If you talk to people who procrastinate, they often describe their condition like it is some genetic defect and that it is incurable, save a miracle. If you happen to fall into this category then I have some hard-hitting news for you. Procrastination is nothing more than a bad habit, like nail-biting, and for whatever reasons you are doing it, you are not doomed to a lifetime of procrastination. You can get over it.
There are many effective techniques that have been designed to stop you putting things off, and more importantly they work. I have personally experienced the transformation of ex-procrastinators into hard-workers, simply from using these techniques below.
People who get things done, are also far happier than people who waste time agonising over doing things, but then don't do them. I would estimate that not doing something is easily five times more painful than actually doing it. And once you start, you will often find that you're enjoying yourself.
Procrastinators also lack energy. Brains are curious bits of our anatomy. Using them turns on a positive flow of energy which makes us feel good, and the longer we are absorbed in doing something, the better we feel. Stopping shuts down this flow of energy. Of course brains need a rest as well, but only for ten minutes every hour or two. Worrying about not doing something is exhausting, whereas absorbing yourself in a task is energizing and makes you feel good.
The hardest thing to overcome is getting started and there are several 'taking action' strategies that work. The first is to tell yourself you will only do the task for five minutes. Even the laziest sloth on the planet can usually motivate him or herself to tackle something for this length of time. This is rather sneaky, because once people have got over the pain of starting, they are quite willing to carry on.
It also helps to set yourself goals:
Write down how much you plan to do before a certain time. For example, "I will finish writing chapter 2 before lunch time, only when I have finished chapter 2 will I stop for lunch."
Also, make a list of all the tasks you need to complete, ranking them in order of importance, and tackle them one by one. Start with the most important or challenging task first, as this will give you a sense of accomplishment and relieve the burden of having it hanging over you. Once you've completed the hardest job, the others will feel easier and you'll approach them with a greater sense of relief and satisfaction.
Writing all your jobs down is a really powerful technique for zooming through everything that you need to do and you will get an amazing amount of gratification from ticking each item off. Try this method of taking action for yourself. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much more productive you become.