Whether you call it laziness, inertia, or whatever it is up to you, the idea of doing nothing when something needs to be done is generally seen as a sign of weakness or irresponsibility. Sometimes laziness happens when you don't want to face something, like a boring homework or a tough confrontation with someone. In addition, it could be because you feel unable and think the task requires mutual cooperation and not yourself. There are also times when you really don't care anymore. Whatever the case, this is not a good trait.
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Part 1 of 4: Making a Decision
Step 1. Think about what the real issue is
Whenever you start to feel lazy, think about what really happened. Laziness is generally a symptom and not the core of the problem itself. What causes your lack of motivation? Are you tired, overwhelmed, scared, hurt, or just uninspired and stuck? Most likely, the issues that are holding you back are actually lighter than you think, and you can do it more easily than you might think.
Whatever is standing in your way, you should just let it go. Often, it's a single issue or detail. Finding the cause is the only way you can truly address it. Once you tackle it, you can do it more effectively
Step 2. Focus on the real problem
Once you think about the cause of your laziness, start focusing on it. The solution may not be as instant as you'd like, but it will be permanent. Consider the following:
- If you are tired, start allocating time to relax. Everyone needs a break. If your schedule is not sufficient for it, you will have to sacrifice some activities. But the end result should be better.
- If you're overwhelmed, think about it first. How do you simplify things at hand? Can you break it down into small steps? Can you list the priorities and deal with them one by one?
- If you are afraid, what are you afraid of? Obviously this is what you “want” to do. Are you afraid of reaching your potential? Afraid that after success, you will be sad? How can you understand that your fear is irrational?
- If you're hurt, maybe the answer is to just wait. Grief, sadness, all those negative feelings you can't force it to go away. Heartache takes time to heal. Reducing the burden on yourself to stop hurting yourself could be the trigger for the change you're looking for.
- If you're not feeling inspired what can you change from your routine? Can you get into a different mood or is there a bad mentality you need to overcome? How can you cheer up everyday life? Think in terms of your senses. Music, food, sights, sounds, etc.
Step 3. Be organized
Having chaos all around us -- even if it's just visuals -- can seriously demotivate us. Whatever needs to be arranged, arrange. Whether it's your desk, your car, your household, or your routine, clean it.
There are many things going on in our subconscious that we don't consider. Whether it's a bad color palette or a lack of lighting or a lack of balance whatsoever, we feel it. Get rid of that small but powerful barrier by being organized
Step 4. Watch your thoughts
Sometimes it is the attitude that affects the mind and sometimes it is the mind that affects the attitude. Cover everything and get rid of negative thoughts. Thinking, "Oh my gosh, so lazy. Ah. What a fool," will get you nowhere. So stop. Only you can control your brain.
Whenever you feel like you're not performing as expected, look on the positive side. "This morning has been slow, but now it's time to increase your energy. It's late now, now make up your mind!" You'd be surprised that a positive mental boost can actually change your perspective
Step 5. Live life
Many people do not take the time to stop and smell the flowers. We eat delicious food in a hurry to eat dessert, drink quickly, go to bed with a full stomach. We always think about the next good thing, instead of enjoying the beautiful moment that is currently being experienced. When we enjoy what is being experienced, more benefits we get.
The next time you think about the past or the future, bring yourself back to the present. Whether it's the atmosphere around you, the food you're feeding, or the music to your ears, let it show how cool it is to still be on the ground and alive. Sometimes stopping and slowing down can give us the energy to take advantage of what we already have at hand
Step 6. Think about the benefits
Alright, so you're focused on the present. Now try to focus on the better present. What will happen if you take advantage of this time? What would happen if you didn't waste your mornings in bed and instead exercise, get work done, or make a great breakfast? What would happen if you did that almost every day for the next six months?
