Oh procrastination. We know we’re doing it. We know it’s a bad idea. And still, two days before a big deadline we find ourselves doing a Wikipedia deep-dive into Vin Diesel’s Dungeons & Dragons credentials.

It might be productivity’s biggest foe. But by understanding why you procrastinate; you can kick that habit to the curb.

Use the tool below to discover your procrastination style, plus tips on how to shift from stuck and distracted to clear and focused.

Whether you’re studying, working, or trying to keep your house and family in order (or all three, for that matter) your ability to stay on-task and on-schedule will have a massive impact on your wellbeing. Because being productive isn’t about ticking as much off your to-do list as you can – it should help you achieve that coveted work-life balance.

Understanding what triggers your procrastination is a great first step towards a more productive life, but what other steps can you take to make sure un-finished tasks aren’t cluttering up your mental space?

Schedule like a pro

To-do lists, calendars, sticky notes… There’s something about having an idea written down that makes it feel so much more achievable. And once you’ve got all your tasks in one place, it’s easier to start thinking about how and when you’ll be able to work on them.

Here’s where technology can really help. There are plenty of tools online that can help you visualise your workload and when you’ll schedule different tasks – and it’s not one-size-fits-all. For chronic deadline forgetters, set alerts on your phone to keep track of when work is due. Or, if you like to visualise your workload, use a tool like Trello – where you can colour code your digital sticky notes - to keep all your disparate tasks in one place.

Don’t overwhelm yourself

Whether it’s a thousand little jobs, or one seemingly impossibly big one, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all the things you need to do. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s likely that stress and anxiety will get in the way of you making any progress. So, no matter how big the task (or tasks) at hand is, take it one step at a time. Break big projects down into smaller, achievable goals – as you make your way through them, you’ll find that the end goal starts to look a lot less intimidating.

Set yourself up for success

Aching eyes? Sore back? Miserable? If your working environment isn’t a comfortable one, it’ll be that much harder to persuade yourself to start working, let alone to sit down and concentrate on one task for any stretch of time.

Ergonomic furniture, an uncluttered workspace, and everything you need close at hand will go miles towards getting you in the right headspace for a productive hour or two of work. Make sure your desk or home office setup is a space that works for you.

We all work in different ways, and there’s no silver bullet for eradicating procrastination and distraction from our lives. But with organisation, and a little commitment to nurturing our own work wellbeing, we can all become more productive. We can’t promise you’ll have finished writing your memoirs by next week, but you might just have a couple more ticks off your to-do list.