If You Want to Meet That Deadline, Play a Trick on Your Mind

From The New York Times, studies show how fooling ourselves to think deadlines are closer or within certain specific parameters help us get started with the work needed: 

Research into procrastination has noted that people have much less concern about their future selves than their present selves — and are willing to sell their future selves down the river for the sake of present ease. But when the present marches into the future, and we are confronted with the work that our past selves refused to do, we pay the price in unmet deadlines, all-nighters and general torment.

So if a few little tricks can manipulate us into thinking that time is of the essence, why not give them a try?