So great, that's the result. Let positive ideas take over your mind. And make sure you realize that once you start and develop the habit, things will become a lot easier
Part 2 of 4: Get ready
Step 1. Hurry up
Research shows that pressing the 'snooze' button is not good for us. You think lying down and enjoying the warmth of the blanket will make you more active later, but it turns out to be the opposite. We actually get tired more easily throughout the day. Instead, hurry up and get up! Your mind will follow the signals your body gives you. If you hurry to get up, surely you are ready and cheerful to welcome work.
If you can, get up by jumping. Accelerates blood flow. That may be something you really don't want, but if you can push yourself, you'll feel more alive afterwards
Step 2. Define achievable goals
By setting yourself a worthy and attainable goal, you have something to look forward to. Choose a goal that truly inspires you and that maximizes the use of your skills and tenacity. Make a list of activities, both big and small, and prioritize each in terms of how much time it takes and how important it is to yourself.
- It may be useful to keep a personal journal for your day-to-day activities, with precise records of things that may have helped or hindered you in achieving your goals as part of your practical logistics for self-improvement.
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Consider creating a vision board to post all of your goals and dreams. Be creative and use pictures, magazine articles, etc. Such a board can be used to map out your overall dream. Every day when you wake up, look at your vision board and focus on what you want to achieve. It will give an inspired start to your day, and push you towards your dreams.
Not everyone finds the vision board approach inspiring but there are other ways, such as looking at mind maps, journaling, making a vision statement and telling others about it, making a general online vow to do something, etc
Step 3. Make a checklist of the desires, goals and motivations you want to achieve
As you work through it, tick it off! Keeping those goals in front of your mind requires you to focus on them and a list can cheer you up because it's easy to tick off. Place copies of your goal sheet or routine everywhere: one in the refrigerator, one on your bedside table, near your computer, on your bathroom mirror, even one on your bedroom door. Just put it where you see it often.
Once those checklists start to accumulate a lot, you won't want to stop. You really see the results of your accomplishments and your abilities and the momentum will feel so good that you need to keep going. You will feel disappointed and worse than if you didn't
Step 4. Remind yourself of the importance or value of the problem or its purpose on a regular basis
Once you set a goal or face a problem that needs solving, it won't magically lead you without some effort on your part. Part of the success behind having a goal or finding a solution depends on reminding yourself why it matters. If you forget the goal or the solution, it's easy to get distracted and come to a dead end so that continuing is difficult, and laziness sets in. Regularly reviewing the importance and value of the problem or its purpose will help you focus and refresh yourself. Things to ask yourself:
- Is this something I can completely ignore or leave it unresolved for a longer period of time?
- Is this something that could be improved by having someone else help me or share an understanding with me?
- Am I using the right approach to solving this issue or achieving this goal? (There are times when it's already necessary to follow a new approach instead of following the same way.)
- Am I a perfectionist in my expectations? (Perfectionism can lead to procrastination, which can lead to not getting things done because nothing is good enough. What's the end result? Laziness can be entrenched because it's "too hard." Avoid falling into this by doing what you can, rather than focuses on aiming for perfection only.)
Step 5. Convince yourself that you can do something
Action changes all. One moment you are passive and rigid; the next time you work and change things as a result of you moving, deciding something or acting. You are not defined by what happened before –– you can always change yourself and make changes. You just have to think about it and believe it.
If you're feeling stuck, try jumping up and down, doing the work, and telling yourself "No matter my old habits, I'm up now and I'm productive!" Keep your language in the present –– there are no "if-ifs", "would", or "already" colors in your action statements. And of course there are no "what ifs" statements –– that's for people who really don't want a fulfilling life
Step 6. Iron your clothes
Let's say you're sitting on the couch, staring at a computer and a list of things you wish you could finish automatically. Leave first. Instead, do small chores, such as ironing your clothes. You'll pick up the iron, pick up the board, your shirt, and five minutes after doing it you'll think, "Why am I wasting my time ironing?" You're going to put it back down, get a little "wake up" and do what you really want to get done.
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On the bright side? Your clothes are neat.
