3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating Right Now Take control of your time and super-charge your day, making the most of your most valuable resource: Time.

The more time I spend thinking, writing and coaching about how to combat procrastination, the more I realise how much bigger this problem is than I initially thought. Every person reading this column will at some point have fallen victim to this avoidance behaviour. In fact, many of us fall prey to it daily.

If you're serious about personal and business success, overcoming procrastination should be top of mind. If you're able to master the ability to not procrastinate, you'll supercharge your productivity and performance without the need for any new tools, techniques or information.

By simply doing what you are supposed to do, you become more effective. The most powerful truths are often the simplest ones too. Let's look at three ideas that will help you create momentum.

ONE: KNOW YOUR STYLE

Did you know there are six procrastination styles? Thanks to the work of Sapadin and Maguire we have identified certain "archetypes' that we can use to relate to procrastination styles.

Going through the list is an interesting exercise for raising awareness. It won't "cure' procrastination but it gives you an interesting starting point for further exploration.

• The Perfectionist does not start or finish in case it is not perfect in the eyes of others or self. Typical for creatives and entrepreneurs.
• The Dreamer wants life to be smooth. They love to dream big without translating it into action. If their dreams never become reality, then they can never fail.
• The Worrier is always wondering "what if something goes wrong?" They get caught up in their heads and over-analyse the situation.
• The Defier is resistant to the instruction of others because they do not want to be told what to do. They procrastinate not because of the task at hand but because of their relationship with the task giver.
• The Crisis Maker likes living on the edge. They feel that the added pressure of a looming deadline makes them work better.
• The Over-doer takes on too much without establishing priorities and boundaries. They ultimately realise that they are overcommitted and start losing their grasp on the task.

TWO: TIME IMMERSION (TI)

I am currently completing my Master's degree in Coaching. There have been times when I have found it incredibly difficult to motivate myself to do the work.

One effective method that has helped me to progress is to focus on "time spent immersed' instead of focusing on a specific outcome. Instead of committing to a specific number of words or chapters I commit to just sitting down with the work for a specific amount of time.

In my case, 45 minutes. This means that for those 45 minutes I immerse myself in the work. Reading a bit here, writing a bit there, and at the end of the 45 minutes I get up to take a break.

Time Immersion has two very important benefits. Firstly, we often procrastinate because a task is hard, and we don't want to deal with the pain that comes with working on it.

By committing to time immersed, hard things become easier. More importantly, they become easier without the judgement of whether you succeeded or failed. Secondly, it creates momentum.

With every 45-minute TI session you will find yourself slowly chipping away at the frustration. We all know what happens when you chip away at a big problem with enough perseverance; it will be conquered.

THREE: LET GO OF JUDGEMENT

Those who procrastinate are not lazy. This is important to understand. True procrastination is a psychological phenomenon driven by our fear of failure, judgement and low frustration tolerance.

This is why procrastinators will often find other ways of keeping themselves occupied. Again, an avoidance behaviour, not just laziness.

If you identified your procrastination style, then this might have already given you some insight into why you do what you do. Knowing this, you can go beyond and examine the beliefs that you have that maintain your procrastinating behaviours.

One way to do this is to listen to your inner dialogue. That voice inside your head that loves to pull you down with negativity. Simply listen to the words that "he/she' is using and then make a concerted effort to examine them.

This is exactly what a coach would do. If your inner voice says that you first need more information before proceeding with a task, stop, and ask yourself if that is really the truth.

If your inner voice says that you are a failure and that completing this task will expose you for the fraud you are, stop, and ask yourself if that is really true. Usually, these irrational beliefs are easily refuted.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The truth is that you already know enough. You know what to do. You know how to do it. The thing stopping you is your relationship with yourself and the task at hand.

You will find the key to overcoming procrastination inside yourself. Spend some time exploring the ideas that I suggested and see your productivity explode.