Spend Just 12 Mins A Day On Your Tax Return To Get It In By The 31st

Last year a record number of people missed the Self Assessment tax filing deadline

If you’re able to file your Self Assessment by the 31st, but you’re just putting it off, here’s some motivation from the CEO of Lendingexpert.co.uk, who’s had to file a Self Assessment every year since 2006 and has never missed a deadline.

Research has shown that the average Self Assessment tax return takes approximately two and half hours to complete online.

That means if you set aside just 12 minutes a day between today and the end of the month, you’ll likely complete it and won’t have it hanging over your head for the whole of February.

On average, adults in the UK spend over an hour on social media every day, so all you need to do is cut down your social media scrolling by 20% every day until the end of the month.

Here's the CEO of Lendingexpert.co.uk David Beard’s top tips on how to stop procrastinating

1. Set a realistic plan and stick to it no matter what get’s thrown at you

Commit to spending 12 minutes a day on your Self Assessment between now and the end of the month. If you finish early - happy days. If it takes you longer, you won’t panic because you’ll have longer before you’re fined for being tardy.

2. Promise to reward yourself

Reward yourself once it’s completed, but reward yourself with something you enjoy every time you spend 12 minutes on it, even if it’s just sitting down to watch an episode of Succession afterwards.

3. Minimise distractions

For those 12 minutes, put your mobile phone on silent mode and place it face down. Collapse all other tabs on your desktop and only have the ones you need open. If you’re working from home and the kids and dog are around your feet, lock yourself away in the bathroom to complete your 12 minutes.

4. Ask someone to check you’ve spent 12 minutes on it every day

Get someone, anyone, to ask you every day if you’ve spent 12 minutes on your Self Assessment. Your husband, your wife, your mother, your father, your kids, your postie...It doesn’t matter who - but be accountable to somebody.

5. Stop over-complicating things

Perfectionism is one of the biggest reasons for procrastination. If you’re waiting for a perfect time to do your Self Assessment, there will always be reasons standing in your way to put it off. If you keep waiting for the ideal time, it will never come.