• Allow the employee to set her own due dates. In a planning session, state how important it is that the due date for a particular
project is met. With that in mind, tell the employee you are going to allow her to set a date that she can comfortably meet. Once she
commits to that date, however, she will be locked in. Once the employee sets the date, go back and question her comfort level. Ask questions like, “Will this allow you time to test for all the flaws in the program?”

Going through this process may actually teach the employee how to schedule realistically. Some people have never been taught this process, although this type of planning seems like common sense to others. You may actually need to use this method on two or three projects before an employee begins to schedule appropriately on her own.

• Put the procrastinating employee on the spot. Place him in roles that kick-start his performance. Certain tasks place employees in the spotlight or in a position where failure to perform could cause them problems. This is a good thing. As manager, you want their procrastination to be their problem, not yours. How do you move
the problem to their court and make it theirs? In one workplace
involving trainers and instructional designers, one employee consistently failed to have her designs completed on time. The manager shifted her responsibilities to doing more presentations than
designs. The employee did not want to be embarrassed, so she was
always prepared to present in front of groups. Her teammates got
a break from doing these chores themselves and had time to take
up the slack in the design department.

What about your employee? Is there a role you can place him in that puts pressure on him to get started and not procrastinate? Is there a role that is answerable to customers, peers, or others that will make him perform on demand? Try breaking down what your department delivers and performs. Can you assign your procrastinator
to a role that gets greater scrutiny at shorter intervals?

• Remove valid obstacles. Does your employee have valid reasons
for not starting on a timely basis? Here are some valid reasons for
procrastination:
• Necessary tools are not available or are impaired.
• Bottlenecks have occurred in other departments or because of
suppliers.
• Direction is unclear. This is the reason for procrastination that
is most often cited. Sometimes this complaint is not an excuse
but an accurate description of a very real problem. Never rule
out the possibility that you may be part of the problem.

Ask your employee what are the obstacles to starting that he or she faces. Be sure you have removed the obstacles that are your responsibility. Then aid the employee in removing other barriers.

Taken From: 201 Ways to Turn Any Employee Into a STAR Performer