We asked the experts for strategies to help you turn your ambitions into realities.

We've all wasted precious time joining random Facebook groups and Googling our exes.

In fact, more than half of all working women spend about an hour of every work day pottering around the internet and otherwise procrastinating, according to a survey from TheBodyShop.com. Putting off things invariably leaves us with a cluttered to-do list, overflowing laundry basket and nasty tension headache. You may be worried about making a major change in your life, but instead of goofing off, try to meet your goals head on. Once you start tackling that looming Big Thing, you'll usually find it's not as hard as you imagined. Here, how to just do what you have to do.

Be positive

The trouble with many goals or resolutions we make is that they usually involve giving something up or losing something. "Not being depressed", "giving up ciggies" or "losing weight" are all worded in the negative, moving you away from something you don't want rather than towards what you do want. "They're negatives - not goals but anti-goals", says Joseph O'Connor, author of Extraordinary Solutions for Everyday Problems. He says the first rule of goal setting is to make sure it's a positive state or action. "We don't run our lives by negatives, such as going shopping with lists of food we don't want to buy, or travelling by not taking the wrong train," says O'Connor.

Numerous studies have shown our conscious thoughts can help control our physiology. For example, after a workout, by concentrating on your breath and visualising your heart rate dropping, you can recover more quickly. So concentrate on what it is that you want - a healthy mind and body, happiness, to fit into those Ksubi jeans - not what you want to escape from.

Then think about the value of achieving the goal. "Knowing 'why' we are pursuing our goals is the most important aspect of goal setting," says psychologist Dr Suzy Green. "And ask 'Do I really want this? Or is it something I think I should do?" When we set goals that are aligned to our values, we have a much greater chance of success.

Go easy on yourself

"Everybody assumes that if we do everything right, everything will run smoothly," says Michael Carroll, author of The Mindful Leader. Wrong. Spending too much time trying to get everything done can turn goals into potholes of fear and frustration, he says. Instead, think about working towards your goal properly, not perfectly. The next time you freak out because you think you're not going to achieve your aims, stop what you're doing. Sit and calm your mind for five minutes. Let those first thoughts - "This is ridiculous. I don't have time for this!" - run their course, but don't give in to them.

Slow down a little

"We think everything is urgent, when it's really not," says Fran Hewitt, co-author of The Power of Focus for Women. "There are lots of reasons we do this - sometimesit's a personality thing where we like things completed for that sense of satisfaction. Sometimes we just don't want to feel so overwhelmed, and other times we just don't prioritise properly."

Determine what you must get done, set priorities and then, suggests Hewitt, set up "time blocks" - turn off your mobile, stop checking emails and shut your door to work through those things that you keep putting off. Start by blocking out a bit of time every day and work up to having a spare hour in each day. Use the time to clear your surroundings. If your home or office is cluttered, your grey matter is probably pretty scattered, too. Instead of spending three hours looking for a lost object, "take the time to clean and reorganise", suggests Hewitt. Once you know where everything is, you can focus more clearly on other tasks.

Do look back

Most of us don't take the time to appreciate what we've done, or how far we've come. "We have this picture of what we want, and we create this discontent between where we are and where we want to go," Hewitt says. But looking back at your achievements pushes you to move forward. So, instead of being frustrated by how far you have to go, think about the times you've been successful. Apply that sense of confidence and accomplishment to reaching your next goal.