1. Organize and plan ahead

The most crucial aspect of breaking the habits of procrastination is to take everything that needs to get done into consideration. While analyzing your lengthy to-do list, take the time to prioritize the items from most important to least important. (Or from the greatest amount of time to the least amount of time per task!)

My favorite strategy is to plan by timeframe, so I use a weekly planner and designate exactly how many and which tasks need to get done on which day. This plan works for any timeline!

2. Stick to the agenda

Just because you've distributed your duties along the pages of a planner doesn't mean you get to disregard it! This is most often the most difficult habit for people to break.

Designate a time of day to tackle everything on your to-do list, and make sure you take in your busy-ness while creating the schedule!

3. Break. It. Up.

Instead of leaving huge chunks of work to get done in short periods of time, break it up to alleviate yourself from becoming overwhelmed. For example, if your challenge is an essay: Instead of leaving entire pages to do during one day, split it up by smaller sub-sections (paragraphs.) They're easier to tackle and quicker to get out of the way!

4. Get motivated!

Reward yourself after completing tasks, which I've found to get me to work faster! Whether it's a hard-earned piece of candy waiting at the end of your chapter, or a minor shopping spree at the mall, incentives and rewards can go a long way when responsibilities are on the line.

5. When all else fails...

Think about another time (or possible multiple times) where you allowed yourself to procrastinate and put your responsibilities aside. Think about how overwhelmed you may have been or anxious you felt. To me, the cramming because of my procrastination is one of the most hectic and anxiety-inducing feelings in the world, so I do my best to avoid it whenever possible!