How to Stop Procrastinating

Set out a tangible goal or deadline

Often times we procrastinate because our task or deadline seems impossible. That’s when you need to set realistic goals for today, for tonight, for the next two hours. Tell yourself you’ll warm up by doing 15 minutes of work, or that you’ll write a whole paragraph, before taking a quick break. Then come back from your break and get right back to work.

Either take a chunk of your work, like researching two articles, and resolve to finish it before taking a break, or select an amount of time to work before stopping, like 30 minutes. Depending on your level of focus and motivation, you may want to start out with smaller chunks and then build up to sustained levels of continuous work.