“It is a new year, things are going to be better this year, you’ve got this!” This is what I tell myself at the beginning of every school year, both when I was a student and now as an academic professional.
I am pretty good for a while and then…life….gets……..busy…and….I start…..procrastinating……..wildly.
Yes, procrastination happens to even the most adult, self-aware and psych nerdy people like me.
So, if are you interested in working on ways to avoid getting stuck in an
endless cycle of procrastination?
or
Learning how to get out of the gigantic academic procrastination sinkhole
that you tripped and fell into?
You have stopped by the right place!
I may be a master procrastinator, but I have definitely learned all the “tricks of the trade” that get me out of those sinkholes. I would love to share these strategies with you over the next few weeks.
A Little Video Snack
….to motivate, inspire and create the state of mind needed to combat procrastination.
Waiting to “feel” inspired or motivated?
you will be waiting a very long time….
We rarely “feel like” doing anything that is hard. There are many reasons for procrastinating, such as self-doubt, fear of failure, lack of knowledge, no idea where to start or simply not feeling like it; whatever the reason, procrastination can also take a toll on your mental health and well-being.
Yup, you know it, I am getting all PsychNerdy on y’all again! In one 2007 study, Florida State University psychologists Dianne M. Tice, PhD, and Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, examined procrastination among students in a health psychology class. They found that early in the semester, procrastinators reported lower stress and less illness than non-procrastinators, but that late in the term, procrastinators reported higher stress and more illness (Psychological Science, Vol. 8, No. 6). Source: APA GradPsyc2010.
Since procrastination is making you feel crappy, lets start with making you feel better. If we feel better, we can feel more motivated. If we are motivated, we can have the energy to tackle our bad habit of procrastinating. Exercise is the place to start!
Psychological Studies to Convince You to Get Moving!
- Exercise Boosts School Performance: A new study of 11-year-olds has found that moderate to vigorous exercise was associated with increased academic performance in English, Maths and Science (Booth et al., 2013). These gains from exercise were also seen in exams taken at 16-years-old.
- Increases Stress Resilience: Studies on mice have shown that exercise reorganises the brain so that it is more resistant to stress (Schoenfeld et al., 2013).
- Reduces Anxiety: Exercise has a relatively long-lasting protective effect against anxiety (Smith, 2013). Both low and medium intensity exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety. However, those doing high intensity exercise are likely to experience the greatest reduction in anxiety, especially among women (Cox et al., 2004).
- Gets You Out of a Bad Mood: If you want to raise your energy levels, reduce tension and boost mood, you can talk to your friends or listen to some music. But most agree that for the difficult job of transforming a bad mood into a good one, exercise is the most effective method (Thayer et al., 1994).
- Fights Depression: Just as exercise fights anxiety, it also fights its close relation, depression. One review of 39 different studies involving 2,326 people has found that exercise generally provides moderate relief from depression (Cooney et al., 2013).
- Speeds up Your Mind: Working memory includes what’s in your conscious mind right now and whatever you’re doing with this information. After 30 minutes exercise, people’s working memory improves. There’s some evidence that accuracy drops a bit, but this is more than made up for by increases in speed (McMorris et al., 2011).
- Encourages Long-Term Memory: The effects of exercise on long-term memory are somewhat controversial. However, at low-intensity, one recent study has found that exercise can benefit long-term memory (Schmidt-Kassow et al., 2013; see: Exercise Can Improve Long-Term Memory).
- Boosts Self-Control: A review of 24 different studies on the effects of exercise on self-control, found that a short bout provides an immediate boost to self-control (Verburgh et al., 2013).
Source: PsycBlog
If you are having trouble getting motivated to exercise, trick yourself into it! Join the millions of people who have discovered that distraction can make their legs hurt 😉
http://www.pokemongo.com/en-ca/
Join Me Next Week for Procrastination Strategies!
For now, GET MOVING!
Today’s blog post brought to you by one wildly procrastinating woman who forced herself to stay glued to a cafe chair to finish today’s little piece of electronic wisdom.
Dr. Heather Drummond, C.Psych.
Psychologist * Passionate Advocate for Flourishing * Human Muddling Through
#EmbraceThisMessyLife
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas A. Edison
I procrastinated in reading…hahaha
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It happens Louisa 😉 Thanks!