As more tasks become automated due to advances in technology there is a general expectation, whether it is realistic or not, that productivity should increase as well.

Everyone seems to have more work than can possibly be done in a day and this pressure can result in feelings of being overwhelmed which in turn leads to procrastination at work which can actually decrease productivity if not properly managed.

Although there are hundreds of reasons why we procrastinate and put off difficult tasks, one of the most common reasons people procrastinate is because they are simply overwhelmed by a task which seems too large in scope to complete. And so the natural response is simply to put off ever getting started.

There are four ways to effectively overcome procrastination in this situation...

1. Break your tasks down into multiple and smaller more manageable units and then focus on each unit moving from one to the next as each task is completed.

As you complete each unit of work the success will motivate you to move on to the next one.

With this being said, be careful to not lose sight of the final objective. This leads to the next tip for beating procrastination at work.

2. Do each unit or task one at a time.

A woman I know recently lost her husband. She had never worked day in her life and due to the circumstances of her husband's death she was unable to collect his life insurance policy.

Being in this difficult financial situation forced her to have to find a job and to make an already difficult situation worse she had no work experience or education.

She eventually found a job at a local nursery. She was told the job would be pulling weeds. Although the wages were not that great, the job certainly sounded easy enough.

You can imagine the feelings of being overwhelmed as she stood before a great field as far as she could and was told she was to pull all of the weeds throughout the field.

She was completely overwhelmed by what appeared to be an impossible task. While many would have said "There is no way I am doing this" and quit, she was determined to succeed and told herself that she would simply begin by doing one at a time.

This is excellent advice for beating procrastination at work. You can manage huge work loads if you focus on one at a time.

3. Set aside quiet time to work on the particular project so that you will not be interrupted. Frequent interruptions can easily cause us to lose focus which then takes time to get back.

For larger more complex projects it is also important to schedule this quiet time during a period of the day when you are fresh and thinking clearly.

For many, first thing in the morning is the best time for complex projects that require analytical thinking or problem-solving, while the afternoon is a better time to work on more mundane projects.

By incorporating these three techniques into your work day you will be able to put a stop to procrastination at work caused by large overwhelming projects.