Ah yes, procrastination. Everyone succumbs to it at some point. As a lifelong procrastinator, I have searched for the best ways to stop, and now I want to help you beat procrastination.

These tips will help you get systems in place to allow you to work on your priorities and still have plenty of time to recover in between without feeling guilty. You don’t want to have to rely on willpower to get stuff done, set yourself up for success with these 13 tips:

1. Do the most important task first each day. You know how hard it is to cook your own meal or make decisions after a hard day of work, when you have already made hundreds of little choices. We know that we are cognitive misers (can only make a limited number of decisions in a day). The president only has two colors of suits and does the same routine every day so he can save his brainpower for making important world decisions. Use his techniques, and save yourself the trouble of lacking brainpower by applying your thought to something important right away. Create a routine for yourself: Eat the same thing for breakfast daily (and you can stay healthy and save money), get up at the same time (better for your circadian rhythms anyway), and exercise at the same time every day so you can look forward to the regular physical release/regeneration.

2. Reduce the amount of stuff you have to do. Multitasking has been proven to make us less productive. Pick just three things that, if you completed them, would leave you feeling accomplished for the day. Many of us fall into the trap of checking Facebook and Twitter as a means of procrastinating, and it feels like important work. Know the difference between important and urgent (social media is urgent but not important). If you don’t know what is important, prioritize tasks that increase income – create more, get more clients, or sell your products to more people.

3. Surround yourself with people that will hold you accountable. As someone who comes up with and starts lots of ideas, I find that I have lots of things that are 90% complete. There are blog post waiting on a final edit or partnerships waiting to be finalized. Psychologically, it feels like an accomplishment to start a project, but it is the end product that counts. If people are relying on you, it forces you to break through the resistance you feel and finish your work.

4. Get out and play daily. I started playing a lot of racquetball while I was writing my thesis to stay fresh. It was so good to get out there and just whack the hell out of that ball. You may find that even by postponing a task by a couple hours to go play or workout, you end up recharged and ready to get to work and finish in record time.

5. Work when you are motivated. You can get way more done in 3 hours of inspired work than in 8 hours of forcing it when you aren’t in the mood (i.e. don’t bother writing when you have writers block). Keep track of what times of day you work best and in what locations (desk, coffee shop, library), and set yourself up for success.

6. Set early deadlines. Parkinsons’ law is the adage that work will fill the time you allow it. We all remember staying up late studying for a test or writing a paper on deadline. We procrastinate until the hour when we finally have to buckle down and do something. Go ahead and set your launch date for friday instead of next month. Plus, it is better to get something out early as a prototype than perfect and too late.

7. Be specific about how and when you are going to work. Instead of saying, “I’ll finish that project on the weekend”, say something like ” I’ll finish the first 4 pages on Saturday morning after breakfast”. Then you know exactly what you will be doing after breakfast, and you can’t put it off until Sunday night/monday morningish.

8. Have something even more important at the top of your list. This is a humorous hack from John Perry and his essay Structured Procrastination. Basically the premise is that you can do what you are supposed to be doing as a means of procrastinating other important tasks that aren’t urgent.

9. Eliminate distractions. If there is not TV, magazines, and internet, your next best choice is to work on what you are supposed to. Consider removing these until you finish your important work. Make it a rule to create before consuming.

10. Get addicted to your work. Doing work that is slightly more challenging than out skill level can bring us into a flow state, where powerful and addictive hormones are released. We are also more productive, learn quicker, and make better decisions in flow. (For more on this special psychological state, read the books Flow (P.S.) and The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance). If you are working on something that is highly addictive, there will be no need for procrastination. This is also a great path towards a lifetime of mastery – if you challenge yourself to improve just 1% per day, that is 365% per year!

11. Know why you are working. If you wake up every day with a purpose, and what you are working on is a step towards that ultimate goal, remembering that dream can help drive away procrastination. As Simon {Sinek} says people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. What is your Why?

12. Do some time travel. Think about your future self. Studies have show that we think about our future selves as strangers. Homer Simpson jokingly said “That is a problem for future Homer, I don’t envy him.” Knowing that you are the one who is going to be dong this task eventually can help you do it now. This can also help with deciding to invest more for retirement.

13. Forgive yourself when you do procrastinate. We are often our worst critics. Don’t let having an off day set you on a cycle of negative self talk. Reminding yourself that people all over the world struggle with procrastination can help. And your mother will love you no matter what, even if you procrastinate now and then. Just remember that you are human and sometimes you are not 100% efficient and move on.

Question: Tell me about the last time you procrastinated.  How did it end up for you? Leave your answer in the comments below.

Think about a friend who is always procrastinating, and share this article with them. If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the free newsletter.