Definitely no need to iron either. Could have showered. Getting up and doing something is sometimes the hardest obstacle – when it is small, it will smoothen our path, so that all activities become smoother
Step 7. Exercise
The benefits of exercising are many, really, one of which is feeling more agile. Exercising gets your blood flowing, your metabolism increases, and your body is in a state of energy for most of the day. If you find it difficult to be active in the morning, exercise for 15 minutes. You will feel more alive until the afternoon.
- Has it been mentioned that it is also a big part of health? When we are healthy, we feel better overall. If you haven't gotten into the habit of exercising (especially aerobic, but also anaerobic), make an effort to make it your routine. The goal should be 150 minutes per week, but just do what you can.
- While discussing this, eat healthy too. Bad food doesn't give your body the nutrients it needs to be active. An energy-deprived body can easily cause you to feel lazy and uncaring –– it's good to see a doctor if you're concerned about your nutritional intake or energy levels.
Step 8. Dress appropriately
Sometimes we lose the motivation to live. Just live. We get caught up in work, in everyday life, in our relationships, and we get caught up in our own little world, knowing that we should put more effort into developing ourselves. The easiest way to initiate change? Change the way you dress.
Whether you're a food delivery person dreaming of being on the stock exchange floor or a slacker who dreams of running the Boston Marathon, changing your clothes can change your behavior. If you don't believe me, think about it this way: How do you talk to a person in a suit? Over time, the person in the suit begins to live in a world that interacts with him or her like a person in a suit. So immediately put on your sweatpants. One day you end up thinking about why you don't jog
Part 3 of 4: Taking Action
Step 1. Get started
Everything has a beginning, even if that start removes the glue stick from the piece of paper you have to start reading or wipes the dew off the windshield so you can get the car out of the garage. Overcoming the initial inertia that is natural for most people faced with a difficult situation or task will soon relieve the bitterness of avoiding it. It will also explain how to further work around this. Overcoming the bits and pieces will create encouragement and you will build up the confidence to stay motivated and reduce fear in the face of challenges.
Expecting life to be easy all the time is unrealistic –– often life is hard, and sometimes, very hard. But life is also beautiful, surprising, exciting and full of hope. By being lazy, you isolate yourself from life's potential and that is self-destructive. By improving your attitude to everyday discomforts and learning to tolerate things that can impact you, your resilience grows and you will feel more constructive. Whenever something feels very heavy, difficult and unwanted, just start taking care of it. Don't complain, don't make excuses, don't get rejected––just deal with it in small steps
Step 2. Take as much time as you need
Breaking down your work into small steps is vital. The smaller the piece, the more responsive and more doable it seems. When you actively seek ways of doing a job or achieving a goal that involve a sense of control and take a relaxed approach, you will feel empowered, not threatened. Often laziness is due to feeling overwhelmed by everything and discouraged because the mental block in front of you seems so big. The answer is to believe in the power of small things.
- This doesn't mean you can't change jobs –– of course you can, and variety is a spice to keep things interesting. This means that each small work must be carried out separately, with a clear time separation, not a little bit here and there at the same time. Also, when switching between jobs, look for clear break points to make it easier to return to work after that break.
- It is often said that people who complain about not having enough time are wasting time in inefficient ways, such as multi-tasking. The human brain works inefficiently when there is a compulsion to do several things at once with tight deadlines –– in other words, multi-tasking makes a fool of us. Free yourself by doing the things that matter in a neat order, without guilt.
Step 3. Encourage yourself
You are your own coach, your own source of inspiration. You can trigger yourself into action by saying inspiring things to yourself and strengthening your determination to take action. Tell yourself things like: "I want to do this; I'm doing it now!" and "I can take a break after this is over and that break will be more appropriate after this work is done." Say this out loud if necessary. You will feel motivated by voicing your actions.
It can help if you say motivational words regularly throughout the day, such as "I can, I believe I can." You can also visualize certain activities being completed and anticipate the sense of accomplishment you will feel once they are completed
Step 4. Ask for help when you need it
Many people carry an unwarranted fear that asking others for help is not true. Whether this is the result of having had bad relationships with other people, a stifling educational experience or an overly competitive workplace, these are unhealthy attitudes in life. We are social creatures and part of our life is sharing and helping others. Turning "me" into "we" takes a little practice but it's an important part of growing up and quitting fighting on your own.
