Is this you…
You finish projects only at the last minute, often compromising on quality.
You end up paying your bills in a rush on the last day, perhaps late.
And what about your dreams?
Are you procrastinating on your life goals? Dreams that are really important to you?
- Starting your own business
- Getting that advanced certification or training that will dramatically increase your income
- Starting that new project at work that will make a tremendous difference to your success
Frustrating isn’t it? You ask yourself…
“Why did I let this happen again?”
“Why didn’t I start this sooner?”
You are frustrated because of your procrastination habits. And you haven’t been able to change!
If procrastination is holding you back from achieving your dreams, you need to start fighting back – now.
You can Change, Now!
I have been a slave to procrastination myself. I know what you feel like.
I also know that you can change. Because I did, and have helped dozens of people do the same.
But before you can win your procrastination battle, you need to understand your enemy. In this case, the enemy is within yourself.
55 Powerful Articles to Overcome Procrastination
These 55 articles have invaluable insights by productivity experts, entrepreneurs, successful bloggers and researchers & scientists.
Looking for a quick list of solutions? You got it!
Looking for a deep dive into the psychology of procrastination? I have you covered!
This post has 8 parts. Here’s a table of contents…
Contents
Part 1: List Posts for Quick Answers
Part 2: The ‘Why’ of Procrastination
Part 3: Specific Anti Procrastination Hacks
Part 4: Unconventional Hacks
Part 6: The Psychology of Procrastination
Part 7: Positive Procrastination
Part 8: Anti-procrastination Infographics
Part 1: List Posts for Quick Answers
The good old list post. For those who would rather get back to work with a short answer rather than take a deep dive!
1. Craig Jarrow | Time Management Ninja
21 Ways to Crush Your Procrastination
Be sure to check out #8 – an uncommon but really effective hack!
2. Leo Babauta (Zen Habits) | @ Scott H Young
20 Procrastination Hacks
One of Leo’s earlier guest posts from 2007.
3. Brian Tracy
8 task management tips to stop procrastinating and get things done
Check out Tip No 7 in this post by the author of ‘Eat that Frog’.
4. Carla Schesser | Addicted2Success
How To Turn Procrastination Into Productivity
Check out Tip No 8! It’s surprising how often we ignore this solution.
Part 2: The ‘Why’ of Procrastination
What goes on through our heads when we procrastinate? How do we rationalize not doing what needs to be done? Let’s find out.
5. American Psychological Association
The top 15 procrastination rationalizations
A valuable list that just takes 30 seconds to read.
6. Marc Chernoff | Marc and Angel
10 Damaging Lies and Excuses Your Mind Loves to Tell You
Marc talks about 10 rationalizations and what we should be thinking instead.
7. Shana Lebowitz | Business Insider
You aren’t just lazy — these 7 psychological theories explain why you procrastinate
I bet you never thought of reasons No 1 and 7!
Part 3: Specific Anti- Procrastination Hacks

This section has posts that each talk about a specific approach to beat procrastination.
8. James Clear
How to Stop Procrastinating and Boost Your Willpower by Using “Temptation Bundling”
You don’t even need to kick your TV habits to put this into action!
9. Leo Babauta | Zen Habits
Beating the Fears that Cause Procrastination
How do you overcome the fear that keeps you from taking action?
10. Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing
A Frog a Day Keeps Your Anchors Aweigh
Talks about the dread-work ratio and how to reduce the ‘dread’ that causes procrastination.
11. Justin Rosenstein | LinkedIn
Productivity Hacks: How to Overcome Procrastination by Facing Discomfort
The co-founder of Asana talks about activating a simple 3 step process to override the procrastination mindset.
12. Michael Hyatt
The paradigm shift that helped me defeat perfectionism once and for all
Perfectionism is one of the biggest causes of procrastination. Here’s an article about how to beat it.
13. Guy Kawasaki
Is a Business Plan Necessary?
Procrastination is most dangerous when you don’t recognize it. Perhaps you call it planning. This article by Guy Kawasaki can help you avoid getting caught in too much planning.
14. Scott H. Young
Could Obsessive Research Be the Cure for Procrastination?
While planning can lead to procrastination, we often procrastinate when we don’t have enough information. This article, along with the two above will make that distinction clearer.
15. Thanh Pham | Asian Efficiency
Solar Flaring to Overcome Procrastination
A simple ‘self-talk’ approach that will help you get over that resistance to begin.
16. Christopher R. Edgar | The Change Blog
Procrastination and the Art of Allowing
Using mindfulness and introspection to deal with procrastination.
