Are you procrastinating on anything right now? Maybe you’re even reading this instead of doing a certain task. If so, no judgment here. We all procrastinate. And yet we know our work quality suffers and our stress levels increase when we do. So, why do we do it?

There are several psychological drivers of procrastination but one of the most common is a lack of confidence. We all doubt ourselves at times and occasionally, this self-doubt leads us down the path of procrastination.

The good news is once we begin to take action and gain momentum, there’s no stopping us. Here are 3 ways we can build our confidence to overcome uncertainty and resist the urge to procrastinate.

1. Vision success. Until 25-year-old Roger Bannister ran the world’s first four-minute mile in 1954, no one believed it could be done. Yet within days of Bannister’s feat, his record was beaten and over the next few years, more and more runners achieved this goal. Bannister opened the door for others to do what once seemed impossible. Of course, they were all capable of success but having Bannister demonstrate the possibility of achievement was critical to helping them visualize breaking through their own mental barriers and reaching the same goal.

Visualize yourself achieving the outcome you want to achieve. Imagine yourself receiving the award, finishing that project and reaching your own finish line.

2. Silence your inner critic. Or as Brené Brown says, “Talk to yourself like someone you love”. We know we can be our own worst critics. The next time you find yourself thinking, “I can’t do this”, try and reframe that thought to, “I can’t do this – yet”. The truth is you can do (almost) anything you set your time and energy toward. But the stories we tell ourselves have a profound impact on who we are. Consider the power of your thoughts and the words you use.

If you find yourself saying, “I’m nervous” before taking on a big assignment, recognize the way your body feels when it is excited is the same way it feels when you are nervous. Researchers have repeatedly found when experimental subjects are encouraged to reinterpret nervousness as excitement, they perform better. “I’m excited” sounds like a much more empowering story.

3. Consider probabilities – not possibilities. Only allow yourself to invest your energy in events that are probable, not possible. Yes, you may make a few mistakes along the way. You could freeze and forget a key component of your presentation or even trip getting to the stage. (Am I projecting here?) Many outcomes are possible but are they probable? And in the unlikely event they do happen, remind yourself you’ll always have a good story to share. Try to roll with things as they happen, focus on what you can control and don’t catastrophize.

Related: 3 ways to motivate yourself to do work you don’t want to do

Making progress on our most important goals is key to being our most effective selves and living a full life. I hope these tips inspire you to bust through the tendency to procrastinate, so you can accomplish all you are destined to do.

For more tips on how to boost your confidence to overcome procrastination, watch this.