Eliminate Distractions

“This seems like a no-brainer but I’m always surprised at how uncommon it is,” says Thomas. “Close your email client, shut off any Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn notifications, silence your ringer and shut off the television. If you need noise, play instrumental or classical music. Song lyrics tend to send our brain off in distracting directions, as does the tendency to sing along.”

All these should be considered “obstacles to productivity”, as Joel Minden, a clinical psychologist from the Chico Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy points out. He says that “If you don’t change your work environment, it’s much easier to give into the belief that ‘I’m just a procrastinator.’”

He urges that you set yourself up for success by cutting out distractions, which will ensure “that you’re not destined for a life of procrastination.”