Eight Ways to Overcome Procrastination

Here’s a list of simple strategies from Carleton University’s Procrastination Research Group (via Lifehacker) to help you stop procrastinating:

1. Make a list of everything you have to do.
2. Write an intention statement.
3. Set realistic goals.
4. Break it down.
5. Make your task meaningful.
6. Promise yourself a reward.
7. Eliminate tasks you never plan to do.
8. Estimate the amount of time you think it will take you to complete a task, then increase that amount by 100%.

I think these are right on.  There are a number of tools & techniques to help you do these things that are worth reading more about (including GTD), but at the end of the day, these are the principles to start with.

You can find this list, Strategies for Reducing Procrastination, as well as links to suggested readings and related websites on the Carlton site.