This time rereading “Later” by James Surowiecki, I approached it slowly and read it word for word. I found it to be much more informative and interesting this second time. I realized as I read that the author was not just spewing examples at random but was dissecting the problem of procrastination by breaking down every aspect of it. The author includes surveys with the results being that college students tend to procrastinate and writers struggle to finish their own pieces. However the outcome is not just a display of laziness but taken from a different perspective it is a “basic human impulse”. By the 18th century, Samuel Johnson was describing it ;” for having so long neglected what was unavoidably to be done, and which every moment’s idleness increased the difficulty.” This common problem was persistent to modern times, Piers Steel performed a study in which people admitted to difficulties with procrastination, the resulting percentage quadrupled between 1978 and 2002. One of the more intriguing perspectives to me , is from the philosophers in “The Thief Of Time” with a more radical explanation called “the divided self”. This interpretation from Thomas Schelling suggests that bargaining with your short term interests and long term goals is the result of procrastination. The author then goes into solutions, one being “the extended will”. This is going going out of the way to take precautions using external tools and techniques to help with work. For example getting someone involved to help keep you responsible for your work. The opposing argument that disapproves the reliance on external tools, advices you to strengthen your will rather that depending on techniques. With research supporting will power to be “in some ways, like a muscle and can be made stronger.”, however the same research, “also suggests that most of us have a limited amount of will power and that it’s easily exhausted.” Throughout the reading James Surowiecki illustrates every possible aspect of procrastination, ranging from controversial theories and perfectionism.