Procrastination and how to deal with it

What does a writer plus procrastination equal?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Zilch. Zero.

Procrastinating is when you spend six hours watching videos of cats falling off a garden fence on YouTube, or when you go on Tumblr at 9am to look at cool gifs from the Hobbit, then close the tab at 10pm and wonder what you are doing with your life.
Procrastination is the reason you haven't finished your novel yet (unless you have finished your novel, in which case procrastionation is why you haven't finished revising it, or written a query letter for it, or- you know what I mean).

Fortunately, there is a way to combat procrastination.

You tend to procrastinate when you either don't want to do what you're supposed to be doing, or you don't know what productive thing you could be doing.

A good way to stop this is by making a to do list. Before you go to bed, or when you get up in the morning, write down everything you want (or need) to achieve that day, whether it's homework or writing or answering that email you've been putting off. If possible, set a time limit on it (so you don't spend a ridiculously long time on it or get destracted) or, for example, with writing, a word count goal. That way, when you have reached this goal, you know that you have achieved what you wanted. Then you can tick it or cross it off. This way, your day is more structured and you're less likely to simply go on the internet because you have nothing else to do.

Of course, the only way this works is if you actually do the stuff you right down. This is just a method to help. The real way to beat procrastination is by doing.

So, whatever you want to achieve, don't put it off until tomorrow. Do it today.*

*That sounded like a bad advert. Sorry.