We’ve all done it at some time or other. We put off our run until tomorrow; we continually delay until it’s to late and we’ve run out of time.

Procrastination is the mother of all demons and can literally stop you in your tracks from achieving all that you desire.

Here are 5 effective processes you can use to slay this giant.

Do it now

Hold your breath and jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute is a bad habit and like all habits is ingrained in our subconscious mind and hard to break. It feels like the normal thing to do and we simply continue along our path. To complete a task immediately may even feel strange or like a forced action.

Take baby steps

Sometimes we procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we have no possible inkling on where to start. In these cases, it is quite fine to take it one step at a time. Say you plan to go for a run, but it’s cold and dark outside and you’re warm inside. So you have another coffee, do the dishes…you’re still not ready. You simply need to break down the action into smaller pieces and tackle each bit separately. Put your shoes on. Put your jacket and cap on. Make each task an individual project and after completion of each one, celebrate and acknowledge your achievement. Before you know it, you will be out the door running!

Forget it

Why force the issue? If you have been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, it may all be for the best. Something, somewhere is trying to tell you something. That something is your intuition and it is usually right! If you have been putting off training again and again and again, think about what were the reasons that you wanted to do this race in the first place? Does someone else want you to do this? What is THEIR agenda? What are YOUR reasons for this lengthy delay? I find it amazing that 99% of the time I put off doing something, I am thankful that I did! Disregarding a project after a long period of procrastination is however usually a last resort. Maybe a different goal will motivate you better.

Support team

Do you put off runs because you feel that they are too hard or too much? Or because you’re not sure how to train correctly? Be honest with yourself. “No man is an island”. Ask for help! There are many resources out there that can provide you with all you need to train correctly. Get a coach, ask a friend, research the race. Procrastinating on life changing activities could be as a result of fear of the unknown. Find other people training for this event, find a mentor, join a running group. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.

Just ensure that to kick this habit; you do what feels good to you in whatever method you choose. You’ll surely postpone procrastination for a very long time.