- Sometimes letting people hold us accountable is the impetus for the action we need. If you're having trouble losing weight, find a gym buddy! That person gives us a boost that we couldn't produce on our own (in a good way).
- Make sure you are with people who support and encourage you. If all we know is a grueling relationship, it's okay to be lazy. Find the inner circle of people who make you feel good and ask them for guidance.
Step 5. Be realistic with yourself
Don't sit on the couch until it's time to rest. Even when sitting down, set time to return to your tasks or activities such as reading a printed book, taking care of dirty clothes or writing to a friend, etc. Self-discipline includes doing what you should be doing, and when you should be doing it, whether you feel like it or not. No matter how early your practice starts, this is still the hardest lesson to master. Put a healthy balance between being gentle and firm with yourself and prioritizing effort over pleasure.
The response is sweetest when you need to wait for it and when you deserve it. You'll only end up watching TV for two hours when you've only been working for 10 minutes. Reject it. You will feel better in the long run
Step 6. Compliment yourself along the way
Before you get disgusted with coming off as arrogant, remember this isn't boasting –– it's about keeping yourself motivated. Every time you complete a stage, a small goal, a point in the journey, find a way to please yourself. Completing a task or undertaking will feel incredibly good every time you do it.
Celebrate your accomplishments by praising yourself. Say something like: "Good! You're doing well; keep it this way and you'll eventually succeed." Since great success consists of many small continuous successes (each achievement is heroic), acknowledge your craft accordingly
Part 4 of 4: Stay Motivated
Step 1. Learn how to reward yourself for the smallest things you complete or try
An occasional gift will sweeten the work and help you stay focused. If you manage to do something that you couldn't the day before or something that you were really afraid of, you deserve a good treat. By rewarding yourself after the small steps along the way to the big goal, you form an automatic affirmation that what you are doing is right. Keep most of the rewards simple but effective, like extended breaks, watching movies, eating high-calorie snacks (once in a while!) or something similar. Set aside a huge reward once everything is accomplished or reached the goal. By rewarding yourself, you will train your mind to actively seek work before you receive a gift.
- Rest is a gift "at the same time" a must. Don't think of the need for regular short breaks as laziness.
- Obviously, the flip side of reward is punishment. People respond better to positive encouragement and you should just stick to gifts. Punishing yourself for not achieving certain things is a weapon for you to eat, because it confirms the worst belief about yourself that you are lazy and useless. There's no point in doing this.
Step 2. Write down your goals each week
A weekly list of goals will help you stay focused and motivated. As you work, it's inevitable that your goals may change. You will also track the most effective ways to achieve them. As the goal changes, so does your list.
Post the list everywhere. Try making it a device or mobile screen password. To do this, just write it down in your notes, take a screenshot and set it as your wallpaper. Set daily, monthly and even yearly goals to see things every day in a different way
Step 3. Realize that life is a compromise of gains and losses
To enjoy the benefits, usually there are losses that must be suffered. The harm/suffering is usually emotional, often physical and sometimes psychological. Often the pain includes feeling left behind while other people seem unencumbered by the same challenges (though usually they have their own challenges that you don't see). And that pain can cause you to shy away, distract yourself and seek comfort in your comfort zone. To push yourself out of your comfort zone, you will need to face the pain before you can reach your potential.
Calculate whether the potential gains are worth the loss to you. If it's worth it (and often will be), use your growing maturity to produce the courage, resilience and discipline needed that will give you the grit to achieve great results. No one achieves anything without effort and suffering
Step 4. Know that the effort is worth it
Most experts, professionals, and geniuses will be willing to admit that most of their achievements are 99 percent sweat and one percent talent. Talents that are not honed rarely get people anywhere –– academic achievement, financial autonomy, sports, the performing arts and relationships that demand sustained and consistent concentration and work that emotionally and physically squeezes even the best of people. Your desire to survive and thrive needs to be transformed into a willingness to work and suffer when both of these are necessary and beneficial.
