To Procrastinate or not to Procrastinate?

So today I got up early, weighed in at my weight watchers meeting, went to the gym (SUCCESS!), and took my dog to the dog park. So why would I want to talk about procrastination? Because today I have taken a step back into college life in preparing for a test required to receive my Virginia Teaching License. I have never been much good at studying and today is no exception. While I know that I will regret not taking the practice test before going to take my tests tomorrow morning I find it difficult to get through even 15 questions before something shiny attracts my attention.

I am extremely out of practice in preparing for tests as it has been over 2 years since I have taken a test and it is pushing my will power to its limits. However, this blog is about healthy habits. While this test is one example of procrastination there are so many other areas that suffer from procrastination. The I'll start later mentality that I share with 95% of the world's population can kick my butt. Especially when it's related to eating healthy and going to the gym. I have found that when I let one area slip other areas fall like an overwhelming avalanche of unfinished, unwanted tasks.

So if you are struggling with procrastination, in any or all areas of your life I find that certain things help me to stay on track.

1: Get out of the house!! It is much harder to be motivated to work or workout when you have television, computer, and more entertaining books and media to attract your attention than the task at hand.

2: Use the buddy system. This is especially helpful in working out and studying. It's always nice to have someone to push you and encourage you to continue in a task that you might hate.

3: Treat yourself! If you are doing something that is particularly difficult for you to do, hence the procrastination, give yourself a reward for getting it done. If you hate working out, after one full week of working out treat yourself to your favorite dessert or an even healthier option like a massage, if you can afford it!

4: Make a shorter to do list. Pick one or two things that need to get done and do them. It's a lot easier to get away from procrastinating when the list you have isn't overwhelming. Do one thing at a time.

Now that I've procrastinated with this blog about how you shouldn't procrastinate, it's back to work for me. Have a wonderful weekend!