Procrastination is described in the dictionary as putting off or
delaying something till another day or time. I think we have all
experienced procrastination in our lives at some point or another,
whether it be because we are feeling overwhelmed, time-crunched,
frustrated, bored or whatever the reason, I don't believe any of us are
immune to it. The difference is in how we handle it when it does
happen. Recognizing the pattern of occurrence and activating some clear
strategies can help you get back on track to getting things done when
it matters most.

One of my favorite organizing experts, Julie Morgenstern has this to say about procrastination in her latest book, When Organizing Isn't Enough - SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: "When we procrastinate we don't do high-value activities.  A procrastinator will do anything to avoid the dreaded task, sometimes even "mindless habits" like checking email, watching TV, or getting lost on the internet.  Regardless of your favorite method of procrastination, it all pads your schedule with fluff.  Procrastination is all about stalling--putting off starting or finishing something out of anxiety rather than logic.  It's also a way of making your life more difficult."

Oh can I ever relate.  That's exactly what I do, I search the net and drop so much time doing it "in the name of work" that I don't actually get the real work done. Sigh.

I’ve noticed that the things I procrastinate the most are those that
I think I’ll fail at.  For instance, I don’t think of myself as a
writer and even after three years blogging, writing posts is
still not easy for me.  Because I recognize my lack of confidence in
this area and the potential I have to stress about it, I’ve been able
to triumph over this bad habit by simply adjusting my schedule.  How?

I rarely write my blog posts in advance.  I always leave it until
the night before which I know just sounds like an excuse to put it off
until the last minute, rather than an actual strategy, however writing
my posts any earlier just gives me more time to sit and stew about it and just put it off anyway.  By scheduling it in the way that I do I know I only have so much time and I'm able to focus in and get it done.  I write the post, hit publish and that’s
that.  I also have a very short attention span so having this self-imposed deadline forces me to concentrate and stay on task thereby, believe it or not, causing me less stress in the long run. 

In Julie's book she offers six ways to break the bad habit of procrastination that I thought were very useful, with her first point being the one I employ above. 

Here is an excerpt of those six ways:

Discover your optimal times frames ~ setting aside either too much time or not enough time can make you procrastinate

Choose the best time of day ~ be at your peak energy when you tackle the things you tend to procrastinate

Create bite-sized chunks ~ break overwhelming projects down into a series of smaller steps, delegate pieces you find particularly challenging

Get expert guidance ~  if fear of making a mistake or doing a bad job is what causes you to stall endlessly, run it by someone for feedback

Stop when you say you will ~  determine how long you’ll give something, and stick to it.  Set a timer.

Choose to make your life easy ~  putting things off until the last minute is also a way to throw unnecessary obstacles into your own path, making your life more difficult.   Retrain yourself to believe things don't have to be so hard!

I’d like to add one more….Eat the Frog!  This expression refers to biting the bullet and doing the least desirable chore first to get it out of the way.  It's amazing how getting that one thing done lifts a huge weight off your shoulders and makes everything else to follow that much easier.  This one step alone literally has changed my life.  If you'd like more information about it, this post over at Simple Mom is terrific, Start Your Day By Eating a Frog.

Here are some other posts related to procrastination that you might find helpful:

7 Ways to Overcome Procrastination at Work @See Jane Soar

3 of The Biggest Obstacles to Success @Abundance Highway

What Are You Waiting For @The Prisoner's Wife

PS:  Don't forget Sunday is the last day to enter to win an Electric George Foreman Grill!