I liked the book, and although I am not entirely sure yet that it will work for me, it gave me some insight as to what goes on with addiction, procrastination and laziness. I was addicted to cigarettes for 13 years and gave them up 40 years ago. On the third try, I was finally successful using a similar program to this with a slow reduction of nicotine. Going 'cold turkey' has never worked for me, but slow change has. Today, I battle with overweight and lack of motivation from too many years of diet failure. I have some other bad habits, like staying up late, and knowing that it is bad just doesn't help me stop doing it. I have a lot of interests in life and I feel the pull of them distracting me from my goals all of the time. What this book did for me was that it helped me to see how the pleasurable things I enjoy were pulling me away from those goals, and the unpleasant things required for accomplishing my goals were so unpleasant in my mind that they were keeping me from doing them. So, I made a list of my goals and a list of the 14 psychological weapons and strategies in this book, and I applied each one to the 4 goals I listed. While I'm finding that I am making progress on the 1st goal, the last 3 haven't gone so well yet, and that being because my goals and life, in general, are very time consuming. I thought I would divide my time up each day into 4 time slots for the 4 goals, but it never seems to work out. However, being able to look over each of the 14 strategies before I start working on one of the goals seems to be helpful. I thought that maybe I'll have to work on only one goal until I've mastered it or formed a new habit. When I quit smoking, I was entirely focused on that one problem, how much I hated it, and had to get rid of it. The problem with diet and exercise is that it takes up even more of my time to focus on and is complicated by arthritis, now that I'm older. I also run out of gas sooner than I did when I was young. Focusing on just one thing makes everything else in my life (like my housework) fall apart, so the problem now becomes a matter of balance. Now, I've given myself a 5th goal, that of having balance in my life. Yeah, I really needed this book. I just hope I have enough years left to make it work.

First couple of chapters sounded promising for a somewhat different approach to help with procrastination and other bad habits. But the second half of the book was disappointing when it came to solutions. It left me feeling sucked in and then let down. The beginning text served more as a sales pitch that convinced me to purchase the book--that's about all. Sorry.

The author brought up some good points to start off with, but the suggestions to remedy the points were weak and a little odd at times. I was tortured by the repetitive nature of the discussion. I agree with another reviewer that this book could have been written with maybe half the words and content. If these areas are problems for you, it might be worth a skim, but don't expect to find much more than some drunken sounding suggestions.

Interesting premise but a little too arrogantly written for my taste. It would have been a thousand times more readable if he'd had a little intellectual humility and put forth his theory/anecdotes forward as just that: theories and anecdotes. Can this help people? Maybe. Was it enjoyable to read? Not really.

The solution to motivational troubles is not grit or willpower, but understanding and introspection. Once you grasp the first principles behind the psychology of motivation, you will be able to intelligently control your actions. Roman's book taught me this, and has been a valuable addition to my life :)