There are different types of procrastination. I mostly hop on stuff and get it done, but if it's something that scares me I will put it off. My internal talk is, "I just can't face it" with a feeling of doom or despair.

If that's how I feel, I find the best technique is to set a timer and say, "I only have to do 20 minutes today." Or 60 or 30 or 15--the rule is I come up with a number that is tolerable. If that means lowering it to 10, fine. I can do anything with a good strong effort for 10 min.

I like accomplishing stuff so once I get going I will usually keep going. But if I hit the timer goal I can stop and I feel great about it.

The #1 secret to my procrastination usually comes down to, "After I do the research I will have to make a decision and I'm afraid to make the decision." A lot of things have gone wrong in my life over the past 20 yrs (medical stuff, interpersonal stuff) so I've acquired a new fear of making decisions.

If I do the research over the course of a few days I generally get enough info that I can make the decision comfortably--but somehow doing the research while anticipating the decision is too hard. I have to separate the two things--leave the decision for a timer task on a different day.

#2 secret to my procrastination: I grew up in a dysfunctional family and now have a lot of responsibility for helping/dealing with/making decisions for my elderly parents. It's hard, it's daily, and I also have to deal with two siblings who have caused a lot of damage in my life. So I'm coping with something that works like a parasitic battery drain in your car. >> The lesson here is to be aware of and respect the other factors that are causing stress in your systems.

#3 secret to my procrastination: I do way more research and work than other people do in order to try and guarantee a better result. Part of this is personality, part of it is trying to waterproof my life to prevent more bad stuff happening. (See #1.) I haven't found a comfortable way to change this, but I do remind myself occasionally, "It's okay to be a satisficer not an optimizer."

I'm not sure what exact type of procrastination you're talking about, but I have found being gentle with myself and shrinking the size of the task to such a tiny amt that it is doable can be a good strategy.

Also--hopping on something RIGHT AWAY (even if it's a tiny timer task) is the right answer for me. I hate feeling like I am behind the curve.