The motivation to complete a task relies on four elements:

Expectancy: If you expect to succeed at a task, you’re more motivated to complete a task before its due date. 

Value: If you don’t value the task, you’re more likely to put it off.  

Impulsiveness: It’s common to feel anxious about the unknown. However, when we act on these emotions it can distract us from the things we need to accomplish.

Delay: The longer you have to wait to be rewarded for a task, the less motivated you are to complete said task

While the journey to curbing a bad habit happens over a period of time, here are a few daily tips on how you can combat procrastination one day at a time.

Get rest when you need it: Your body is the most important tool for getting things done.

Ensure that you’re managing your energy throughout the day, eat healthily, go on nature walks, and take a nap when you have a chance to slow down.

Take control of your environment

Working in a cluttered space, or even on a cluttered computer allows for our attention to become disrupted by the smallest things. 

Create different user profiles or dedicate one end of your table for work. 

Maintaining those boundaries can help stabilize your focus and allow you to complete your tasks on time.

Combine your vices and virtues

If you find it difficult to get started on a task, it might help to combine it with something you enjoy doing. 

Whether it’s listening to your favorite playlist while you’re doing the laundry or enjoying tea while going through budgets, placing tasks you enjoy on your to-do list can make a daunting task a little more pleasurable. 

When this happens, you’re less likely to procrastinate.  

Tackle your difficult tasks first, early in the morning

Due to our circadian rhythm, our bodies begin to wind down in the afternoon and by 3 p.m. it becomes difficult to effectively complete a task. 

Tackle your most difficult tasks early in the morning when you’re at your most alert and energized. 

This allows you to get them out of the way so by the time that afternoon slump rolls around, you don’t push it over to the next day.