17. Leo Babauta | Zen Habits
Procrastination is a Mindfulness Problem
Leo talks about the importance of awareness to overcome procrastination.
18. Dr. Jeremy Dean | PsyBlog
The Zeigarnik Effect
What can waiters, the TV series ‘Lost’ and Charles Dickens teach you about avoiding procrastination? GTD lovers will find this approach familiar!
19. Eric Barker | Barking up the Wrong Tree
How To Stop Procrastinating: 4 New Steps Backed By Research
The steps to using the power of habits to beat procrastination.
20. Dr. Andrea Bonior | Psychology Today
The Surefire First Step to Stop Procrastinating
Use this habit forming principle to get things done.
21. Craig Ballantyne | Early to Rise
How to Beat Procrastination
You often hear that the solution is to ‘just start’. But how do you make it really easy for you to start? Here’s the answer…
22. Craig Jarrow | Time Management Ninja
Procrastination is Contagious
Yup! Other people could be causing you to procrastinate. Learn about how to avoid catching the procrastination bug!
23. Alexander Kalamaroff | Lifehacker
Gamify Your Life: A Guide to Incentivizing Everything
Ever thought about how to use games to beat procrastination?
24. Rachel Gillett | Fast Company
The One Habit Change that can Help you Stop Procrastinating
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is well known for using theme days to get more done. Check out this experiment that some people carried out to see if that habit could beat procrastination.
Part 4: Unconventional hacks

If regular methods are not working for you, maybe you need to try something new. Here are a few articles that talk about hacks that might actually turn things around!
25. Henneke Duistermatt | Enchanting Marketing
The 90% Rule of Being Productive, Feeling Better, and Achieving More
Are you trying too hard to be productive, and yet, you tend to procrastinate? Try this!
26. Walter Chen | 99U
The Power of Structured Procrastination
Walter Chen is the co-founder of iDoneThis talks about a counter-intuitive hack that that a lot of people, including academicians swear by.
27. Nell McShane Wulfhart | Lifehacker
Five Counterintuitive Ways to Use Procrastination and Become Productive
If you have had enough of the ‘last minute panic’ try applying these.
Part 5: Detailed List Posts
These posts have more detail than the list posts from Part 1. Lots of valuable insights that we haven’t covered so far.
28. Chris Bailey | A Life of Productivity
Here’s why you procrastinate, and 10 tactics that will help you stop
Chris shares insights from his interview with Dr. Tim Pychyl, the author of ‘Solving the Procrastination Puzzle’.
29. Marc Chernoff | Marc and Angel
28 Ways to Slay the Delay
A compilation post with great insights from some of the world’s biggest bloggers.
30. Conor O’Rourke | Page19 (Blinkist Blog)
6 Experts on How to Beat Procrastination and Finally Get to Work
Another compilation of insights by bestselling authors
31. Jason Demakis | Pick the Brain
5 Principles for Pummeling Procrastination
Talks about including fun as part of your schedule and not to look at procrastination negatively. Rather as something that’s pointing you in a certain direction.
32. Timo Kiander | Productivityist
Start Taking Action: 12 Steps to Beat Procrastination and Finish What You Started
A well-structured post that runs you through the planning, execution and finishing phases of a project.
33. Kevin Purdy | Lifehacker
Top 10 Motivation Boosters and Procrastination Killers
Has a few methods which you probably won’t find elsewhere!
34. Steve Pavlina
Overcoming Procrastination
A detailed post that talks about 8 cause of procrastination and how to address each.
35. Dustin Le | Edudemic
How to Use The Now Habit to End Student Procrastination
Tip #1 here is fantastic! It will work for you even if you are not a student.
36. Adeea | The Trendy Socialite
The Procrastinator’s Guide to Productivity
What do you do if you have already procrastinated on a task and the deadline is looming? Or what if you are a chronic procrastinator and just can’t shake the habit! Check out this article!
Part 6: The Psychology of Procrastination
To change ourselves or people around us, it’s often really helpful to understand ourselves better. This section looks into the science behind our tendency to procrastinate. Solutions are based on compelling research that gives you a ‘why’ for any recommended approach.
