You’ve got all the dreams in the world, and the will, but when it comes to actually getting started? You always seem to fall short. Over 84% of the population admits to procrastinating at least once in their lifetime, and more than 20% of us do it every week. So what happens when that trend starts to get in the way of us accomplishing our larger goals, dreams and plans for our lives?

Procrastination and motivation are tricky things to master (and conquer), but learning how and why you procrastinate is one of the best ways to overcome it. Here are 5 of the best reads for flipping the switch from planning to doing.

The Science of Getting Started: How to Beat Procrastination, Summon Productivity, and Stop Self-Sabotage

If you feel like you may be self-sabotaging yourself by letting anxiety get the best of you and caving to your desires to leave things to ‘tomorrow’, then The Science of Getting Started is a great read for you. In this easy-to-read guide, Patrick King tells us how we can overcome our natural, instinctual drives to put off our to-dos in favour of easier tasks. The book helps readers to outsmart their own inherent laziness to become more disciplined and, ultimately live a better life.

Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now

This read offers the experience of two psychologists who recognize that procrastination affects almost all of us – from students to scientists and established professionals. With the help of humour, the duo guide readers on a journey of self-exploration, unwrapping the reasons why humans procrastinate; then, they offer tactical solutions for overcoming them.

Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change

Are you someone who’s already tried to beat procrastination once? Solving The Procrastination Puzzle is a great read for those of us looking for new strategies to try. The book offers a very scientific look at the mechanisms of procrastination and offers multiple comprehensive strategies that are perfect for entrepreneurs who want to get their big ideas off the ground, parents who are struggling to organize their busy lives and families, and students who are feeling the burden of multiple, competing objectives in their lives.

How to Stop Procrastinating: A Simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks

If you’re looking for a quick and easy read that offers real solutions to procrastination, How To Stop Procrastinating is your best bet. This read is a straightforward and simple guide that will help you approach the difficult tasks in your life (work, school, or hobby) differently and more effectively.

Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life

If procrastination and anxiety go hand-in-hand for you, this cleverly titled read is our recommendation. Part of the Unfu*k Yourself series, Get Out Of Your Head and Into Your Life poses a compelling argument for why your own mentality and thought patterns may be what is standing in the way of you achieving a healthy and happy life. The book walks you through those destructive thought patterns and builds up new, constructive ways of looking at and approaching your life and goals so that they aren’t as daunting.