Procrastination

Simply No Excuse, and We're Going to Prove It

I'll get back to you later when I get around to it.

No, really.

I've been meaning to do a page on this for months. And I put it off. How sick is that?

To some degree, I addressed this problem in the Get Organized page. But that page focused primarily on the importance of getting rid of clutter. (Yes, my wife nagged me into that.)

Procrastination, in my opinion, remains the biggest obstacle standing in the way of most people who wish to implement a consistent exercise routine.

A lot of our readers have incredibly packed schedules. Be it work, family, or other commitments, it always seems like there's precious little free time to do anything we want. With that kind of mental anvil dragging us down, procrastination rears its ugly head:

I'm too busy. I'll get around to it later.

It's time to whip procrastination for once and for all. There are times when the answers to our problems pop up from out of nowhere and smack us in the face, and this is one of those times.

As a writer I'm always looking for better ways to come up with fresh material. One of my favorite resources is Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? by Marc McCutcheon. It's got a lot of great tips for aspiring and established writers alike. Near the end of the book, however, McCutcheon tackles procrastination with a vengeance. He makes it very clear that there's no excuse for putting things off.

As he ran through the list of things we can do to find more time to write, it dawned on me that the very same tips apply to health and fitness as well. There really aren't any excuses for skipping workouts.

With that in mind, I've taken some of McCutcheon's suggestions and am offering them to you as a means of showing that there's no truth - absolutely no truth - to the lame I just don't have any time excuse.

The reality is, we have more free time than we realize. And we waste it in the most maddening ways.

Are you ready for a heavy dose of humble pie? (I'm awfully sorry. But someone gotta do this.) Here goes:

1) Turn off the TV. How simple is that? Do you realize how much crap we watch? Too much. Waaaay too much. This suggestion alone can free us up long enough to get in shape for a triathlon.

Look, let's be real. My wife and I are incredibly busy. She teaches at two universities and runs a home business. I work full-time, write books, and create websites (this one and Deaf Culture Online ).We're also raising three kids. The unfinished chores in our house are a veritable black hole. You couldn't blame us if either one of us said I just don't have enough time. And yet...

Melanie is an avid fan of all those judge shows. Judge Judy, Judge Joe. Judge Larry, Judge Curly, Judge Moe. All of 'em. It's ridiculous. Put them all together and that's enough time for a butt-kicking workout. Every day. Easily.

I'm not innocent, either. I'm an ESPNaholic. Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, Baseball Tonight, and the usual assortment of pre-pregame, pregame, and postgame insanity. I watch it all. Moron! See how much free time there is?

Cut the crap. Turn off the TV.

2) Take a half hour for lunch instead of an hour. This frees up 30 minutes right there. A good kettlebell workout (or whatever workout tickles your fancy) can easily be done in less than that.

3) Get up 30 minutes earlier every morning. Preferably before everyone else gets up. That's another 30 minutes right there. Heck, make it an hour if you want.

4) Cut 30 minutes from the time you talk on the telephone each week. While we're at it, chip some time off of Internet surfing, text messaging, video games, social networks (Facebook, MySpace, etc.), and so on.

See how much free time is out there?

It's all yours. Go for it!

You're welcome.

Exit Procrastination and return to UniqueFitnessTips.com