This one gets a lot of us. Myself included. Big time. It’s when we put off important things, squander our free time, and then freak out when whatever we put off is now a source of trouble.

It took me a lot of years to develop a system that helps keep me accountable, productive, and moving forward. I get it, really. There’s nothing worse than looming deadlines and a mounting task list, and sometimes it just feels good to ignore whatever it is. But let’s face it—eventually it catches up to us. Worse, it keeps us from becoming the high achiever we want to be!

Here’s 6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating so you can put that time-thief in lock up and live a better life. These tips helped me, so maybe they’ll help you too.

1. Put It All Down On Paper

Yeah, yeah, I know—I say this a lot in all my posts. But that’s because it’s that important, and it applies to so many things. If you write a comprehensive list with due dates, et cetra, you’re much more likely to get things knocked out.

2. Eat Little Bites Until You’re Plate is Empty

You know that old question “How do you eat an elephant?”, well the answer is fairly straight forward—it’s “One bite at a time.” That’s how you get anything done to be honest. Break big tasks into more manageable smaller tasks, and before you know it—you’re done.

3. Go Somewhere Else To Get It Done

Sometimes you need to get out of Dodge or change your workspace if you want to finish a task or project. When I write books for example, I really need to hide myself aways so I can focus. It’s much harder for me to complete a paragraph, let alone a chapter or more, when I can easily be interrupted. If you find yourself stuck, try doing the same thing.

4. Partner Up with Someone Like-Minded

It’s always easier to stay on point when you have someone else involved helping keep you from getting side tracked. By working with others, you can both keep each other accountable, focused, and marching forward.

5. Don’t Try to Be Perfect

Perfectionists have serious difficulty getting anything finished; they may get close, maybe even 99%, but they struggle completing projects because they won’t let things go. It’s never good enough. The danger of course, is you never get anything done and you fall behind.

6. Quit Making Excuses and Just Get it Done

Be like Nike said, just do it. Don’t leave it. Don’t make excuses. Pony up. Step up to the plate and take a swing, and every other cliche statement. Really, that’s the only way to stop procrastinating; you just don’t procrastinate. It’s like running a marathon—you can’t learn to do it if you never go out and run.