So, you still haven’t crushed those goals you've set. Procrastination got the best of you.
Maybe you wanted to try something new, like meditation or a new fitness class. Perhaps your fitness goals were more performance-related—you wanted to run a 5KM race or deadlift a certain weight in a specific timeframe.
Or maybe your goals were more general—you wanted to drink more water, get to bed earlier or eat more fruits and vegetables.
Whatever your goals were, you still have time to accomplish them, and there’s no better time to start than right now. But first, a look at what might be causing your procrastination, and how you can beat it.
Procrastination is a product of human difficulty regulating negative emotions. We associate negative feelings—boredom, insecurity, self-doubt—with a task, and when we begin to think about that task, we start to feel those negative emotions. In an attempt to curb those negative feelings, we decide to do something that makes us feel good instead.
Applied to the task of going to the gym, here’s how the process plays out
We know we should go exercise, but we have negative feelings associated with it for one reason or another. Keep in mind that this reason might just be a bad mood or anxiety about something else—other things in our lives can lead us to avoid the things we really want.
We tell ourselves we’ll exercise tomorrow because that saves us from our current problem—actually having to deal with our current negative emotions.
We feel better because we’re hopefully (and falsely) forecasting that we’ll follow through in the future. Your brain feels proud of itself because it not only got away from the negative emotions you may have had to face, it gave you a bonus boost through a false forecast.
During the act of procrastinating, we are actually aware that a) we are procrastinating, and b) it is probably a bad idea, which is why we feel guilty doing it. We can skirt around these feelings, however, by promising ourselves to take up the task tomorrow. At this point, our conscience is clear because we’re accounting for tomorrow’s exercise as if we’ve already done it.
This whole process only makes us more likely to procrastinate again in the future because we’ve rewarded ourselves with momentary relief while also amplifying the stress associated with the task. The next time you try to get off the couch and go to the gym, it becomes that much harder to do it.
So, how do you break this destructive cycle of procrastination?
Set mini-goals
If the initial task was to get to the gym and try a new exercise class, put your shoes on and get in your car. Make the mini-goal something that can be accomplished in two minutes or less, and once it’s complete, set another one. As you hit your mini-goals, you’ll build momentum, reduce anxiety and boost your self-confidence.
Make it easier to succeed
The fewer barriers that stand in your way, the more likely you are to get where you want to be. Something as easy as getting your gym clothes ready the night before, going to bed a little earlier or deciding on a workout ahead of time can make the process of getting to the gym that much easier and more enjoyable.
Make it harder to cheat
Conversely, the harder it is the procrastinate, the less likely you are to do it. If your go-to distraction activity is browsing social media, make it more difficult to access those apps on your phone. You don’t necessarily have to delete the apps, but something as small as making your phone passcode longer or signing out of your account can make it a much less attractive alternative to the task you should be doing.
Be aware of the benefits
While you’re exercising, it’s important to focus on how good it makes you feel. If you don’t consciously pay attention to these feelings, your brain won’t notice them. Repeatedly focusing on good feelings can help replace the negative emotions you associate with exercise with positive ones. Once you make this connection, your brain will begin to help you get to the gym, rather than getting in the way.