Are you a procrastinator? Here are some tips to get past it

A company president had little tolerance for procrastination. In an effort to increase organizational efficiency, she hung up signs throughout the building that read, "DO IT NOW."

Within 24 hours, her vice president quit, her assistant got married and the custodian stole the company van.

This story, of course, is not entirely true, especially the part about the van.

But I suspect the president found a more specific way to motivate staff to achieve their goals.

One of the worst things you can do when faced with a difficult decision in almost any endeavor in life is to procrastinate.

Procrastination throws off schedules. It replaces accomplishment with inaction.

Here are some tips to join the TNT Club — Today Not Tomorrow.

Make a to-do list with specific deadlines. List what you want to accomplish with a detailed timeline you want to meet. Projects often take longer than expected to accomplish, so add in some extra time. I make my to-do list every morning by working backward: What do I need to accomplish by the end of the day? By the end of the week? The end of the month? That tells me where to focus.

Break your work into smaller steps. When you look at a big project, it can be overwhelming, so break it down into more manageable parts.

Don't get frustrated. Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation? Better to take a break, collect your thoughts and redirect your attention toward making a positive first step. Then go on from there.

Stop overcomplicating things. There is never a best time to accomplish a project. Perfection is a big reason for procrastination. Getting started is often the hardest part. Once you are off to a good start, it's much simpler to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Eliminate distractions. Interruptions and distractions are productivity's No. 1 enemy. I've even gone as far as hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my office door. Set aside a period of time each day — even if it's only 10 minutes — when you are unavailable for anything less than a four-alarm fire. No office visitors, telephone calls or email.

Hang out with go-getters. I only hang out with positive people who inspire me to take action. Their spirit and drive rubs off on me. It's like having motivation buddies. And I like to announce what I'm trying to accomplish, because they will check up on me and make sure I'm doing what I said I would do.

There is an anonymous poem called "Mr. Meant-To" that goes like this:

Mr. Meant-To has a comrade

And his name is Didn't Do.

Have you ever chanced to meet them?

These two fellows live together

In the house of Never Win,

And I'm told that it is haunted

By the ghost of Might-Have-Been.

Mackay's Moral: Never put off until tomorrow what you should have done yesterday.