October is when young people are finally settling into the increased workload of the new school year (along with college applications) and adults are tackling the last quarter and their year-end goals. It can be a time of great productivity, but many people often feel overwhelmed.

It's important to remember that there are two basic rules which govern all human behavior: we seek pleasure and try to avoid pain. When faced with a giant "to do" list, it's much easier to go get a snack or take a break before even starting the work, leading to procrastination! This is because of deficit consciousness, which is the idea that we are choosing to experience lack instead of abundance.

Whether there are 97 more pages left to read or 27 more steps to complete on a project, deficit consciousness asks us to believe we have more left to do, and therefore, we haven't accomplished anything significant until we do so.

The secret to avoiding the procrastination and exasperation that comes from avoiding pain is to celebrate small victories. Instead of focusing on the 97 pages you have left to read, congratulate yourself on reading the three pages that you've already read! If you can read three pages, you can read three more! A small win not only feels more pleasurable, but a string of small wins creates positive momentum in your life! For more ideas, please click here!