How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

STEP #3: SET QUARTERLY S.M.A.R.T.
GOALS
As we just discussed, a simple way to prevent procrastination is to
 
focus
only
on activities that directly align with a handful of goals. This works
because whenever you feel that urge to put off a task, you can remind
yourself of how your inaction negatively affects an outcome that you
desire in the immediate future.
When it comes to goal setting, my suggestion is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for
every quarter (i.e., three months) instead of the yearlong goals that most
people create.
To begin, let’s start with a simple definition of S.M.A.R.T. goals.
George Doran first used the S.M.A.R.T. acronym in the November 1981
issue of the 
Management Review
. It stands for:
Specific;
Measurable;
Attainable;
Relevant; and
Time-bound.