4 tips to overcome procrastination and tackle your to-do list

To encourage accountability, Thiry recommends asking a friend or colleague to be present with you, either by phone or in person, so you have someone to talk to as you’re working on tasks that feel difficult to complete. Sometimes, body doubling just means sitting with someone else in silence while working on an assignment or chore. 

“Because of the avoidance tendency [with procrastination], it helps to have somebody talk to you on the phone while you’re completing the task,” she says. “You’re a little less focused on the discomfort of the task because you’re talking through it or working alongside someone.”