For going to the gym it can help to have a gym buddy to go to the gym with because you can keep each other accountable and because going to the gym becomes a social obligation which can make it harder to flake out of than if you go alone. I have no problem disappointing myself I’ve done that plenty of times I’ll get over it, but I dont wanna leave my friends hanging. Perhaps a book club might help with reading as well?

Sometimes setting aside a time to do something can add structure and create routine. So if you have all week to go to the gym it might be easy to just not do it, but if you go to the gym every Weds or Saturday at time X then it can make things easier. If there is a book you want to read you can set time before bed to make sure you read at least one chapter(or half if the book does that annoying thing where they throw in a random chapter thats like 3 chapters long). For me the added structure gives me the priority of a deadline to make me have to do something, as well as the relief of knowing I can mess around or do something else after. Yes I HAVE to go to the gym before or after dinner on Wednesday, but then Im in the clear!

That said there is no magic bullet or special trick because at the end of the day the thing that makes you do or do not is you. If you want to go to the gym on your own then it’s up to you to keep going to the gym. If you want to read books it’s up to you to do it.

Everybody is built differently too which can be discouraging. I know for me I see people who are happy to work out and get into their routine while it’s all I can do to force myself to do some exercises at home using my pullup bar and some the dumbbells I have. Some people getting into exercising is easier there’s work to keep going and get started but once they build momentum they can keep coasting on their routine. Others it will be an uphill push the entire way. But you might have your own routines that keep easier. Like I enjoy cooking so it takes very little effort for me to go into the kitchen and make a meal.

For me it helps to consider these three things:

1.For some routine it will not always get easier so if I take my foot of the gas to coast through I will stop. I might build some momentum so that it’s easier to keep going, than it was to start from nothing, but its still work.

2.I might, and honestly probably will stop sometimes and that’s OK! If I break the routine and if I wind up falling back on my old habits then cool these things happen. It’s a continuous process and losing momentum is just a part of that.

3. Structure is good but it’s not a prison. You’re doing these things to make yourself or your life better not to punish yourself. I dont diet I calorie count and exercise and watch what I eat. I still enjoy beer and icecream and cake. It may not be great to eat these in excess but cutting out foods that you enjoy and living of steamed brocolli wont usually do the trick. The same goes for the structured time. Have a friend in town for the weekend? Maybe skip that gym session(unless they want to join). Is there something cool happening but it’s on the day that you do X? Then do the cool thing! Feeling genuinely under the weather and need a rest day? DO IT!

If you already have to force yourself to do certain things then it’s going to make you resent them and remove motivation to do them if they keep you from doing other things.

But yeah sorry for rambling there just my 2 cents and also my own form of procrastination/fast forwarding time while at work