3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Producing

Procrastination is tricky, because the more you do it, the longer it lasts.

It gets you stuck in a rut that's hard to break out of.

It's a weird form of self-paralysis that can leave you stranded and unproductive for hours, days, or even weeks on end.

For entrepreneurs, time is money.

It's not a good move to waste too much time procrastinating, but at the same time, it happens to pretty much everyone.

In many cases, procrastination isn't a matter of laziness or a poor work ethic.

You're probably more likely to find yourself staring at a blank Word document than playing League of Legends during work hours.

It's a mindset issue.

Smart people have high standards for themselves, and you can paralyze yourself through anxiety and apprehension.

Fear of imperfection is probably one of the biggest things that stands in people's way.

In a recent article for Entrepreneur, author and speaker Jeffrey Hayzlett explains how excessive workloads, too much perfectionism, and other mentality problems can cripple your productivity.

Don't overwhelm yourself.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work on your plate, meetings and deadlines.

Lately, I've been focusing on launching new avenues for C-Suite TV, and it can be overwhelming sometimes.

When tasks seem insurmountable, here's one way to lessen that burden: Get out your “to-do” list.

Then, instead of writing down that big task as one huge thing, break it down. Breaking a big task into multiple line items makes it more manageable.

You have your end goal, but by reducing it to its smaller components, you get a clearer picture of what you need to do.

Crossing off the smaller parts of the larger task gives you a sense of accomplishment you wouldn't have if you tackled the massive task all at once.

Flip the script.

I don't care who you are: Whether you're a worker, a manager or a CEO, you're just like everyone — and we all hate doing certain tasks.

So why not flip the script?

Bite the bullet, kiss the frog — whatever you want to call it: Put that task at the top of your to-do list that day.

You'll eliminate the task quickly and move on to the rest of your day.

Not to mention, you'll have a bigger sense of accomplishment knowing that you've steam-rolled the largest obstacle you had awaiting you.

Forget perfection.

Everyone wants to make a good impression and put his or her best foot forward at work.

Procrastination comes not from the inability to get the job done, but from fear and insecurity.

Being unsure how to perform a specific task makes us fear failure and being seen in a negative light by the boss.

I always tell my team that, “No one's going to die.”

What's the worst thing that can happen if a specific task isn't perfect? I might get mad if the task is not completed within the given deadline, but not if it merely needs to be tweaked.

Many times, the worst conversations happen inside our own heads and we let that imaginary conversation rule our other decisions.

That's when we make mistakes.

If you're worried about your work quality, allocate a set amount of time each day to complete (or revise) parts of the project.

It's possible to perfect a task without obsessing over it and losing focus. That's when you know it's time to let go of the project and focus on other things.

Say it with me: No one will die.

You can find more helpful productivity tips over at Entrepreneur.