We all procrastinate, and, while doing it sometimes helps us, often it hurts our productivity, our results, and even our self-esteem. Most of us realize that we’re doing it, realize that it’s probably taking more energy than actually doing the task would, but we don’t know how to deal with it. Fighting procrastination is actually quite easy, and requires only two things: Knowing where it comes from, and what to do about it.

Procrastination has only four causes:

* Bad timing: Trying to accomplish a certain task at the end of the day, when your energy is depleted and all you can think of is getting home. Or focusing on a complex report at a time of low energy, such as right after lunch.
* Fear: The most common example of this type of procrastination in business is cold calling. Most people hate it, not because it’s difficult in itself, but because people tend to take rejection personally. So we postpone it until the next day, and the next day, and the next day…
* Overwhelm: The task seems like it will take a long time, or the sheer size of it is intimidating. We also sometimes don’t know where or how to start.
* Dislike: This is procrastination from hate. We keep postponing a task because we don’t like it and/or aren’t good at it.

Dealing with it amounts to applying one of the following options:

Identify where your procrastination comes, and the issue resolves itself:
Sometimes, the mere fact of identifying the cause of procrastination gives you the answer as to what to do. If it’s bad timing, for instance, the solution is easy – just postpone the activity until a time where you have more energy, such as the next morning. If you procrastinate because you don’t know where to start, it probably means that you have a piece of information missing for you to be able to get started, then go ahead and find it. If there are so many pieces that you don’t know where to start, the easiest is to write down everything you know about the task or project, then start to fill in the gaps, until you have a fully defined project, that you know how to handle.

Eliminate your procrastination:
Another option is to simply drop the task from your to-do list. Ask yourself what are the consequences if this task stays undone. If you can live with them, the task can be dropped, thereby freeing up your mind and your time.

Delegate your procrastination:
Another possibility to get rid of the activity you procrastinate on is to delegate the task. It often is the best choice if the activity in question is one you don’t like or aren’t good at. It will save you time, and you will often get better results than if you did it on your own.

Cut the procrastination-causing activity to bite-size pieces:
When delegating or eliminating isn’t an option, decomposing the activity in bite-size pieces usually is the solution. For instance, let’s assume that you need to write an article. Your bite-sized list might look something like this:
- Search for information on topic “prrocrastination”
- Print all interesting information found – Read article A
- Read article B
- Read article C
- Create outline
- Write causes of procrastination
Etc.

If you decompose your task or project enough that none of the individual steps outlined seems too big or threatening, you have a list that resolves your procrastination issue: Nothing feels overwhelming or threatening and, even if you positively hate a task, my guess is that you can force yourself to work on it for 5-15 minutes. If you schedule this list in your calendar, everything will get done without you even paying attention to it, and procrastination is gone for good.