We all find ways to put off tasks on our to-do list. So what can we do to motivate ourselves? Here’s a simple trick that you might not like, but that will probably help you. Do the hardest task first, says Piers Steel, PhD, professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at University of Calgary and author of The Procrastination Equation (Harper). Think of it this way—you have more energy (and determination) when you first attack your list. So put your energy toward the most difficult task first…and then you can relax a little (and feel a sense of accomplishment) as you go down the list.

Sometimes the clutter around us is so overwhelming that getting anything done feels impossible. It ’s for these times that Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project (www.HappinessProject.com) created what she calls the “One-Minute Rule. ” If there is something you can do in a minute or less, you should do it right away without procrastinating. Open one piece of mail, clean up one corner of your desk, put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. By doing just one thing, you clear out a little clutter. And, as Rubin says, order on the outside contributes to calm on the inside.