Are you the type of person who waits to do the dishes when the sink is overloaded?
Do you study for exams on the last day when you had months to do so?
"Tomorrow is the day" you tell yourself.
Wouldn't it feel fantastic if you reached the end of the day and looked back with satisfaction
on the things you'd achieved?
It feels great to get things done; it makes our brain's reward system very happy indeed.
Yet most of us have a list of important tasks that we've been avoiding - emails unwritten,
projects not started, things we're putting off despite the fact that they aren't going
to be any easier tomorrow.
Laziness is a nasty little affliction that affects everyone from time to time.
Often it's an attempt to avoid difficult or unpleasant tasks.
But remember, laziness is a habit, not a personality trait.
Overcoming laziness, or the ability to do things that we do not want to do, is a crucial
part of gaining success.
Although it's common and a natural part of life, it has the potential to completely consume us.
I believe there are two kinds of laziness.
First, there’s the kind where you have been working your butt off for weeks and finally,
after all your hard work, all you want to do is be lazy and do nothing.
But then there’s the kind of laziness where you struggle to find motivation.
Every time you think of something you would like to do or achieve, you cannot find the
energy or drive to work toward it.
This is the kind of laziness that I am talking about.
But how do you overcome it?
Often our grand plans don't work out because they seem overwhelming.
That's why one of the hardest things is to simply get started.
Ironically, once you start tackling your plans, it will all feel less difficult and overwhelming
and you’ll likely feel a lot less tense.
So instead of stressing about your lazy nature, commit to taking baby steps.
What's the smallest possible action you could take toward your goal?
For example, you could go go out running for only 3 minutes.
Do the dishes for 5 minutes.
Write on that report you’ve been procrastinating on, for 10 minutes.
I use this habit almost every day in some way.
I set an alarm for 20 minutes and then see how much I can get done in that time.
Usually, it gets me motivated to keep going after the timer goes off, but if it doesn't
at least I did something.
Some people like to set the alarm for five minutes, ten, or thirty, but the basic principle
remains the same.
So the toughest part about doing anything is simply getting up and doing it.
But once you're five minutes into any project, you will likely find your motivation.
Another important aspect for overcoming your laziness is to get organized.
So many times we want to do something productive, but the clutter and the junk around us, make
it seem impossible to get anything done and tempts us to not even start our task.
Your physical surroundings have a big impact on how you feel.
If your house is a mess, you are likely to feel even more overwhelmed.
Clutter creates a sense of chaos and having to clean your house adds to your giant list
of things to do in a ridiculously short amount of time.
A nice, clean and organized work space just invites us to do some work and be productive.
A cluttered and trashed work space invites us to stay on the couch.
So set aside some time to organize your work space.
Everything from your room, your desk, to your computer files and favorite links on your
web browser.
Make everything as easy, seamless and efficient to find as possible.
Once your house is clean and your physical surroundings organized, you will naturally
feel motivated to be more productive and active.
After that you'll hopefully tackle other areas of your life that you've been neglecting.
Still feeling lazy?
Maybe it's time to get an accountability partner.
Peer pressure can be highly effective to get you off the couch.
When you need motivation to take action, it's great to have somebody to hold you accountable
to go through with it.
There's nothing wrong with asking for help from a more motivated coworker, friend, or
a family member.
This is a useful way to get you up and moving, because they will motivate you to do the work.
You could even put your money on the line.
For example, every time you don't accomplish the things you you were supposed to, you give
10$ to the person holding you accountable.
Then we'll see for how long you'll remain a couch potato.
If you're not feeling social, technology might be able to help.
Using goal tracking apps like Strides or Lifetick, will allow you to set specific goals for yourself
and to mark off when you do them.
This provides two major benefits.
First, it reminds you what you need to do and helps you keep yourself accountable.
And second, perhaps more importantly, it shows you how often you've succeeded.
Having proof that you've built a new habit, or that you've improved over time can give
you the motivation boost you need to keep going.
And in that moment, when you realize you've accomplished your goal, when you're pleased
with your progress and look forward to doing it again is when laziness dies.
Thanks for watching, if you have any other tips that helped you overcome laziness, share
them in the comments below so other people can benefit as well.