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The biggest pest, when coming to terms of how to manage time, is procrastination. There are theories that say procrastination is linked to depression, and some say it is a learned response. One thing is for certain; the less you procrastinate, the more efficiently you are able to manage your time.

There are four themes connected to procrastination. There is the Self-Doubting Procrastinator, who fears he will fail at his task so he second-guesses himself out of taking action. There is the Discomfort Dodger, who avoids activities that cause anxiety or discomfort. There is the Guilt-Driven Person, who feels guilty about putting off important tasks but continues to procrastinate to avoid the pressing guilt. Finally, there is the Habitual Procrastinator, one who has procrastinated so many times that the action has become routine, just a part of the person.

Procrastination is not like alcoholism or drug addiction where people deny that it is part of who they are; rather, it is a character trait that is often accepted by society. People are often given extensions on their papers, are commended for last minute efforts at projects, or excused for being late to appointments. However, procrastination can cause more stress for you and make life seem like it is fuller than it really is. Once you realize that you have a problem with procrastination, it is hard to figure out how to correct the issue. There are steps that people can take that have a problem putting off until tomorrow what would better be served today.

The first step toward breaking the procrastination spell is to make a to-do-list. The list doesn’t have to be in order, but it needs to be somewhere visible so that it can serve as a constant reminder of what needs to be done. After you have made a list, it would be great if you could prioritize that list. Those who’ve run a home business understands the importance of this. You could rank your tasks by deadline or what is considered to be most important. You can also invest in a large calendar that can be a constant source for dates and writing notes. You need to put the calendar in a place that is common, so that it can be seen often and not hidden by a closed door and forgotten. If you have a punctuality problem when it comes to time and deadlines, you can up your deadlines by two days and set your clocks ahead by ten minutes. When you mentally think that the new time and deadline are the right ones, you will find yourself relieved that you not only made your deadline, but you did it early and now you have free time.

Procrastination is unpleasant, both for the procrastinator himself and the people that surround him. There are plenty of adjectives tagged to procrastinators, undesirable ones such as unpredictable, unreliable, and unstable. No one really enjoys procrastinating nor being the victim of someone who does, and it’s a good idea to try to slowly get out of the habit to be someone punctual and reliable instead. What’s more, you’ll actually find that since you’ve stopped putting things off, you get far more done in the time you have and will actually end up having more free time to spend with your friends.