As always procrastination, seems to run supreme. With our busy lives it can be hard enough to find time to do the basic things we absolutely need to do. Then accomplishing the extras like personal fitness or laundry can be nearly impossible. There is always a "good" excuse to skip like extra sleep, the weather, or friends. The key to winning the epic battle against procrastination and the lack of motivation is to find the weapon.
I often tell myself that I can skip a run here and there because I only run five days a week, then all of the sudden I skipped three days in a row when I truly did have the time. Luckily I have found the secret to my motivation. For me to be successful and motivated I need both a goal and a running partner. I cannot find the motivation and inner drive to do a long run in the cold alone. When I have someone by my side sharing the miserable cold it drives me and makes the run both more effective and fun.
My first tip to any runner struggling with motivation is to find someone else to hold you accountable and to run with you. I guarantee your runs will be faster and more fulfilling. This might not work for you but it is worth a try.
There are a host of methods runners have to motivate themselves. For many music can motivate them to run and push them hard during. Some need a goal like dropping weight or finishing a 5k. I always feel that promising myself a small reward like a nap or candy is helpful in breaking the procrastination.
Another effective method I use is to run in exciting places. Get off the boring treadmill and explore campus. Grab a friend, hit the trails and get lost on purpose. The easiest way to get motivated is to make it exciting. Running doesn't need to be a form of self inflicted torture that takes herculean effort to self motivate.
Tomorrow is always a great day to run. But so is today. Experiment and find what works for you. There is no right or wrong answer to how you get motivated to run. When you finally do get up and go, the feeling of accomplishment is worth it.
I really like your last paragraph. I used to listen what everyone else told as if he/she knew everything. But I finally realized that I was the only one who had to go through experiments and mistakes to find what's the best for me. I'd love to hear more as time passes.
ReplyDeleteThe first line made me chuckle. As someone who battles procrastination everyday, this advice actually applies to a lot more than running, so it was a good read. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteThe thing that I love about this blog post is that it relates back to mindset and ethics. IF you have the strength to get up, and run despite all of the homework, classes, and other responsibilities you have, then, it is very impressive and the results are endless. After you do it, then you would be happy that you worked out or did your run because that's what I t is all bout: doing things that ultimately leads to "the feeling of accomplishment" Great post, can't wait for the next one!
ReplyDeleteThis post reminded me of a video I watched recently on facebook about the time Buster Douglas defeated Mike Tyson. The video said it was because his "why" was bigger than defeat. He won because his mother who had passed away not long before the fight had told him he would beat Mike Tyson. I think this goes along with your idea that you need to find your motivation in order to be successful in anything, particularly running.
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