Sad but true, nearly 95% of people procrastinate at one time or another during work and between 15% and 20% of those are chronic offenders (according to the University of Calgary).  Many people waste time and avoid work at the office by reading email, instant messaging, and surfing the web.  Sound familiar?  Here are three (easy!) ways to help you overcome procrastination.

1. Make a To-Do List – Tedious?  Perhaps.  Effective?  Absolutely.  Making a daily to-do list can help mentally prepare you for the day’s tasks and get in the right frame of mind to actually get it all completed.  Consider even breaking down the list hour-by-hour to help you stay on top of your never-ending work pile and trudge through the more tedious tasks (think backing up your documents to online file storage or responding to monotonous emails).  The sense of accomplishment you feel when you complete the list by the end of the day will certainly be worth all the effort.
2. Give It 15 – Set a timer (or closely watch the clock) for 15 minutes and muscle through the work you need to get done.  By the time 15 minutes is up, you’ve likely established a productive pace that you’ll be able to continue or maybe you’ve even finished the task.
3. Break Down Big Tasks – One of the biggest reasons many people procrastinate is the project or task before them is simply too overwhelming.  Here’s an easy fix: simply break it down into smaller components or steps.  Set a feasible deadline for each step and you’ll find it much easier to finish the project.

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