55 Powerful Posts to Win your Procrastination Battle

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

Part 1: List Posts for Quick Answers

Designed by Freepik

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

Part 2: The ‘Why’ of Procrastination

Designed by Freepik

 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

Part 3: Specific Anti- Procrastination Hacks

Designed by Freepik

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

Part 4: Unconventional hacks

Designed by Freepik

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

Part 5: Detailed List Posts

Designed by Freepik

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

Part 6: The Psychology of Procrastination

Designed by Freepik

 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

Part 7: Positive Procrastination

Designed by Freepik

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

Part 8: Infographics

Designed by Freepik

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.