Following Through: a Revolutionary New Model For Finishing Whatever You Start

Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING!
Review: "Following Through: a Revolutionary New Model For Finishing Whatever You Start" is filled with extraordinary information that can be used every day. Helped me understand how to motivate myself to achieve my goals and get things done. Interesting insight to what motivates people!

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Summary: A Quick-Fix Solution for the Moderate Procrastinator
Review: I turned to this book to conquer a long history of procrastination. I read the book over two days, and felt an initial sense of relief in finding that the chapters were divided into eight simple methods that one could follow. However, I felt the book lacked an in-depth explanation as to WHY I was procrastinating. And I found the methods to be only superficially helpful. This book might be best suited for someone with a mild problem with procrastination. I am currently reading Neil Fiore's "Overcoming Procrastination" and I am finding this much more fascinating and useful in terms of understanding the reasoning behind why I procrastinate and how to conquer it. If you are not looking to understand your motives behind procrastination, it will be at best, moderately helpful.

Rating:
Summary: A Quick-Fix Solution for the Moderate Procrastinator
Review: I'm a clinical psychologist and professional coach who specializes in helping people overcome procrastination. This is one of the first books I recommend (after titles by Burka & Yuen and a few other authors).

Levinson and Greider do a wonderful job of helping us eliminate the guilt we feel about our "lazy" habits. They explain why procrastination is a natural and understandable phenonmenon. The reframing of procrastination has been useful for many of my clients and students. Procrastinators are often overextended perfectionists who continually beat themselves up for not being more self-disciplined. This book helps them stop the negative self-downing and provides ways for them to improve their habits.

Over and over, Levinson and Greider provide accessible examples of how to make it easier to to the right thing. The answer is not willpower but brainpower.

Rating:
Summary: A solid book, but not magic
Review: If you are pretty good at following through already, then you are probably using many of the suggestions in this book without realizing it. If you have follow through problems, then this is probably a useful investment. The authors do a very good job of communicating their message clearly with many examples. I would say the book could be summarized by two messages: (1) Each of us has a conflict between our short term desires and long term goals. We would prefer to eat that donut now and yet we worry about the heart attack we might get in 20 years. (2) To resolve these conflicts and achieve our goals, we need to alter our environment (in creative ways) so our desires and goals are aligned. The first message is important because it provides a useful way to understand our failings without piling on a lot of regrets. The second message provides the tools to achieve our goals.

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Summary: The Last Self-Help Book You'll ever need?
Review: One of the reviewers who wrote a blurb for this book used the phrase that I borrowed for the title of this review. It could very well be the last self-help book you'll ever need, with one essential proviso: you must USE the suggestions in the book rather than just read them!

I noticed one of the... reviewers of this book has gotten his desk cleaned off as a result of following the suggestions in the book, and declared that it would stay clear too. This impressed me when I read it because I just finished the book, thought it was wonderful and really helpful, but my desk is a mess. The difference? Obviously, I have not yet put into practice the suggestions made in this book.

I have not a shadow of a doubt that I could clear my desk and a great deal more when I do put into action some of these wonderful ideas. As a hard core procrastinator, I warn you, don't read this book unless you want to suddenly be out of excuses for changing some nasty old habits. It is a real put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is type of book, and if it doesn't challenge you, you're not paying attention.

One example right in the beginning of the book is about some well-off gentleman who had a weakness for restaurant food. He wanted to lose weight and stop eating in restaurants so he told all his friends if anyone saw him in a restaurant he would buy them a car (or some such expensive gift). Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

The authors explain that the pablum so often found in self-help books and spouted by motivational speakers that appeals to your rational brain just doesn't work when trying to change a well ingrained bad habit. One must enlist the aid of the more primitive parts of the brain, and they show you how to do this.

It is a terrific book, I am challenged. Excuse me, I've got to clear off my desk.

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Summary: A rediculous exercise with some practical advice at the end.
Review: Some will be excited to hear of this book, as the title is provocative and appears to be quite sure of itself. There was even a companion training seminar held by the authors. Much to my dismay, I was let down by this book right out of the gate.

Much of the book references 'research' performed by the authors, however, there really is no evidence documented in the book that this research was formal or followed any sort of scientific model. In fact, the reader is left with the feeling that, at best, the research is purely anecdotal. This becomes problematic to the authors' theory, because the entire first half of the book is belabored by a plodding background explanation of the authors' premise, apparently necessary to hard-sell the reader on the authors' discovery of the root of all procrastination. You will find a strange explanation that ties procrastination to the survival of the human species. Thinkers will find that the authors' hypothesis contradicts itself in more than a few places, and the reader may even begin doubting the tenuous theory of evolution as a result. If you can make it through the first half of the book (which painfully resulted in my own procrastination to ever finish the text) you will actually be rewarded with some good solid principles that can really help some of those who moderately suffer from the problem of procrastination.

Unfortunately, the reality of the authors' conclusion is not at all revolutionary. The reader will find that the techniques of conquering procrastination are merely common sense seen through self-help glasses. It is no surprise that I was recommended this book through a popular coaching organization that is inundated by a strange mix of truth and preposterousness. Ironically, my father taught some of these techniques to me when I was a teenager, and I have used these successfully for years. I have not completely conquered the affliction, but regrettably this book will only marginally help me.

The book will be useful for those who wish to collect several diverse sources on this most frustrating predicament of procrastination. To save time, begin reading the book at the halfway point and discard the first portion.

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Summary: One of the most useful books I have read
Review: The authors are so smart, because they are dealing pragmatically with how humans really do things, not just how we intend to do them. And they provide a large compendium of practical suggestions to help guide our primitive instincts towards the intentions set by our better nature.

I have ready many self-help books, and this is perhaps the most practical one I have ever seen. It should be a best-seller, and it should revolutionize the way people think about putting intention into action. It is brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: Practical Strategies
Review: This book outlines in detail several of the main strategies that really work to change habit patterns. The most helpful information comes in the form of explaining why we DON'T succeed, and what we can do about it. While the actual solutions don't appear until the second half of the book, it is important to understand the reasons for our failures, so that we will understand better HOW to succeed. This book does a great job of that.

In our coaching program, DayToppers, we use many of the same techniques the book suggests. In fact, the concepts underscore how important it is for some people to change their support structures before they can see progress. We recommend this book to our clients because it helps them understand what may be getting in their way, and helps us work with them to create success strategies and action plans.

Our clients really like knowing that there ARE solutions, and that despite their best efforts sometimes it's not them, it's the system they're using, because when the true source of the problem is uncovered, it's much easier to find the solution. This book, like our program, is focused on solutions that really work....

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Summary: Completely new and different ideas about self-improvement .
Review: This is the most practical,realistic and and fun to read self-improvement book that I've ever read. Their theory about human behavior especially related to the usual failure around good intentions makes so much sense.It explains inherent mechanisms that when we know how to use them -make following through on good intentions emrarassingly easy.

Years of reading self improvement books had stilted me to the genre. They all seemed to be based on wishful thinking and frankly I never got much results from them.

I read the book a week ago and have already seen my productivity go way up. For the first time in my life I have a clean desk and I know it is going to stay that way.

My only suggestion would be summary pages at chapter ends but I strongly encourage everybody to read this book if you want to finally make some lasting changes. Personally I think its the best thing since Covey's Seven Habits.