As a freelancer who works from home – often in a leopard print robe from my couch – I struggle with motivation and procrastination often.

With so many distractions available to me – calling my Mom to chat, watching *just that one* episode on Netflix, urgently needing to bake a batch of cookies – often deadlines get left to the last minute, having me wish I would have just buckled down and taken care of my to-do list. 

While a new year and the promise of reformed habits is exciting, it comes with the difficulty of actually making the changes routine. 

Here are a few tweaks I've made to my day to day that I've found have made a huge difference. 

1. Stop making your to-do list so long

My to-do lists used to be so long – like 30 or more items long – that I would inevitably move the majority of it to the next day, only to rinse and repeat – for weeks or months on end.

While it's inevitable a to-do list will be always be rotating, setting out to achieve daily tasks needs to be manageable and achievable, otherwise, the list will be so daunting, you'll avoid it forever.

Set out to achieve a realistic amount of tasks, and do the same thing every single day.

The cumulative effort adds up quickly. Stop lying to yourself that you'll climb Everest in a day. 

2. Take a fresh air break

Two separate therapists have advised me of this hack. If you're feeling stuck, anxious or just generally uninspired – instead of derailing your entire day and giving up, get up and head outside, even if it means walking around the block for 5 minutes.

You'll be shocked at how refreshed you'll feel just by giving your brain a quick reset. 

3. Mix up your environment

While it can be comforting to work from home, never having to shower or look presentable – it can become depressing, especially if you fall prey to working in your robe like me, only to sink into the couch and lose the will to live.

The hardest part of getting anywhere? Actually leaving your house. Just get up and leave. You'll be thrilled you stepped out the door and probably discover a cool new coffee shop or co-working space.

4. Take breaks often

Recent studies have shown that productivity wanes the longer we don't give our brains a break.

Work in bursts of 20 minutes, taking 5-minute breaks for a period of a few hours.

Allow yourself a one hour break for lunch, and then repeat the same process in the afternoon. 

5. Small bursts of work add up quickly over time

It's the same thing any professional in any vocation will tell you – 15 minutes of daily exercise adds up over time as opposed to beating yourself up in the gym for two hours only to be too sore to go back again any time soon.

Slow and steady wins the race. Tortoise > hare. 

What are your tricks?