STING to stop procrastination

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A recovering procrastinator herself, author Rita Emmett gives this advice in her Procrastinator's Handbook (Walker & Co.): Think STING!

S: Select just one thing to do. Even if it's one small thing. Do just that.

T: Time yourself. Set a timer. Give yourself a set amount of time to do the job.

I: Ignore everything. Don't make a phone call, send an e-mail, or read anything.

N: No breaks. They make jobs last longer. They are another reason a job takes so long.

G: Give yourself a reward. Make it something you like, a DVD or a movie maybe.

Emmett says doing your most dreaded task first gets it out of the way. That cuts down on the dread time. The dread of doing something actually uses up more time and energy than the task itself.