The other day I was reading about Kim Linehan, who was the world’s top amateur female distance swimmer at age 18, back in the 1970’s.  She followed a rigorous training routine that included swimming 7-12 miles, every day, as well as other exercise and physical training. Someone asked her once which part of her training routine was the hardest.  She said, “Getting in the water!”

I had to laugh at that, because I knew exactly what she meant. Sometimes it seems like getting started is the hardest part.  With so many distractions available, it’s easy to put off difficult tasks forever¦ while reading Facebook, watching videos on YouTube, reading Slashdot or the news, or maybe just doing some good old-fashioned nothing. This is something that all of us smart younguns’ have to face down, whether we’re putting off studying for a difficult test, dealing with an unpleasant duty at work, or in my case, writing an article (maybe one about procrastination).

But embracing health, wealth, productivity and prosperity means ending procrastination, NOW. So here are some time-tested tips. And yes, these actually work.

1. Give yourself permission to not be perfect.

This sounds like a funny way to start.  To end procrastination, you need to start getting strict with yourself, right?

Wrong. In fact, many top procrastinators are actually perfectionists, too. Their worry about not doing a good job on the project at hand keeps them from getting started. They fear the task because of the opportunity it presents for failure.  To get started working, ease up on yourself and relieve some of that self-created pressure.  It’s okay if the first draft isn’t perfect. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get an A on the test. Etc.

2. Break the project down into manageable pieces.

In a way, this is an extension of the first tip.  Don’t approach a job thinking, “I have to work on this for eight hours or else.” Anyone would dread a task like that!  Instead, think, “I can work on this for just one hour.  After one hour, I’ll have lots done, and I’ll take a break.”  By the time you’ve worked for an hour, you may be involved in the job and ready to keep working. Or you might be ready for that break. If so, than take it. It will be easier for you to come back to the work later.

Or, alternately, divide the job into pieces based on aspects of the project. Rather than saying, “I have to study for my psych test,” you could say, “I have to study Chapter 4.”  The first job sounds overwhelming and intimidating. The second one sounds relatively simple. The goal is to create an environment where the task sounds easy, not threatening, and you feel less resistance to getting started. Once you have gotten some work done, your momentum will carry you and it will be easier to continue working.

3.    Resist the urge to let your concentration drift.

Sometimes when you’ve been working for an hour or two, you start to lose focus and concentration. Without really thinking about it, you’ll open your browser, pick up a magazine, or turn on the TV. At first you think, “I’ll just take a two minute break,” but before you know it, you’ve wasted half an hour.

Keep this from happening, by recognizing when your attention is drifting, and having an approach in place to deal with it. Create a ritual that restores your focus. You can tilt your head back and count to a hundred. You can close your eyes and take some deep breaths. You can walk around the room three times. The important thing is that you take this action with the intent to stay focused and keep working. As you count or breathe or walk, you can contemplate the importance of your task and why you really want to stay productive. This is a much more effective way of taking “a two minute break”.  After you do this ritual several times, your body will begin to recognize it as an automatic “Get back to work!” signal.

Make these three tips into habits, and you’ll find yourself being more productive than ever. And that’s what every smart young investor wants, right?