Wondering how to stop procrastination? Many people are. While we may tackle certain projects with gusto, some tasks leave us feeling paralysed with inertia, watching our deadline approach (or pass us by) as we wonder how to force ourselves to move forward. Fear not! The next time you find yourself battling procrastination, you will have more tools on your side. Read our tips!

Keep Perfectionism In Check
While not all procrastination comes from perfectionism, this can definitely be a factor. Think about it: when you’re letting perfectionism take hold, you can let projects become so large that you’re intimidated to start.  Shoot for ‘good enough’ and work your way up to ‘great’ if you have the time and energy. Don’t let the goal of perfection keep you from starting!
Get Quick Things Out of the Way
One helpful “how to stop procrastination” tip is to make a list of the things you need to get done, and note how long each item should take to complete. As you review the list, take any item that can be completed in 5 minutes or less, and do it immediately. This can not only shorten your to-do list quickly, but can energise you as you mark off the items.
Take Small Steps
Breaking procrastination-worthy projects down into smaller steps is a well-known and effective procrastination-busting technique.  It can be much easier to begin tackling a project that you know you can complete quickly, and once you’ve taken a few initial steps in the right direction, you can keep moving more easily and continue until you are finished.
Do The Easy Things First
When a task feels overwhelming, it is often because we doubt our ability to tackle it. One way to build self-confidence is to tackle the easier parts of the job first. This can give you a boost in two ways: first, as you complete the easier tasks, the job may feel less daunting, and it’ll be easier to stop procrastination as you complete it;  second, once the easy parts of the job are completed, you will be left with less overall work to do, so the rest of the job is smaller and may seem easier to take on.
Or Do The Hard Things First!
If you know you can do the task at hand, but you just cringe when you think of the work that’s involved, save yourself some stress and tackle the unpleasant or difficult parts of the job first. Don’t prolong all that stress! Get the hard parts out of the way, and the rest of the job will be much easier to do.
Be An Optimist
Another way to combat the self-doubt that often leads to procrastination is so start thinking more like a classic optimist: highlight the positive and minimise the negative parts of the job and of yourself.  Look more closely at why you may feel you can’t do this task, and challenge those views by actively looking at reasons you can: your strengths, your resources and your past successes.
Use Your Energy Wisely
Have you ever noticed that you have more energy at certain times of the day? Tackling those things that usually fall prey to procrastination during these “high energy windows” can help you to be much more productive, can make the job itself feel easier, and can help you stop procrastination much more easily.
Let Others Help!
Finding support from others can make a difficult task easier. Aside from delegating what you can, and using whatever resources you have available to tackle the project that has you trying to stop procrastinating, you may feel more able to see this task as an engaging challenge if you have your stress levels under control!
From ‘Learning Link June 2014’