What: If you’ve been procrastinating about doing a certain task, set your timer for fifteen minutes to overcome the hurdle.

The Lowdown: Do you find yourself doing a mad dash to get the house clean when you find out you’re having visitors? Do you often stay up late to finish projects because you waited until the last minute to get them done? Have you put off doing something you really want to do because you feel overwhelmed? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are you’re a procrastinator.

Although procrastination is not always a bad thing, very often it leads us to feeling stressed out, overwhelmed and like we haven’t done our best at a particular task. Add this to the regular ins an outs of parenting, and it adds up to a lot of negative energy. Never fear! There is something very simple you can do to get yourself moving well before a deadline hits or company lands on your doorstep--set your timer.

When you have a task in front of you, and you start to feel like procrastinating, get out your kitchen timer. Set it for fifteen minutes and get going. The idea behind this is that when a task seems overwhelming, often the biggest hurdle is getting started. Nothing can be too overwhelming to do for just fifteen minutes.

Is your kitchen a mess? Set your timer. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in fifteen minutes. Have you been putting off writing the next great American novel? Set your timer. Putting your pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be) will get you going. The best thing about this method of overcoming procrastination is that once you’ve started something, you’re more likely to keep working until you’re done.

Need some more tips for overcoming procrastination? OnlineOrganizing.com has a great list of tips for getting something done. Although this list is geared toward finishing a household project, it fits most situations where you find yourself procrastinating. (read tips here)

What I say: I am a (somewhat) reformed procrastinator. I’ve always had a tough time starting projects, especially when they involve house cleaning. I’ve found setting the timer to be a great way to get myself moving, and my children and I have also turned it into a game. We’ll set the timer to see who can get the most stuff picked up in the least amount of time. When I do this a few times a day, the house stays relatively neat which saves me time and aggravation in the long run.