I confess, I am a chronic procrastinator. I never miss a deadline or let anyone down, but my path to the finish line meanders constantly. While this often means I have an impeccably clean office and am never late on a thank you note, I should also probably be banned from email altogether if I fill out one more survey about myself.
Though procrastinating can have several good side effects (all the little, unimportant things get done), it is not the greatest way to work. Putting off tasks that inevitably need to be finished causes guilt and stress to pile up. Just like sitting down to the whole box of cookies leads to guilt, so does blowing off work to go shopping or to talk on the phone. Think of breaking your procrastination habits the same way you would go on a diet.
