According to the Harvard Business Review, the human mind is programmed for procrastination. Instead of focusing on the potential rewards associated with completing a task, your brain is fixated on how stressful or difficult that task is.

Maybe you’re leaving home for the first time, or your move is the result of a breakup. You might have memories that you aren’t quite ready to let go of, or maybe you hate the idea of packing. Whatever your reason for putting it off, these simple strategies from Imperial Moving and Storage NYC will help you beat packing procrastination.

Visualize

Imagine how accomplished you’ll feel when all your belongings are organized and stored in properly labeled boxes. Think about how much time you’ll save when you’re unpacking and know exactly where everything is. Imagining the positive benefits of completing a task can remove any negative connotations associated with it.

Stop Catastrophizing

Moving is stressful, and packing everything you own into boxes is boring, but don’t convince yourself that the task at hand is unbearable. Experts from Psychology Today found that many people procrastinate because they make a big deal out of nothing.

Packing may be monotonous, but monotony has never killed anyone. Treat packing the same way you’d treat a phone call that you don’t want to make. Take a deep breath, focus on what you’re doing, and enjoy the relief you’ll feel when it’s over.

Accountability

People who publicly commit to doing something are more likely to follow through. Announce on social media that you will finish packing by the weekend. Promise to post a picture of your empty apartment. You might tell yourself that you don’t care what others think of you, but nobody wants to look lazy or incapable online.

Eat the Frog

Eat That Frog is an entire book about procrastination based on a quote from Mark Twain. Twain said that if you eat a live frog when you wake up, the rest of your day will seem bearable because nothing you had to do could be worse than eating a live frog.

What does eating a frog have to do with beating procrastination when you’re preparing to move? Decide which task you’re dreading the most, and do that first. Once you get the hardest part of packing out of the way, the rest of your move will go smoothly.

Treat Yourself

Set goals and reward yourself when you reach those goals. Treat yourself to an ice cream sundae after you finish packing your kitchen or watch a few episodes of your favorite Netflix series after all your clothes are packed.

Positive reinforcement can gradually change the way your brain works. What started as a way to stop procrastinating during your move could make you a more productive individual in the long run.