10 Tips for Turning Procrastination into Precrastination

Break down larger tasks into more manageable subtasks . Create a list of subgoals or subtasks. Accomplish the subgoals and the final goal becomes achievable.

Focus on the present subgoal. Don’t worry about subgoals further down the list.

Start with small, easily accomplished subgoals, and build up from there.

Starting small helps you reach a larger goal without overwhelming yourself.

Credit yourself for whatever you accomplish today, however small it may be. Don’t focus on things you still need to do. Credit yourself for what you did do.

Don’t begrudge yourself for what you didn’t do. Just carry over any unfinished tasks to the next day. 

Break down tasks into 15-30-minute morsels. Don’t bite off more than you can swallow at any one time.

Give yourself a 10-15-minute break every hour. Reward yourself for accomplishing a designated task by then (and only then) engaging in a more desirable activity.

Think video games, Facebooking, reading, texting, watching TV, etc. You choose the reward, but the trick is to connect it to the completion of the designated task.

Don’t get down on yourself if your mind drifts. Minds are built that way. Just bring your attention back to the task at hand. Gently observe distracting thoughts without acting on them.

At the end of the day, jot down 2-3 things you accomplished that day and 2-3 other things you plan to do tomorrow. Then expand the list to more things. Create a schedule in advance so you will hit the ground running each day.

Apply the "good enough" standard to yourself. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to be good enough. Setting unrealistically high standards prevents you from trying because of the fear of not meeting the unreasonable expectations.