Originally posted January 16, 2015 by Lynette Gil on Life Health Pro

“Procrastinators unite…tomorrow!” – Internet saying

You’re probably looking at your to-do list and getting a little bit anxious. There’s a lot to do today and, it might seem, not enough hours in the day to do it. Breathe and take a step back. Prioritizing will help you figure out what’s most important to do right now … or was tackling the most difficult task first, the right way to do it?

A recent infographic from NeoMam Studios, a U.K.-based company that specializes in creating infographics that merge data from various sources, reveals that as many as one in five adults may be chronic procrastinators. The infographic gathered information from sources such as APA.org, Princeton.edu, Psychologicalscience.org and other publications.

And, get this: Contrary to popular belief, procrastination doesn’t necessarily equal laziness. Inaction is often caused by anxiety, fear of failure or negative perfectionism, according to the infographic.

But how you can stop the stress of not getting things done? Having faith in yourself, living in the present and setting realistic goals you can successfully achieve are some of the steps to stop procrastination in its tracks. And though NeoMam focused their inforgraphic on helping students break the vicious procrastination cycle, if it works for pre-teens that are full of energy or for neuro-surgeons in training, these solutions can work for you too. We have condensed the list to eight steps:

Step 1: Know yourself

Step 2: Commit to tasks

Step 3: Be realistic

Step 4: Self-talk positively

Step 5: Swiss-cheese tasks

Step 6: Don’t indulge fantasies

Step 7: Plan for obstacles

Step 8: Help yourself, reward your progress and learn to forgive yourself

It’s easy to try to blame others for your lack of concentration, so don’t. If you indulge in one of your time-wasting activities, deal with the consequences alone. People who expect help procrastinate more, according to the research. Also, creating a reward system to celebrate successful tasks will help you keep being motivated.

Most important of all, if you slip up, learn to forgive yourself. And remember: binge-watching Game of Thrones is not a “slip up,” so keep yourself in check and don’t give up. Good luck!