Are you guilty of putting off your work for later, only to find your deadlines steadily creeping up on you or even past due? Then you and I, my friend, are just like millions of other people who are afflicted by that nasty bug known as procrastination.

Procrastination is for me, the biggest reason for loss of productivity, increased stress, and sometimes late output. And as simple as it may sound, I know intellectually, if I just started my work on time, productivity would rise, deadlines would be met and I’d be less stressed in the long run.

Yet, since I started working from home I have found that putting off what needs to be done (business wise), has become more of a problem than I’d like to admit. While I know a lot of it is a psychological game, when I’m mentally off, it’s just too damn difficult to focus on my priorities and I end up doing everything else (even the most dreaded chores) other than what I’m suppose to.

Man Procrastinating If you’re at all like me, and you desire to shake off your inclination to procrastinate, then you have come to the right place. Here are a few tips to help you leave procrastination behind and become a more productive and reliable person.

1. Set Attainable Goals – It is very important that you have a list of goals that you want to accomplish every day. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals are important to track your progress and see your growth. Beside the wonderful feeling of accomplishment every time you attain a goal or cross an item off your to do list, writing down your long and short term goals will help keep you focused.

2. Schedule Your Time – In conjunction with setting goals, allow yourself a set amount of “uninterrupted” time to complete a task. This will help you realistically budget your time and resources. The biggest mistake people make with regard to time management is that they don’t have any set plans for how their time will be spent. While a journal, organizer, or calendar of events will help you plan and schedule your tasks, a digital timer will help you committed to the designated uninterrupted time you allowed for each task.

3. Just Do It – If we all agree that there is no magic wand to wave and that if we don’t put forth the effort to complete the task at hand it will never get done, why do we insist on putting it off? If it’s on your goals for the day and time is scheduled for the completion of the task, stick to what you set out to do for the day and stay committed. There will be plenty of time for fun later.

4. Stay Focused – Before you start working for the day, eliminate all possible distractions such as shutting off your phone, closing your email, feeding your hunger, using the bathroom, letting the dog out and anything else that could possibly be a distraction once you get settled in to work. If you can stay focused during the “uninterrupted” time you scheduled for each task you’ll immediately see your productivity skyrocket.

Practice these four simple tasks and let me know how it works out. I myself plan on putting what I know about time management to use on a more consistent basis and keeping you updated with my progress.

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