Let's cut to the chase! I'm a born procrastinator. I have to trick, persuade and cajole myself into getting stuff done.
Here are some tricks that (usually) work for me.
1. Start small – commit to do a tiny little bit, but do it right now. Got a big ugly pile of filing/marking/washing up? Just say to yourself, I'll just file 3 of those right now. Most of the time you'll keep going. The thought of having to slog your way through a big load of tedious stuff is the problem. Once you get started, it doesn't seem so bad.
2. Manage distractions – I get easily side tracked by incoming emails. So when I really need to get stuff done I turn off outlook and put my phone in another room.
3. Use a timer - Set the timer on your phone for 10 or 15 minutes and go hell for leather on your task until it bleeps. You can stand anything for 10 minutes and it's amazing how much can be done in such a tiny chunk of time. This is good for mindless stuff like tidying and filing.
4. Banish perfectionism –Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good! When you keep refining and revising, it's not because you have some noble intention of doing your best, it's because you feel anxious about completing and moving on. So when I've got some sizeable task to do, I might say to myself, 45 minutes is reasonable for completing this. The mini deadline keeps me motivated.
5. Already Done list – everyone says make a to do list, which is obvious and great. But there are always a few things that don't get done, and you can end up feeling bad about that, instead of good about all the things you did accomplish. It really helps psychologically to take a minute at the end or middle of the day to review all the stuff that you already did – it's so much! Look at your list, notice and appreciate yourself for all the things you got done, and scribble on all the extra stuff you did that wasn't even on the list. It makes you feel like a superhero.
6. Prioritise with the blood or fire test – do you have to respond or do something about EVERY problem? Ask yourself – is someone bleeding, is anything actually on fire (metaphorically)? No? Then it can wait for a half an hour while you finish what you were doing.