This no-frills book provides the method to stop procrastination in its tracks

We’re all guilty of procrastination from time to time; maybe we’d rather watch another episode of Netflix instead of getting off the couch and going to work out, perhaps we go for “just one more” cup of coffee before logging in to check our emails, or maybe we postpone making dinner until it’s so late we wind up grabbing takeout instead.

Procrastination is a totally normal part of life and doesn’t usually take away from our overall levels of productivity, but it can be easy to allow it to get out of hand, especially if we’re working on building a new set of healthy habits or trying to establish a new routine.

Interestingly enough, according to a recent study by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University, most of us begin to procrastinate more when we become afraid of failure or motivated by “showing off” our success by doing better than other people.

This means that when you do finally get into your groove, whether you’ve finally started seeing results at the gym after months of hard work, you recently got recognition at work for your unique skill set, or you’ve kicked a bad habit like binge drinking or smoking, it’s in these moments that self-sabotage becomes the most prevalent.

And that’s exactly why making the conscious effort to quite literally just do whatever it is that you’re procrastinating over as soon as the doubts or excuses start to form in your mind. It sounds simple but refusing to accept your own excuses is going to be your fast track to staying on task and continuing to hit your goals.

In Stop Doing That Sh*t: End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back, New York Times and international bestselling author Gary John Bishop outlines exactly what self-sabotage might look like for different people—and what to do to ensure you don’t fall into a trap of your own making.

Bishop’s in-depth account of self-sabotaging behavior breaks down why we self-sabotage or procrastinate—and it really comes down to the way we’re wired. As such, Stop Doing That Sh*t takes readers through how we can interrupt the cycle and nip any signs of self-sabotage before we let it throw off our work, habits, or routines.

Think about it like this: procrastination, or the act of self-sabotage, takes up the exact same amount of mental space as actually going out and doing the task you’re avoiding. If you’re choosing to watch Netflix instead of just going to do a 15-minute workout, for example, you won’t be fully present when trying to enjoy your show—you’ll most likely feel guilty for skipping your workout and unable to relax as easily as you would have if you had of just gotten the workout out of the way.

Written as a practical how-to guide that’s both unpretentious and just blunt enough to push you to take a critical look at your patterns, the non-cheesy self-help book will train you to ignore your negative thoughts before they even start while focusing your attention on your goals and reminding yourself why you want or need to check items off your to-do list to begin with.

Whether you’re already aware of your procrastination tendencies, or you’ve finally established a habit or routine you’ve always wanted to work into your day-to-day, Stop Doing That Sh*t comes as an incredible resource for anyone hoping to kick themselves (gently!) and hold more trust in their own ability to hold themselves accountable, and just do whatever it is that they’re resisting.