Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Self-Sabotage
by Morgan Lees
At a glance
Pages140
Reading time~3h
AudienceAdult
About the Author
Morgan Lees1 book reviewed
Get Out of Your Own Way
Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Self-Sabotage
by Morgan Lees
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: A reader who recognises procrastination, perfectionism, and self-sabotage as one connected pattern in themselves and wants a short, plainly framed starting point — someone more likely to finish a 140-page hardcover than to start a 400-page manual.
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Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Self-Sabotage is Morgan Lees's independently published, 140-page hardcover that treats three commonly intertwined self-defeating patterns as one connected problem. LuvemBooks finds its compact, clearly scoped design a genuine asset for readers who would never start a 400-page self-help volume — best suited to those wanting a short, plainly framed starting point. The key caveat: it shares its exact title with better-known books by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg (1996) and Dave Hollis (2020), and its methods arrive untested, without the editorial pedigree or reader reception of the category's established titles.
- Is it worth reading?
- For a specific reader, yes: someone who wants a short, plainly framed starting point on self-defeating habits and values brevity over comprehensiveness. Its compact 140-page length makes it a realistic finish, and treating the three patterns as one connected problem is a reasonable, clearly scoped structure. The significant caveats are that its treatment of three large subjects is necessarily compressed, and its methods are untested here — buyers who weigh author credentials, editorial pedigree, or established reception heavily would be better served by longer-standing titles in the category.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to this book's territory — self-sabotage, habit change, and self-criticism — have strong established options. Brianna Wiest's The Mountain Is You tackles self-sabotage directly and at greater length, while James Clear's Atomic Habits offers the structured, system-based approach to behaviour change that a 140-page primer can only sketch. Brené Brown's Daring Greatly addresses the shame and self-criticism underlying perfectionism, and Peter Hollins's How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate is another compact, practical entry on procrastination. For a more philosophical angle on self-acceptance, The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga is the category's perennial.
- Who should read this?
- It is best suited to a reader who wants a short, plainly framed starting point on self-defeating habits and who values brevity over comprehensiveness — someone more likely to finish a 140-page book than to start a 400-page one. It particularly fits readers who recognise all three patterns from the subtitle in themselves and want them addressed as one connected problem. LuvemBooks also notes it may suit gift-giving, where a compact hardcover on a near-universal problem is an easy choice.
- What works well in this book?
- Its clearest strength is its tightly scoped premise: procrastination, perfectionism, and self-sabotage are treated as one connected pattern rather than three separate problems, reflecting a widely held view in the genre that they share roots in fear, self-criticism, and avoidance. The 140-page length is a deliberate asset — a realistic finish for readers daunted by longer volumes — and the hardcover format gives it durability as a keep-on-the-desk reference.
- Who should skip this book?
- Skip it if you prioritise an established track record, named professional credentials, or extensive reader reception behind your self-help purchases — as an independently published title, it arrives without the editorial apparatus of a traditional house. Also skip it if you want depth on any single one of its three topics; the compressed treatment means fuller treatments exist elsewhere. And if the title caught your eye because of praise you saw online, check the byline first: endorsements attached to this title overwhelmingly refer to the 1996 Goulston and Goldberg book.
- Is it a good gift book?
- It is a plausible one. LuvemBooks notes the book may suit gift-giving, where a compact hardcover on a near-universal problem — procrastination, perfectionism, self-sabotage — is an easy choice, and the hardcover format gives it some durability as a keep-on-the-desk reference. The one caution for gift buyers is the title collision: make sure the recipient — and the listing — refers to the Morgan Lees book and not the better-known 1996 or 2020 namesakes.
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Summarize this book
Morgan Lees's independently published hardcover runs 140 pages and is organised around three intertwined self-defeating patterns named in its subtitle: procrastination, perfectionism, and self-sabotage. Rather than treating them as separate problems, it frames them as connected behaviours — a structure that reflects a widely held view in the genre that such habits share roots in fear, self-criticism, and avoidance. It sits in Amazon's Self-Esteem category, positioning it as personal-change reading rather than clinical or academic treatment. LuvemBooks' assessment is based on the book's listing data and stated premise, not on hands-on application of its methods.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
who it suits
Skip if you want a deep, credentialed, evidence-backed treatment of any one of its three topics rather than a compressed 140-page primer.
Editorial Review
Morgan Lees's independently published *Get Out of Your Own Way* is a 140-page hardcover promising help with procrastination, perfectionism, and self-sabotage. Its brevity is an asset, but it shares its title with better-known books, and its methods are untested here.
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