Flip The Tables On Your Procrastination Wheedler

New Anti-Procrastination eBook & “Flip Technique” by Dr. Bill Knaus
Dee, SMART Recovery^® Special Events Coordinator

Dr. Bill Knaus, clinical psychologist and foremost expert in the field of procrastination, has joined with SMART Recovery^® to produce the first-ever online Anti-Procrastination Mini-Workshop.

As the author of over 20 books, Dr. Knaus’s expertise is vast, in a variety of psychological areas. He has written five separate books on procrastination, including The Procrastination Workbook – a definitive handbook for working through procrastination issues in a step-by-step approach.

The workshop meetings address the many ties and complications that procrastination presents in the pursuit of freedom from addictive behavior, as well as in practically every area of our lives. Dr. Knaus examines the roots of procrastination, how to recognize it, and how to combat it.

This groundbreaking series introduces many new materials, some of which have not yet been published elsewhere.

• Beat the Wheedler Techniques (below)
• Podcasts: Anti-Procrastination Mini-Workshop: Part I & Part II
  Anti-Procrastion Mini-Workshop Wrap-up Meeting: Part I & Part II
• eBook: Beat Procrastination Now!

SMART is grateful to Dr. Knaus for the time, efforts and cutting edge resources he is sharing with our community.

Beat the Wheedler: Introducing the “Flip Technique”

In a recent Psychology Today article, Dr. Knaus suggests visualizing the source of our procrastination thinking and impulses as an imaginary character, such as the Procrastination Wheedler. Below is the first in a series of tips we can use to combat the challenges and approaches presented by our internal Procrastination Wheedler. These tips utilize Dr. Knaus’s original new “Flip Technique” presented for the first time ever here at SMART Recovery. Watch for more techniques to come!

WHEN THE WHEEDLER SAYS: “Take a break before you start. Read the newspaper. Play solitaire. Get out that pool cue and start a game….”   USE THE FLIP TECHNIQUE: Instead of front-loading the entertainment before your pressing priority, use the flip technique, which is to do the opposite of what your Wheedler tells you. Work at your priority for an hour and take a ten minute break by reading your favorite newspaper column. After the next hour chipping away at your project, play ten minutes of solitaire. After the next hour, play a game of pool.

WHEN THE WHEEDLER SAYS: “Don’t think about going to the gym. Wait. You’ll feel rested and ready perhaps in a day or so.” USE THE FLIP TECHNIQUE: Use the flip technique by putting one foot in front of the other as you head to the gym.

WHEN THE WHEEDLER SAYS: “Start writing your great American Novel before you begin that onerous report (then put off starting the novel).” USE THE FLIP TECHNIQUE: Use the flip technique to get started on the report. Get in front of the computer, boot in, and type the letters of the alphabet to break the inertia for inaction. Later, write a page of the novel.

Check out Dr. Knaus’s new Facebook page:

SMART Recovery is very pleased to offer Special Events on topics of interest as a public service. Please share with your friends, family and colleagues. All are welcome, but space is limited so early arrival is encouraged.