Dear Blog Readers,

I have a confession. I, Erika Thomas, am a procrastinator. (“Hello, Erika.”) It wasn’t always this way and as a matter of fact, sometimes I think I am really over it. There were the last few years of college when I kept a very detailed day planner complete with color coded highlighting (BLUE for group meetings, PINK for chapters I had to read, ORANGE for phone calls to make, GREEN for assignments I had to do. . .) There have also been times of amazing planning and execution on my part in both my work and personal life. However, there are still times when I lapse.

I lapsed a little today. For example, I’ve known for two weeks that Mondays are now my days to contribute to the ThinkTalk Career Blog. However, I arrived this morning without a topic to write about. Why? Well, because I also do many other things here at ThinkTalk that I spend a lot of time thinking about and sort of forgot. There is research done, proposals written, and phone calls to make. Also, it’s tax season, the weather is nice, I’m a Cancer and my moon isn’t aligned, my shoes are hurting my toes and oh, look a bird!!!

Really, there are a number of excuses I could come up with. However, realistically I know that the truth is simply this: I was recently assigned a new task at work which is to contribute regularly to the blog. Because it is a new routine for me, while small, it slipped by mind and I did not schedule time during my work week to research topics nor to write, thus Monday has arrived and I spent twenty minutes pushing paper around my desk trying to decide what to write.

DON’T let this happen to you! Whether your task is to finish a major project, send out resumes, or follow up with interviewers it is important to plan and execute. To your credit, and my own, many of us KNOW the skills we need in order to avoid procrastination. We’ve heard a lot of this before. However, as a reminder to you, and me, I have provided 5 easy steps to tackle procrastination. Try them out. They work!

1. Peak naturally. Everyone has an optimum energy level and a time of day during which they are able to be the most productive. Learn to recognize when that time is for you and schedule your most important tasks during this time; whether it is finishing a paper, sending out resumes, studying for finals, or hitting the gym. Strike while the iron (and your enthusiasm) is hot. You are more likely to find the experience rewarding and less likely to make mistakes.

2. Ready, Set, Focus! I find this activity extremely useful for a variety of activities; especially when I have to clean my room or bathroom (one of my most daunting and disliked life tasks. BLEH!). It also works well when confronting a major project involving work or school. Tackle procrastination by setting a timer (you can use a kitchen timer, your cell phone, a standard clock, or your computer) for 10-15 minutes for a medium to large task. During that time do AS MUCH of the task as humanly possible and stop only when the timer goes off. It’s a race to the finish and playing high tempo music is the background can help speed up the work.

3. Break it down. Ever heard that saying that every journey begins with a single step? Well, it certainly does. During my job search the idea of individualizing cover letters for EVERY JOB I applied for seemed . . . well, it seemed like it wasn’t going to be FUN. Even slightly modifying a standard cover letter, such as changing the recipient’s name and address can be time consuming. So, instead thinking about this insurmountable task as one whole, I divided up my applications by industry and then by due date. Finally, I tackled each cover letter one by one.

4. Tackle the Hardest Task First. This is pretty self explanatory. It’s just like eating your dinner of peas and carrots before you have your chocolate ice cream dessert. It’s more fun to leave the taste of savory chilled chocolate ice cream lingering on your palate then the green stuff. I’m a veggie lover, but come on, I know what my tongue likes. Apply the same rule to high priority tasks. By focusing on the most difficult part first you guarantee yourself that you will have the focus, energy, and stamina to make it over the first hurdles and glide into the easier tasks later on.

5. Reward Thyself. Whether it is a break to check out your favorite website, text a friend, or watch a movie make sure that you reward yourself after a job well done. Not only does it give you something to look forward to it is important to remember to keep even the most serious tasks in perspective in relation to your overall happiness.

So that is it: five simple solutions to getting it done. This is just my summary of a wealth of recommendations from credible sources. For more tips try visiting 10 Tips from Associated Content, About.Com "Career Planning", Zen Habits. If you think you have a helpful tip leave a comment on this post or email us at ThinkTalk to tell us what you think.

As for me, well I have a blog post to write!

. . . or do I? ☺