“I’ll do it tomorrow, next Monday, next month…” Yes, we do wish to … (exercise more, eat better, etc) but life is so busy that it is hard to accomplish everything we want in one day. So, we postpone it (once more). The problem is that procrastination can become a (bad) habit, holding you back from getting what you want. Why does it happen so often?
You see, when we perceive something as a big task, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unconsciously push it away.
So your best bet to beat procrastination is to come up with a plan of action that feels doable. Now you may be thinking – “how can I create a plan that is both easy to follow and effective?”
Don’t worry. I got your back;)
Step 1. Determine your Long-term goal
This should be an easy one. You must already know what you want to achieve but if you are struggling to define your fitness goals, here is a little help. Ask yourself the following questions:
· Do you want to change your body composition? Say lose weight, gain muscle, tone up
· Do you want to feel a certain way? More confident, happier, healthier
· Do you want to improve performance? Run a marathon, improve your swimming, play soccer
Once you have stipulated your long-term goal, determine its variables. What do you need to do in order to get the expected outcome?.
Let’s consider weight-loss as an example. Fat loss happens when you increase energy burn (exercise, for instance) and decrease energy intake (adjust your diet). Of course, there are more variables but let’s stick to that for starters.
Now, if your goal is to feel confident in a bikini, you will need to ask yourself what are the changes you need to do in order to feel the way you desire. This may vary from person to person and you are the only one who can determine what is right for you.
Only after you know what it takes, you can start working on it.
Step 2. Break it down into tasks
Now that you have the big picture, it’s time to narrow your focus.
This means breaking down your goal into manageable behaviours. By behaviour, I mean a small, concrete task that is totally under your control and don’t depend on other people’s actions or on the environment.
For example, “I will eat two servings of fruit per day.”
Now, asking a friend to join you on a weekly walk may seem like a great way to add fun and accountability to a task. However, this approach can backfire. What happens if your friend is busy and can’t join you? So, choose actions that are self-reliable.
Create a list of possible tasks and behaviours so you have options on where to start.
Step 3. Choose one simple task to start with
Now, before you start getting overwhelmed with the idea of making too many changes at once, stop and breathe.
First of all, you don’t have to do (or know) all the steps at first. In fact, trying to change too many things at once is counterproductive.
Most people try to change too many things at once, and end up not changing at all. Did you know that when people try to change one habit at a time, they have 85% chance of succeeding? However, if they try to implement two new habits at once, the success rate falls to 35%. Three habits and you have less than 10% chance of being successful!
Just pick one single behaviour to work on. My suggestion is to look at your list (the one you’ve just prepared) and choose the one that feels most comfortable to do. Even too easy. This will give you the small wins that will raise your confidence and increase your odds to succeed.
Step 4. Define the specifics
Now is the time to make your chosen behaviour as concrete as possible by determining its details.
For example, if exercising regularly is the task of choice then use the questions below.
· How many times can you exercise per week? Be realistic, otherwise your plan won’t work
· What kind of activities are you willing to do? Yoga, walking, dance class
· Where are you going to exercise? At home, gym, park
· With whom are you exercising? Alone, with a friend, with a personal trainer
The idea is to come up with a very specific plan of action like “I will go for a 30-minute walk 3 times per week for 4 weeks. I will do it after work on the park close to my house.”
Step 5. Make it achievable
The let’s step is to do a little self-check. Read your behaviour goal out loud and see how you feel about it. Rate it on a scale of one to 10, one being very hard and 10 being super easy.
If you get anything below a 9 or a 10, shrink your goal. Why?
Because if it feels too hard now, it will be very likely that you won’t stick to it.
For instance, if attending yoga classes three times per week seems a bit tricky, aim for less. There is no shame on that. Make your change so small that you are 100% confident you can manage it.
This may mean just switching from regular to diet soda rather than giving up soda completely. Or simply parking the car far away from the store entrance (to make you walk more) rather than joining a gym to use the treadmill.
Small changes increase your confidence level, empowering you to pursue bigger challenges. Besides, it helps you change your perception about your goal. Keep in mind that doing something (even if it feels like a tiny step) is always better than doing nothing. Plus, tiny changes can be incorporated immediately, putting an end to the bad habit of procrastinating.
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