A way to create less stressful deadlines is to break large projects into smaller tasks. Set a deadline for each task instead of just one final deadline. 

The Yerkes-Dodson law states that the more mental arousal there is in doing a task, the more efficient a person becomes. After you get to a certain threshold, your performance begins to decrease.

Difficult tasks require low levels of stress, while easy tasks require high levels of stress to trigger mental arousal.

It is naturally harder for us to concentrate on a task or measure progress on a project when we're bored.

While we recognize our own procrastination and try to curb it via self-imposed deadlines, these aren't always as effective as deadlines set for them by others.