill, and that I am not really CHOOSING to do it.

The idea to create this so called 'unschedule' is completely idiotic. Fiore advises we should write down in a painstaking detail all the things that take up our time every day that can't be negotiated (like sleeping, commuting to work, eating, etc etc) to get a realistic idea how much time we actually have in a day to work on our projects, etc, because it won't be 24 hours. No shit, Sherlock. I'm not spending two hours, writing down how I spend every minute of my day to learn what I already know that I have about two hours of free time on weekdays.

Most of other advice is so common sense that I have worked it out myself a while ago through just being an adult human being (like break down big tasks into smaller sub-tasks, make time for fun and reward yourself for achieved goals, etc., don't think about the enormity of your task, just focus on starting not finishing)

I'm afraid I didn't find this whole book motivating or inspiring. But at least I'm writing this review right after I finished reading it, and not half a year later. I should also mention that I listened to this as an audiobook, which was inexplicably narrated by the author himself. I'm glad Fiore overcame his stutter but his shaky delivery didn't add to the experience.

When it comes to self-help there is only source I accept - zen habits by Leo Babauta.

This is an insightful book about the underlying psychology of procrastination and it offers some useful practical advice about how to stop procrastinating. It's definitely worth reading for anyone who has struggled to complete (or even to start) an important task.

Zaskakująco trafne spostrzeżenia o mechanizmach myślenia i działania osób zmagających się z problemem prokrastycji.

Although I do not see myself as a dyed in the wool procrastinator, I do push the limit on occasion. I have always felt I ran close to the wire to make the process more exciting and challenging. That said, I read this book to help me identify what I am putting off and why. Reading it provided me with that information and more. I think the most salient point I took away was that no matter how tedious, mundane and down right annoying something is, putting it off never makes it more palatable.

This was interesting. I generally like the idea of unscheduling, although I have to tweak it quite a lot to get my mind to wrap itself around the concept. I do think his observations on why we procrastinate are spot-on, and it's helpful to consider what is driving a reluctance to work on something even if it is something we're ostensibly happy/excited about, and why we do and don't procrastinate on this- or that endeavor.

The entire book can be summed up and in much more beautifully in Oliver Emberton's answer here, http://www.quora.com/Life-Advice/How-...

This book offers at most 5 tips, if filled with way too much jargon and repetition.