You won't be a great entrepreneur, a great runner, a great chef, or even great at your job instantly. You will fail, fail and keep failing. This is normal. This is good. This means you are still trying
Step 5. Stay istiqomah
There are times when it feels heavier and once you get the results you can sometimes feel "flat" back to your work. In times like these, you will need to focus on remembering the goal or desired solution in order to stay focused. Maximize your sense of continued success –– when you're in that state (often termed a "state flow"), use it to jump to the next task or goal after you've rewarded yourself.
The longer you pause after completing an element of your task or goal, the harder it will be to start over. Remember the intense feeling of involvement in getting the job done and how good it feels to get the job done. The sooner you start again, the more confident you feel and the quicker the feeling will return
Step 6. Don't despair
Finding your motivation is one thing. But maintaining motivation when things get tough is even harder, especially in the face of unexpected problems. Realize that distractions will occur, often for no apparent reason, and will reverse your efforts. Instead of letting obstacles demotivate you, just face it as it is and refuse to be defeated. You are not alone and staying focused on overcoming obstacles is one of the best ways to recover and get back on your feet.
Remind yourself how much you want to achieve a goal or complete a task, ask for help if necessary, list what you've accomplished and don't despair. You can
Tips
- Surround yourself with people who can encourage you, whether through media, technology or other means. The love, support and encouragement of others can increase your resilience.
- Drink cold water when you feel lazy. Water stimulates your brain, increasing the drive to move and get things done.
- Try using the 20/10 technique. The 20/10 technique is 20 minutes of getting work done (cleaning, studying, whatever you want) followed by a 10 minute break. The 45/15 technique is the same, the difference is the proportions are 45 and 15. Start slowly, if necessary with 10/5.
- When contemplating whether or not something is necessary, think “I will do what I am obligated to do so that I can later do what I want.”
- If you don't work or don't need to leave the house early in the morning, set your alarm to wake up at a fairly early hour, say 7 o'clock. Take a shower, get dressed and tidy up before leaving your room. Always dress as if you are planning to leave the house; take off your nightgown before leaving the bedroom. Make the bed so it doesn't tempt you to come back or add to the lazy atmosphere in the room.
- Stay away from sugar, especially foods containing “high fructose corn syrup” or “corn syrup”, as this will direct your body to metabolize sugar instead of fat. Unnatural sugar (no fiber) can give you a brief energy boost, but then your blood sugar levels drop dramatically and you feel tired and hungry. Bad food can start a lazy attitude.
- Meditation can help reduce laziness by improving your level of awareness in the present moment as you concentrate on your breathing, posture and five senses, as well as your capacity to control and focus your thoughts, emotions and positive spirits.
- When changing television channels to watch the next show instead of finishing work or projects, think, “Is my urge to immediately indulge my lust deceiving me or am I feeling aversion stemming from the urge to avoid painful experiences.” To overcome laziness or procrastination, try to pay attention to that lust or aversion, then leave it gently.
- Consider getting rid of your television. The pain is worth the effort –– there's plenty of extra time available for you to pursue a lot of fun stuff, and there's no temptation to just lie around and watch it.
Warning
- If the suggestions above don't increase your activity or improve your mood, feelings of being overwhelmed, or persistent low self-esteem, then you may have more severe depression. Get medical help immediately.
- Everyone gets demotivated at some point, usually because of a grim situation (like someone dies, becomes unemployed, etc.) and most people recover within a fairly reasonable amount of time. But if the problem doesn't seem to end and doesn't go away either, consult a professional to find out that there is no background medical condition and receive appropriate advice and treatment.
- Make sure you are not anemic, or suffer from a health condition that could derail your upgrade plans. "Know yourself." Set goals that match the reality of your physical condition, then istiqomahlah.
