You spent another day doing fun stuff on the Internet instead of finally getting started with your work? At some point even the best procrastinator has to stop procrastinating, otherwise the consequences of it could get really serious, like failing a whole semester or having to admit to your boss that you didn’t manage to finish a presentation for this big manager conference.

Trying to vanquish our inner laziness, we decided to see the academic support service to receive some good advice about how to finally get our work done. We met with Ladaea Rylander, a language consultant and expert for all questions about procrastination at Lund University. Luckily, she helped us out with 5 simple tips on how to become a more efficiently working procrastinator (sounds paradoxical? It isn’t! :). Here is what she said:

1. Split up the work!

Divide your work in many small parts and make interim deadlines for each part. The parts can be really small if it helps you get things done easier, however, don’t forget about time management. Writing the headline of your paper shouldn’t be a day-filling activity.

2. Be happy about your accomplishments!

View every little part that you achieved as a little victory. Make it a big deal for you and be proud of yourself that you managed to get it done. Increase your expectations on your yourself slightly time after time to become even more efficient. But note: Don’t throw a party after each 5 minutes of work!

3. Don’t distract yourself!

Try to limit your temptations. Try not to be distracted by Facebook, Youtube, Twitter or your phone constantly. Log out when you’re working, put your phone somewhere out of reach, and turn on the silent mode. You don’t need to be available 24/7. You are not an emergency center. Without distractions we will get so many more things done.

4. Anything is better than nothing.

Make a start! Don’t find bad excuses why you couldn’t do something or why it’s not the right moment to start your work now. Working for 30 minutes is still better than doing nothing at all. And we all know, the start is usually the hardest part.

5. Make your stakes high!

You tried all of the previous tips but still find yourself procrastinating? Then try this very effective method: ask other people to be your “supervisor” and be accountable to them. Tell them what you want to achieve and let them check on your results regularly. You can even make a Facebook status to increase the pressure on you. For some people this really works since embarrassment would be just to high when having to admit to have failed.

Now get some work done before you continue procrastinating! Good luck!