hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're gonna learn about five simple tricks to
overcome laziness now let's begin number one lazy innovation there's a common saying that necessity
is the mother of innovation every new invention aims to satisfy some kind of need people needed
to see without wearing glasses so someone invented contacts people needed to communicate with friends
and family from far far away so someone invented phones I say the word need pretty loosely more
often than not these inventions don't really change our lives it's not a life-or-death
situation if we don't have a TV or a recliner chair people want these inventions because they
make their lives easier now the more you have the less work you have to do for example plenty of
people live their whole lives without a microwave there are lots of other ways to cook your food but
who wants to expend the effort if they don't have to wouldn't you rather just press a button and
wait two minutes of course my point is that laziness and innovation go hand in hand and
not just because customers are lazy inventors are often the laziest people out there we'll just look
at Benjamin Franklin he famously called himself the laziest man in the world he said he would
invent things simply to save himself a little bit of time and effort he was tired of working so hard
when he went swimming so he invented flippers he only created bifocals because he was too lazy to
switch between different pairs of glasses lazy people make fantastic inventors since they're
always looking for the fastest and most efficient way to get things done their laziness motivates
them to find creative solutions they'll improve streamline and automate so they can spend less
time doing things that they don't like you can should use your laziness the same way when you're
unwilling to do something start looking for ways to save time not only is it more fun but you'll
also find yourself more motivated to succeed hmm think of it like driving to work in the morning
now your normal route may only take you thirty minutes but there's nothing you hate more than
sitting in traffic so you discover a shortcut you realize if you cut down a few side streets
that you can completely skip the usual congestion even if you only end up saving say five minutes
your commute will feel significantly shorter and more exciting finding a workaround also gives you
a unique sense of accomplishment it feels good to know that you're working smarter and not harder so
the next time you're not in the mood to work use that laziness to your advantage number two listen
to your thoughts even when you're avoiding your responsibilities your mind is actively thinking
about them you may discover you have a hard time enjoying whatever you're distracting yourself
with your mind is too focused on your laziness to prioritize anything else you end up feeling
irritated and guilty because as much as you want to forget well you can't people are laziest when
they're in denial imagine you have a paper due next week in the back of your mind you know it's
gonna be a ton of work you still have to gather sources find quotes write your thesis you know
the list goes on and on yet here you are spending hours on social media you convince yourself you
still have plenty of time but your gut is telling you otherwise whenever you continue thinking about
one thing it means it's time to get started not tomorrow not in a few hours right now because
this thought isn't just popping up out of nowhere it's the productive part of your brain telling you
the right thing to do so don't try to block it out with TV or video games you can use the same trick
when you have a completely packed to-do list if you're struggling to figure out what to do first
tackle the task that you can't stop thinking about the longer you try to ignore it the more
frustrated you're gonna feel you'll never feel satisfied until you get that big-ticket item out
of your head number three the power of reliability even if you're great about setting new goals you
may have a hard time following through you might make a to-do list and lay out specific concrete
steps but what stops you from bailing at the last minute let's say you want to start working out you
research exercises you buy gym clothes and you even get a gym membership yet you never actually
show up you end up watching TV or playing video games because well you can if you decide to skip
the gym for the tenth time you're not affecting anyone but yourself there's no one there to hold
you accountable you should use reliability to motivate yourself to do things that you normally
wouldn't so the next time you plan on going to the gym ask one of your friends to meet you there that
way someone else will be counting on you to show up they'll expect you to follow through so if you
don't you won't get off scot-free like you did before reliability is effective for a number of
reasons but Trust is a big one you show up because you don't want to blow off your friend you invited
them to the gym so you can't just bail because you're feeling lazy sitting around watching
Netflix is a pretty terrible reason to damage a friendship reliability also motivates you because
you want your friend to think highly of you you want them to see you as someone who takes their
goals seriously so when you're on your own it's easier to fail because no one has to know about
it your friends and family won't have a different opinion of you if you don't go but now your friend
will see firsthand whether you're following through or not so you show up to make sure you
leave a good impression for the same reason you're more likely to actually try while you're there you
can't just leave after five minutes or sit on your phone the whole time sitting there watching
your friend do what they're supposed to do will motivate you to follow suit finally reliability
can make things more fun it gives you someone to talk to which relieves anxiety and stir yes
your friend might also be more experienced so they can help you get the most out of whatever you're
doing if you're struggling to find motivation on your own hey there's no shame and calling
for backup the simple fact that someone else is involved will jumpstart your work ethic number
four undermine your fears sometimes our laziness isn't really laziness you might procrastinate or
avoid doing something because well you're worried about what will happen when you try you might have
set your expectations way too high you might feel an overwhelming amount of pressure to succeed this
can make even the smallest chores feel like huge responsibilities you end up running away because
you can't fail at something that you never actually do now to avoid this kind of laziness
check your expectations at the door in other words when you start a project you only have one
job and that's to start don't be afraid of making something terrible just begin working on the first
thing that pops into your mind this gets you past that initial roadblock every project is way less
intimidating when you're already halfway done this is the same reason that teachers encourage
their students to write rough drafts you make something rough and imperfect to get an idea
of where you're headed yeah it won't be very good because it's not supposed to be there aren't any
expectations or pressure but you'll find that things seem a lot more doable afterwards so
when you're feeling lazy don't be afraid to get a little messy improving something bad's a whole lot
easier than making something perfect from scratch number five dress for productivity where are you
the laziest well if you're like most people you probably feel a Thark whenever you're trying to
work or study in your room and your clothes maybe the biggest reason why now everyone knows it's a
whole lot more comfortable to work in sweatpants or pajamas if you're gonna spend all day doing
something that you don't want to you might as well be comfy right the truth is your clothes
can directly affect your habits this is one of the biggest reasons why so many companies make their
employees dress up for work even if they aren't interacting with customers your brain naturally
associates your habits with your environment think about studying in your room versus studying in the
library the latter is way more efficient because your brain doesn't see your room as a workspace so
when you're in your room your brain unconsciously thinks about relaxation and sleep because that's
what it's used to doing but the library puts you in a different mental space this new environment
Prime's your brain to work and think harder than it would anywhere else clothes work the exact same
way what are you usually doing when you wear sweatpants chances are you aren't taking tests
or going to meetings you're probably playing video games or watching TV so that's what your
brain thinks about when you're wearing them the lazier your clothes are the lazier you'll feel to
overcome this kind of laziness change into clothes that help you focus don't worry you don't have to
wear a suit and tie you should choose something you wouldn't mind wearing out into the world this
is an especially helpful tip for students and people who work from home yeah it's tempting to
lounge around all day in your comfiest outfit but you need to tell your brain when it's time
to shift gears a change of clothing is an easy and effective way to do just that hey thank you
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