Procrastination. For some people, it’s a curse, preventing them from achieving the things they want in life. They put off tasks that they find unpleasant or stressful. But then they feel so guilty about not finishing what needs to be done that they can take no pleasure in the things that they used to enjoy.

It can be a crippling problem, reducing productivity at work and harming relationships at home. Serial procrastinators can lose financially by not filing their taxes on time (and paying late penalties) or avoiding making changes to their investment portfolio. Most dangerous of all, procrastinators tend to avoid visiting the doctor when they need health care.

Out of Chaos has teamed up with bestselling author and clinical hypnotherapist Brian Walsh to produce “Ending Procrastination”, a 23-minute self-hypnosis audio CD. “Procrastination is a pattern, and like all habits, it is held in the subconscious mind,” Walsh says. “To alter your pattern, you must release the old habit and set in a new pattern.”

By using the CD, you can find tips and motivation to kick-start yourself into action.

The benefits are huge. Manage your time effectively. Increase your clarity and focus. Stop feeling overwhelmed.

When you stop procrastinating and become organized, you’ll stop feeling guilty, feel proud of your achievements and be amazed at the time you now have to do the things you enjoy.

Order your copy of “Ending Procrastination” and take control of your life today.

Also try these tips to reduce procrastination.

Procrastination Crisis

• Chronic procrastination affects up to 20 per cent of adults.
• 95 per cent of procrastinators want to make changes in their lives to prevent it.
• Late tax filers tend to lose around $400 due to errors caused by late rushing to submit. This resulted in $473 million in overpayments in the US in 2002.
• Health care professionals report great concern over procrastination by patients in seeking out care and carrying out prescribed behaviors.

- Data compiled from the American Psychological Association Vol. 133, “The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure”

Top 5 Signs Procrastination has Taken Over Your Life

1. You’re tense, sweaty and pulling your hair out after filing your taxes… from 2004.
2. Family members actually start clapping when you call them within a week of their birthday.
3. You actually managed to get all of those five memos out before the end of the day. Unfortunately, the 20-page report you were supposed to file by 2 pm is allegedly sitting in your dog’s belly.
4. The dust bunnies under your bed are definitely planning something.
5. Just the other day, you finally got around to telling your investment manager to sell all of your Enron stock.

The following quick tips will kick-start you into action and help you to achieve that order and dig you out of your chaos.

15 Minutes
Start small to avoid being overwhelmed:

• Set your alarm
• Pick your reward (don’t go out and buy more stuff…)
• Work with a buddy to hold yourself accountable

Quick Sort
Do the 15 second touch, don’t get stuck, move everything into FAT piles:

• File it (things you want to keep)
• Act on it (things that you have to act on)
• Toss it (things that do not belong to you or can be discarded)

Ponder Piles
Okay – you are permitted to have a ‘Not Sure’ Pile to come back to and ask yourself:

• When was the last time you used/accessed this item?
• Will you miss it if it were no longer there?
• Did you remember you owned it?

Keep within Boundaries
It is interesting how your ’stuff’ multiplies to accommodate the space you give it…

• Define & limit your space (only this sized box or file of magazine clippings)
• Keep one new item, but discard or give-away another
• Box it up, seal the box, date it, inventory it, and recycle it to charity 1 year later if you have not opened the box