As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Unfortunately, that can be difficult when the lemons are sitting in an untouched pile in your room. We’ve all been there: distracted by an episode of  Jersey Shore that we’re not quite sure why we’re still watching until a glance at the clock tells us it’s 12:00 AM. So before you decide to take a break from reading this to continue watching your daily dose of “meatball” problems, try these 5 steps to stop procrastinating and start getting things done!

1. Buy a planner to organize your work to fit your time. Organizing your work and keeping track of your schedule will help manage your time better. If you plan out your week ahead of time, you might be surprised to find an extra hour or two to do something for yourself.
2. Seclude yourself to a work environment where you won’t get distracted in. Turn off the television and leave the iPod in your backpack! By focusing only on your work, you will be able to concentrate, allowing you to do your best work in a short amount of time.
3. Break down large tasks into smaller portions to avoid overwhelming yourself. Planning what you have to do step by step will help you get everything done and will seem like a lot less to think about!
4. Do the most difficult task first. This is self-explanatory, once the hard part is over, you can easily breeze through the simpler assignments.
5. Encourage yourself by focusing on what you’ll get back from finishing your tedious workload. You will become more motivated to get it done as quickly and efficiently as you can.
Happy Homeworking!