Procrastination the Flip Side of Motivation: How to Shake the Habit, Do’s, Don’ts, Tips and Tricks
So you bought the clothes, did the vision board, scheduled your workouts and got the gear. Still, you are finding reasons why you can’t start. It’s called procrastination. I think we all do it or have done it. This post aims to define this concept and help break the ‘habit’.
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Okay, let’s start with the benefit of the doubt.
It’s raining.
No, the weather is too humid.
Or we are too tired because we had a long day, right.
Let’s go with those excuses reasons.
But then we find ourselves on social media for more than an hour, on a two hour WhatsApp call or better yet, we start binge-watching a series on Netflix. Which is it?
Suddenly, we have time to do everything but exercise. Then we start bashing ourselves, and the cycle begins all over again.
Well, let’s change that. According to Mel Robbins, procrastination is a habit. And like with any bad habit, it can be broken.
Failing to start/failing to finish, defining procrastination
I think the first step is knowing what it is and acknowledging that you do it.
First, put simply, procrastination is the delay or lack of conducting a particular task/action. Besides work-life or studying, many persons, including me, are guilty of procrastinating when it comes to fitness.
Second, let’s acknowledge the behaviour. Yes, I am going to repeat it, soul searching. Assuming that you have all you need to start your fitness journey or continue your journey, really think about what is stopping you.
TIP #1
Write down your obstacles and categorize them into two groups, minor obstacles and major obstacles. This is totally subjective. An example of a minor obstacle I may have is that I need new gym clothes. While a major obstacle would be, I have an injury. We can overcome both. For my minor obstacle, improvise with what you got; new clothing is not a reason to not workout, especially if you have options. For my major obstacle, I would need to determine if I can work around the injury. Again both adjustments are examples of improvising and overcoming.
Why do we procrastinate?
As it pertains to fitness, I think we procrastinate because, sadly, many persons associate fitness with stress, pain, deprivation (especially when it comes to nutrition) and expenses.
Moreover, especially beginners, fear is also a factor that can encourage procrastination. It’s fear of the unknown.
Am I wearing the right garments, doing the right stuff, looking foolish doing this move, holding back the class or group, sweating too much or breathing too hard.
All are doubts that encourage procrastination.
For more seasoned athletes, it’s the misconception that when you are ready, you will just pick back up where you left, or it’s easy to get back there, just not now.
Whichever is the reason, avoiding or prolonging the activity/task is creating obstacles to our success.
TRICK #1
Remember your goals. You bought all that you need, created your vision board and scheduled your time. Your goals are not going to get done by procrastinating. Whichever is the reason, avoiding or prolonging the activity/task is creating obstacles to our success.
Types of procrastinators
Though there are scientific descriptions of types of procrastinators, I have two broad categories I think persons can fall into. Those that are active procrastinators and those that are inactive.
Remember I mentioned earlier, failing to start and failing to finish. Well, that is how I classified procrastinators. Active procrastinators are associated with doing the task half-ass. This can be in the form of taking long breaks to go on social media, talking to friends or watching tv while exercising. Yes, you are doing the task, but what is the quality of the effort you are putting out? While inactive procrastinators are persons that don’t even start the activity.
If we want to accomplish our fitness goals, we need to avoid being one of these.
Pro vs cons of procrastination
Pro
After what I just explained, I know it sounds weird for me to say there is a pro to procrastination. Well, by doing the action (or lack thereof), we are in a state of calm. Quite frankly, it’s a stress reliever.
We all need breaks; however, what was the quality of your active time before the break? How long are your breaks? Don’t get me wrong, I am not talking about rest here. Rest is important. I am talking about breaks between your active hours.
Even though there is an underlying health benefit of procrastination, holistically, is it not beneficial.
Cons
#1
Procrastination limits your success. Failing to start, failing to finish or prolonging the activity with useless breaks could limit your growth and development.
#2
It’s demotivating. Not getting results and knowing that you could have done something to change the outcome will definitely demotivate you.
#3
Procrastinating can get you stuck in a cycle of disappointment that spurs on more bad behaviour, which can lead to more disappointment, more procrastinating and so on…
I believe these cons of procrastination do coincide and form part of a vicious cycle of failure and disappointment.
Kicking the habit of procrastination
Change how you view fitness (nutrition, exercise, mental health etc.). Stop thinking of it as wasting time or something that is stressful or painful. Like I said in my past blogs, having the right mindset is vital.
TIP #2
Forget the past. I have realized that rehashing what I didn’t do or what I was able to do was not getting me anywhere.
Set achievable goals. Yes, your vision can be big, but to achieve it, you need to set realistic goals and objectives.
Break your goals into micro-goals. Especially if you are guilty of procrastinating set small, simple goals. The trick is …
TRICK #2
Baby steps. Small targets, like getting up 10 minutes earlier or walking one flight then taking the elevator to your floor, are small acts that add up. No movement should be taken for granted.
Find your niche. Whether it’s in one area of fitness or a given sequence of workouts. Do it; it’s all about getting started.
This brings me to my other suggestion…
Just get started. According to Mel Robbins, if we commit to doing the task for at least 5 minutes, 80% of persons will continue the task. Hence, …
DON’T #1
Do not think about it; just do it. Make up your mind and just take the plunge.
Get support. I am an avid believer of buddy systems and team-based workouts. Whether it’s a relative, friend, partner or trainer, it’s okay to relinquish some of the responsibility of keeping you in check.
Reward yourself. We all like to be rewarded in some way or another. Quell procrastination with motivation. Instead of doing the act (or lack of) and replacing it with something, why not use that as your reward.
Takeaways
Whether we knowingly do it or subconsciously, we can be guilty of procrastinating. We just need to acknowledge the habit and try to overcome it.
Let’s break the habit together.
DO acknowledge the habit.
DON’T think about it; just do it.
TIP, forget the past; it’s holding you back.
TRICK baby steps.
As always, I am not a professional fitness coach or nutritionist. As such, I recommend doing your own research on the topic.