02/20/2025
Here are a list of my favorite procrastination breakers.
Five Minute Rule: The start is what stops most people. If you can do five minutes of anything: scrubbing out the toilet, writing, jogging, studying, etc. you can usually maintain the momentum.
Perfectionism: Perfectionism is that "all or nothing" attitude towards any goal. In the case of exercising, some people believe that it must be a gut-crunching, train-to-exhaustion workout, or it is absolutely useless! And it must be at a special gym, with their special equipment, while wearing their fanciest outfit or it is a wasted amount of effort, period.
The fact is, many dedicated fitness buffs often miss gym workouts and sessions due to work, obligations, and unforeseen situations (like COVID). They find ways around the problem and do not let themselves be victims of circumstances. While living in isolated military bases or overseas, I always found ways to improvise, whether bodyweight, lifting heavy objects, or manual work, like loading sandbags. Some activity is always better than nothing.
The Baggage Train: This is one that I struggled with for years. Sometimes, there is this underlying feeling that you might not deserve good health and fitness because of something you might have done in the past or that someone else deserves it more than you. It could also be that you will be rejected by others once you are fitter, stronger, and more active. Time to get off the baggage train. Lose the guilt and feel lighter for it.
Reward System: As mentioned earlier, we often form habits through a series of small rewards, and certain actions are often reinforced by positive reinforcement. For example, when a worker performs good work, and their boss or customers praise them, they will repeat the behavior. This can be the good feeling from to***co, alcohol, caffeine, or recreational drugs that forms strong physical and psychological addiction.
For some of us, the great feeling from exercise can be a reward in itself. You can reinforce that feeling further by doing something enjoyable immediately after the workout, like combing your hair, phoning a friend, having a snack, watching your favorite show, or meeting a friend. This should build a positive link in your mind between exercising and a reward.
I applied the reward principle to my study habits, which enabled me to go from an average high school student to earn a Bachelor of Science. For every chapter or four pages of textbook reading, I would read some fiction while on the bus. When I was at home, I would only watch a television show like The Simpsons after writing a minimum of four pages or reading a textbook chapter. This allowed me to associate studying with something enjoyable.
Another reinforcement technique that I used was to pay myself a quarter for every page studied or written. Then, I would use the money for something fun at the end of the week. Psychologists sometimes call this the token economy. It is where people receive rewards in the form of symbols, points, grade marks, stars, badges, money, etc. Just think how some grade school students work hard for gold stars or high grades.
Punishment: I know from army boot camp that pain and punishment are strong motivators and can quickly change people's behavior. But they also tend to build a bit of resentment and lose effectiveness when the threat of punishment is gone. If you are going to use punishment on yourself, keep it simple and small.
For instance, I helped a friend break his smoking habit by getting him to do 20 push-ups every time he had a cigarette break. After a couple of months, he quit. A fitness instructor used to mark down the number of ci******es she smoked on her cigarette pack and would later perform five push-ups. This delay made the association weaker than the immediate punishment strategy. However, it did help curb her cigarette craving when she had to think about the consequences.
Other practical examples of punishments are: scrubbing a toilet, denying yourself a television show, or giving money to a charity you do not like. Of course, it is even more effective if you can arrange a reward and a punishment system. Remember to make the rewards and punishments or indicators immediately after the good or bad behavior.
Liking Exercise: Ultimately, we want to get away from the idea that exercise is bitter medicine that is a painful and embarrassing activity that is forced on us. You will tend to last longer if you like what you are doing.
Behavioral psychologist and author of "No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness," Michelle Segar, discovered that people who enjoy an activity are more likely to stick with it than people who exercise "because they have to" or want to lose weight. Segar compared exercisers who focused on weight loss and cosmetics ("body shapers") with exercisers who just exercised for fun ("non-body shapers"). She found that the non-body shapers exercised more frequently and longer and showed more significant progress than the body shapers. Furthermore, when offered candy after exercise, the non-body shapers refused candy rewards, whereas the body shapers ate more candy. When interviewed afterward, the body shapers felt that they deserved more candy for their effort.
Moral of the story: Find something that you like to do and exercise for the fun of it, rather than counting crunches and burning calories. This means to exercise in a good environment with good company. Only then exercise becomes its own reward and not a bitter medicine.
