It seems as though many of us suffer from procrastination. I know I do.  Sometimes, it’s just so hard to motivate yourself to do all the things you know you need to do.

At this time of year, I find myself putting off things like filing my taxes, organizing my personal files, and starting my spring cleaning.  I have books on my shelf that I’ve been meaning to read for ages and just haven’t opened yet.  I need to renew my passport, but I haven’t gotten my picture taken or filled out the form.  I could make a long list of all the things I should do, but haven’t gotten around to yet.

Unfortunately, the more these things pile up, the harder it is to finish any of them.  The weight of uncompleted tasks can become an overwhelming burden.  In many cases, the dread far outweighs the actual difficulty of the task.

There are some techniques you can use to attack the backlog:

• It can help to have a list of things that need to be done.  As you acomplish things, you cross them off and you add things when you think of them.
• You might want to dedicate thirty minutes a day or an hour a week to addressing the backlog.  Having a specific time set aside can give you the discipline you need to move things along.
• Assign tasks to a specific period of time.  Don’t be over-ambitious in your scheduling.  Once you finish the tasks assigned, treat yourself with a favorite activity (a craft, a movie,etc.)
• If the tasks involve lots of paperwork, set aside a time to deal with things and make a stack.  You must do things as they come up on the stack.  No putting things off!  (I find this technique works well at the office.)

If you have other techniques that work well, please share in the comments.