Thief of time: How to stop procrastinating and start doing

PROCRASTINATION, we are often told, is the “thief of time”. When I notice my days slipping away in some unfulfilling activity, I can’t help but feel a sense of loss for all I might have achieved and guilt for failing to keep that burglar at bay.

According to the psychological research, our self-admonishment may only make it harder to break the habit, because procrastination is often a way of coping with stress and self-criticism. If I feel anxious about writing a new chapter of my book, for example, I may choose to hide my head in the sands of …