Dear Yahoo!:

Dear Yahoo!:
How can I stop my habit of procrastinating?
Curious

Dear Curious:
We've been meaning to answer this one for weeks, but stuff kept coming up. First, the dog needed a bath. Then we ran out of garlic salt. Then we got sucked into a Lifetime TV-movie we'd only seen twice before. Before we knew it, we'd wasted the day rather than seizing it. So without further delay, here are some tips to help you avoid making the same mistake.

This article by Jennifer Koretsky lists 10 ways to overcome the evils of procrastination. Her advice, in no particular order: prioritize, delegate, and reward yourself. She also mentions the importance of breaking up large tasks into more manageable ones. For example, don't dust your entire TV at once. Just dust the upper-right corner.

All kidding aside, you can better manage your time if you understand why you're procrastinating in the first place. Are you afraid of failure? Are you waiting to be "in the right mood"? Don't. It's a clich� as well as a commercial, but if you turn off the TV and just do it, you'll achieve your goals and feel good about yourself in the process. Not even a relaxing day on the couch can promise you that...