Any tips on beating procrastination?

I struggle with this as well.

 

Just start. Pick up one thing, and put it away. When it's away, you will have another thing in reach (probably without even moving) that also needs to go away. You just move around the house, doing little bits at a time. It's easier than thinking about the house as a whole. Once it is tidy, then you can clean. Vacuum to start. Mop if you want to keep going. You will want to make it better, and when it is nice you will want to keep it that way.

Or, you could theme. Just carry a plastic bag around, and pick up all the rubbish. Or a dirty clothes basket for the washing. Or work for 20 mins only on one room (you can do a LOT in 20 mins, trust me!)

I find that environment makes a big difference to mental health. If I can't get my housework done, I feel off. Because it shows I don't care about how I live, and therefore myself. And I deserve a healthy, clean space. So do you

 

Get a blank printing paper and a Crayola marker and just write down what you need to do regardless of how trivial it is. Then hang said paper on a wall and maybe tape it so it'll stick. For some reason, seeing something concrete on a paper right before my eyes organizes my thoughts if only for a moment. And as you complete each task check it off the list. This gives a momentary sense of accomplishment and prepares you for the next task.

Remember, there's no giant, instant-oatmeal change in behavior that eliminates procrastination (or any unwanted habit, for that matter). It's a lot of little changes done over time. If you make this list and discard it every day and start a new list you'll see yourself being more productive.

 

I try and make a commitment to someone else for something I need to get done. That little bit of extra accountability goes a lot father than not.

 

What you want are habits of doing those things you are procrastinating. Because it doesn't help if you make a giant effort one day only to do nothing the rest of the month.
There are various approaches to build those. I'm reading about this one right now: http://deepexistence.com/small-steps-ultimate-guide/

 

You need to start . The best thing that works for me is to divide my time into solid blocks each containing one or two hours and assign a particular task for each block.This advice I got from Dr Behzad Razavi (a famous electronics professor and scientist).

 

"Do the thing, and you shall have the power"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson