Andrew Santella

拖延–人類恆常存在的習慣因子

為什麼我們慣性拖延？

達文西跟達爾文也是耽擱達人？

在猶豫與遲疑中，一同來欣賞最美的心理狀態

 

　　慣性拖延似乎隨著基因序列一起，在人類的血液中流傳。面對這難以擺脫的現象，本書借鑑史上最偉大的拖延者們，並請心理學家、哲學家與行為經濟學家解釋為何我們常耽擱該做的事情，以及為何不該為此感到糟糕。

 

　　作者Andrew Santella本人也有拖延的習慣，就跟我們一樣，包括美國大部分的勞工與將近三分之二的大學生。對於自己的習慣，Andrew還不準備戒掉，他盡可能地探尋人類關於拖延的傾向。他研究歷史中許多著名的拖延事件，藉以深入理解人類行為。他並寫道，為了消磨時間，「做研究是逃避工作的最佳途徑。」

 

　　他與心理學家、哲學家和牧師對談，訪問新奧爾良的法國區–拖延者守護神的神殿所在地。在倫敦郊外達爾文的家中，Andrew發現如果這位偉大的科學家不推遲那些庸俗的委託案（超過二十年），我們也許無緣見到他的曠世之作。

 

　　從達文西到建築師萊特，從摩西到內戰將軍，作者以不同的角度看待拖延二字。他質疑我們對「效率崇拜」的迷思，並建議推遲和延期可以幫助我們理解對我們真正重要的事情。拖延不純然是懶惰，甚至不「壞」，它可以是愉悅和豐富的。當我們在有限的時間內，像是完成一幅畫前先打掃，或是繳稅前先看本小說，也許將解鎖新的創造潛力與成功。拖延，同時也是對焦慮症爆棚、資訊巨流時代的另一種抗議。

 

　　正視拖延心態，也是問自己：世界要我們完成的事情，是否真的值得去做？

 

　　「Soon令人讚嘆。輕鬆卻精深、充滿美味軼事與殘酷的誠實，對於拖延者與非拖延者來說都是一種貓薄荷，以書之形。」–《時間裡的癡人》《Manhattan Beach》作者珍妮佛.伊根(Jennifer Egan)

 

(文/博客來編譯)

 

In the vein of Quiet, a thought-provoking exploration of procrastination and its notable successes throughout history

 

　　An entertaining, fact-filled defense of the nearly universal tendency to procrastinate, drawing on the stories of history's greatest delayers, and on the work of psychologists, philosophers, and behavioral economists to explain why we put off what we're supposed to be doing and why we shouldn't feel so bad about it.

 

　　Like so many of us, including most of America's workforce, and nearly two-thirds of all university students, Andrew Santella procrastinates. Concerned about his habit, but not quite ready to give it up, he set out to learn all he could about the human tendency to delay. He studied history's greatest procrastinators to gain insights into human behavior, and also, he writes, to kill time, "research being the best way to avoid real work."

 

　　He talked with psychologists, philosophers, and priests. He visited New Orleans' French Quarter, home to a shrine to the patron saint of procrastinators. And at the home of Charles Darwin outside London, he learned why the great naturalist delayed writing his masterwork for more than two decades.

 

　　Drawing on an eclectic mix of historical case studies in procrastination-from Leonardo da Vinci to Frank Lloyd Wright, and from Old Testament prophets to Civil War generals-Santella offers a sympathetic take on habitual postponement. He questions our devotion to "the cult of efficiency" and suggests that delay and deferral can help us understand what truly matters to us. Being attentive to our procrastination, Santella writes, means asking, "whether the things the world wants us to do are really worth doing."

 

Review

 

　　“Soon is an utter delight. Casually erudite, full of delicious anecdotes and brutal honesty, it is catnip, in book form, for procrastinators and non-procrastinators alike.” (Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach)

 

　　“A witty, smart and, yes, motivating exploration into that quality that unites all of us: a knack for putting thAA4AA4AA4AA4ings off ‘til tomorrow. Soon is a lively reminder that while necessity might be the mother of invention, delay can be the source of creative achievement.” (Michael Hainey, author of After Visiting Friends)