I am the same way. I have yet to start a paper that was due last Tuesday.
I’m a senior in college and have somehow maintained a B average procrastinating this badly the whole time. My trick is to get “in” with professors. I charm them, and they want me to do well. I also talk to them about what’s going on in my life that makes homework the last priority.
For example, my paper due last Tuesday didn’t get done because I had a show. I told my professor, who happens to be a patron of the arts, and not only did he give me til today, he came to my concert.
Tears also help, I have visited many professor’s office hours, broken down, and told them that [this] semester’s been really hard, and I have a lot on my plate, and it’s hard to balance everything, etc.
Two years ago I literally stopped going to a class. I didn’t withdraw, I just stopped going (9:00 AM? No thanks.) and stopped reading and everything. At the end of the year I was pretty much screwed. But I talked to the prof, gave her the sob story, and she let me email her everything over the summer. I came out with a B+. I feel bad about that one, since I really didn’t deserve it, but I would have lost my scholarship otherwise.
So this is not a suggestion on how to stop procrastinating, but rather how to get away with it:) I wish I had seen this question when I was up at 3:30 this morning/last night not writing my paper.
I should probably go back and read the other answers to solve my own problem.