Staying on task and on time for assignments is difficult, particularly for online courses. The best way to stay on top of the pile is to set deadlines for yourself and to use the GOALS system. By setting reasonable goals that are achievable and measurable, you can keep motivation to work on your task and also be done in a timely matter.
One TED talk that really helped me understand this concept is about the mindset of procrastination. This video helped me greatly realize that I can overcome things just from a simple perspective shift. Don’t look at your problems as I can do it later, set goals for yourself to get them done now.