By Brian Foley from Activate Fitness

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If you’ve ever procrastinated or struggled to start something despite having every intention to, you’ve undoubtedly felt this huge force: friction.

One definition of friction is ‘the force that opposes the motion of an object’. And while that works, another definition, one far more relevant to the context of today's topic, is a ‘conflict of a clash of wills, temperaments, or opinions’.

And when we look at friction as it pertains to motivation or habit change, that’s exactly what it is: a clash between who you are right now (Present You) and who you want to be in the future (Future You).

“Future You” is the mature, rational part of you that wants to do all the things it knows it should be doing like eating better, going to the gym, getting enough sleep, etc.
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“Present You” is the childish part of you that wants to keep doing what it’s always been doing. It doesn’t want to change because change is hard and scary and it means taking responsibility.

For example, Future Me wants to write this article while Present Me wants to go on Instagram and mindlessly scroll for hours because it's easier than writing.

These two conflicting goals create an insurmountable amount of friction, so, instead of doing either, I end up sitting here watching the cursor mockingly blink at me as time passes by.

Then, before I know it, it’s lunchtime and I have dozens of other things to do and writing this article gets relegated to the imaginary place that is tomorrow where the entire process repeats itself.

Of course, you’re reading this article which means I overcame Present Me, finished it, and sent it for publishing.

How to beat Present You

1) Set small, achievable goals

Set small, realistic goals you’re confident you can achieve.

If your goal is to lose 30kg, for example, break it down into 2kg chunks.

2) Focus on the actions that will move you towards the goal

Now that you have a goal in mind, focus on the things you need to do every day that will move you towards your goal. You can do the same thing with nutrition.

3) Get a quick win

One of the reasons Present You is so reluctant to do the things you want to do is because it doesn’t believe you can do it, so you need to prove you can by getting a quick win as soon as possible on starting your goal.

4) Give yourself a deadline

If you don’t have a deadline, it’s very easy to become complacent and lose urgency. Having a deadline keeps you focused and stops you messing around.

What should your deadline look like? It depends, but I'd suggest setting a goal of losing 0.5-1% of your total body weight per week, and then use that as a rough guideline to work out how long it will take you.
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5) Reward yourself

Nobody wants to work hard on a goal and not see progress. The rewards solve for that.

Each time you achieve your small goal, you receive a small reward that tells you you're doing a great job and you're on your way to your bigger goal.

It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit demotivated as you restart on your goals. Use the tips in this article to help you restart.