How to Beat Procrastination Once and for All

Procrastinators put off doing certain tasks until the absolute last minute - procrastination is necessary at times (you really don't need to be working on your expense report on Christmas Eve), but more often than not it takes away from productivity and causes lingering unhappiness.

Feelings of guilt are experienced when procrastination occurs frequently enough, and when large projects are abandoned or done in a haphazard manner. Here are some quick tips for stopping procrastination cold in its tracks and developing a healthier, more motivated daily work or study schedule.

Perform a value assessment: Which project is the most important? Which projects or tasks require your immediate attention - and which can be delayed, rescheduled, or cancelled altogether?

Provide real incentives: Often we procrastinate because the outcome simply doesn't matter too much to us... So what if the project is turned in to our boss a day late; so what if our paper doesn't land on the professor's desk until next Monday? Provide a certain amount of money as collateral against procrastination - swear to yourself that you will give, say, $100 to charity if you do not finish your paper in time. Or swear to yourself that you will do something embarrassing and uncomfortable, like working out at the gym in bright pink 1980's short shorts, if you fail to finish a work project within the given time frame. Doing these "bets" causes your mind to go into loss aversion mode - we don't like to lose money, and we definitely don't like to look stupid in public. Once in loss aversion mode, we will do the given task because we don't want to lose our money or damage our reputation.

Schedule effectively: If a project is due in two weeks, give yourself "checkpoints" that you can put on your daily planner or agenda software program - by the first week, half should be done, and so forth. This prevents you from saving a large project until the last night or day.

Delegate tasks: If the project is work-related and a colleague or friend in another department can help you, ask them! Especially if the project is a large division-wide initiative, you can recruit other employees to help you out - just promise to "return the favor" whenever they are working on deadline. And, of course, provide proper attribution and give them credit for their contributions or you will lose friends at the office.

Find a better environment: Work can seem less like work if you are in an environment surrounded by people who are doing the same thing. Studying for finals may feel tedious in your dorm room, with so many distractions, but in a library study hall surrounded by others who are quiet and studying it will feel more bearable. Editing your Excel spreadsheet for work will feel less tedious if you work on it at Starbucks or a café. This way, you'll be able to socialize and take regular breaks from the task at hand.