There are many reasons we procrastinate--fear of failure, lack of interest in the task at hand--but most often it is because doing nothing instead is so much easier. Sometimes indulging in procrastination while avoiding something that is either difficult or dull just feels so good, like an ongoing vacation from responsibility. Of course, all your responsibilities are still there, they haven’t gone away, and eventually you’ll feel the weight and anxiety of them looming over you. So how do you push past the urge to procrastinate? 

Here are some tips that just might help:

• Move Slow, Don’t Pressure Yourself
  To be productive and tackle your work, you don’t have to rush into it or strive for huge daily accomplishments. When you feel overwhelmed, you will turn immediately to procrastination. They key is slow, steady progress. Just the way a story is written one line at a time, your project can emerge one tiny step at a time. Instead of thinking that you have a big chunk of work ahead of you, think only of the very first step. 
   
• Do Anything it Takes to Get Started
  The hardest part is always getting started. It feels hard, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Ask yourself: what would make this easier? What would take the cringe-worthiness out of getting started? Would it help to ease into it by keeping the TV on while you begin? Maybe it would help to sip a milkshake as you work? If so, do it. And if not, find something that will help and do that.
   
• Remember Your Free Will
  At times it might feel as though the procrastination monster is in total control of you. But remember: it’s not. You actually do have the power to override it. So that this feat doesn’t feel daunting and impossible, start by telling yourself you’ll just beat the procrastination monster one time. One day, you will disarm the monster and power through to your work. When you prove to yourself that you are capable of doing it once, it will seem less scary the next time. 

Though procrastination may feel good in the moment, it leads to low self-esteem and an inability to move forward in life. But that’s okay, because you don’t have to let procrastination take you down. Make a to-do list and create fun motivators to get yourself started, but don’t be hard on yourself. Ending your procrastination habits doesn’t mean you have to be a productivity machine. As long as you’re taking small steps towards your goals and doing everything you can to take care of responsibilities, you’re succeeding.