Ok, so last week I said that I would talk about things that keep us from achieving goals. Then I disappeared for a week. Sorry. Despite the title, it's not because I was procrastinating. I was just doing other stuff and enjoying some relaxation on my snow day.

But that doesn't mean that procrastination wasn't part of the issue. I had procrastinated on a major project that had a deadline. I had to push to make that dealine and I wore myself out. So, I needed a few days off to rest. That's a deadly cycle. It's just too easy to put something off and then go into crunch mode, followed by collapse, which puts you behind again.

So, what do you do about it? If you are doing too much, you can cut back on non-essential projects. (I can hear you laughing from here. I'll wait for you to catch your breath.) If you can't cut back to buy more time, how can you reduce procrastination?

One of the best ways to keep on track on a project is to divide it into fairly short sections. It's much easier to get started when you are facing a small task as opposed to a mammoth project. And once you have success, it's easier to build on it.

Another way to get in gear on a task is to dedicate a specific amount of time to a task — maybe an hour. It's easier to start if you know you can stop soon. I'll set a timer and get started. I often find that I'll keep going after the timer goes off, because once I'm in gear, it's easier to stay that way.

A final method I use when I have a lot of annoying little tasks to complete is to put them all in a pile. Then, I have to start at the top of the pile and work my way down with no break. When I get to the bottom of the pile, I get a reward. It sounds crazy, but it works.

How do you fight procrastination?