37. Denis Duvauchelle | TNW
Brain freeze: The science of procrastination and our ‘smart’ brains
A post by Denis Duvauchelle, CEO and co-founder of team collaboration tool Twoodo,
38. Paul Minors | Productivityist
The Psychology of Procrastination and How to Avoid It
Exactly what mental processes have to be in place for you to be able to execute something? Check out ‘The Execution Formula’
39. Jonathan Fields
Attention Chronic Non-finishers, I know your Secret
We often never finish what we started? Why? Here’s a possible reason (citing the Zeigarnik Effect that we mentioned in an earlier article)
40. Gregory Ciotti | Bidsketch
6 Scientific Tactics to Stop Procrastinating
A good read, with links to studies if you want more detail.
41. Kevan Lee | Buffer
Games and your Brain: How to use Gamification to Stop Procrastination
A more detailed post on using gamification.
42. Sue Shellenbarger | Wall Street Journal
To Stop Procrastinating, Look to Science of Mood Repair
Do you often give in to feel good and turn to immediate gratification? Read this about managing your mood.
43. Leigh Buchanan | Inc
Inside the Psychology of Productivity
You can have a very incorrect idea of how productive you really are. Great insights here.
44. Anna Hensel | Inc
The Psychological Tip to Help You (Finally) Overcome Procrastination
A short but compelling article on how to leverage your sense of identity.
45. Olga Khazan | The Atlantic
The Mechanics of Preventing Procrastination
How measuring time differently can help you get more done. A post shared more than 22,000 times!
46. Ellen Hendriksen | Quick and Dirty Tips
How to Stop Procrastinating
Tip No 4. Refers to a 2012 research that’s interesting.
47. Susannah Locke | Vox
Why your brain loves procrastination
An interview with Dr. Tim Pychyl, the author of ‘Solving the Procrastination Puzzle’.
Part 7: Positive Procrastination
Can procrastination actually be good for you? Sometimes yes! These articles explore how it can actually make you more successful. But be warned, this refers to a specific type of procrastination. Don’t misinterpret it! These tips are not for those who miss deadlines or end up delivering shoddy quality. Rather, these are for people who want to work smarter.
48. Belle Beth Cooper | Buffer
Why Procrastination doesn’t need a Cure: A Guide to Structured Distraction
“So the question is not how to avoid procrastination, but how to procrastinate well.”
49. Steve Tobak | Entrepreneur
Why Procrastination is not your Problem
A different perspective about what procrastination means, and its implications.
50. Bryan Hutchinson | Positive Writer
8 Reasons why Procrastination is Better than Working
A great read, especially if you are in a creative field.
51. Cole Fledman | Thought Catalogue
7 Keys to Being an Expert Procrastinator in College
Being smart at how you work isn’t really procrastination!
52. Rebecca Burn Callandar | The Telegraph
Why Being Lazy and Procrastinating can make you Wildly Successful
“Bill Gates said he would always ‘hire a lazy person to do a difficult job’ at Microsoft ‘because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it”. What do you think?
Part 8: Infographics
Don’t you just love how infographics? Here are a few of them to help you tackle the procrastination problem.
53. Essay Expert
15 Ways to Beat Procrastination
A really popular infographic that provides 15 approaches. Simple and great design!
54. Piers Steel |Procrastinus
The Procrastination Equation
Professor Piers Steel defines procrastination through an equation.
55. Agil8
The Science of Procrastination
A great infographic for those who would like to understand the psychology behind procrastination
What action will you take today?
To help you take the next step to beat procrastination, we have created an awesome free resource:
Download this blog post as a PDF for Free and refer to it anytime!
Get this blog post + our free E-Book, ‘Productivity Secrets of 7 Billionaires’
Click the image below to get your double bonus.
Linda says
Wow this is an incredible list Peter! I have downloaded your pdf and will keep going through this. Thank you!
Peter Banerjea says
You are welcome Linda. Glad you found this useful!
Theodore Nwangene says
A very wonderful list of productivity posts Peter,
Procrastination is really bad and we all need to find ways through which we can get rid of it in our daily lives and, all the links here are really awesome in doing that.
I will have to take time to through them.
Thanks for sharing.
Peter Banerjea says
Thanks Theodore! Hope this resource helps. Cheers!
sueannedunlevie says
Epic post, Peter! Enjoyed it immensely.
Thanks,
Sue
Peter Banerjea says
Thanks Sue! This is a ‘prelude’ to the the upcoming roundup!
Jan Ramsey Brick says
OMG – this is an awesome compilation! Thanks so much for gathering all the wisdom in one spot! I’m going to download your pdf so I can read it when I’m in Learning Mode… If I did it now, I would just be procrastinating! hee hee. 🙂
Peter Banerjea says
Thanks Jan! Great to hear that you keep a dedicated time for learning new stuff. Cheers!