How much more could you accomplish in a month if you could manage your tendency to be lazy? Dealing with laziness is something we all face. Learn to tame your lazy desires, and your productivity will go through the roof. Your self-esteem will get a shot in the arm, too.
Use these techniques to conquer your laziness and be more productive:
1 – Remember why you’re doing it in the first place. Why did you originally want to do the thing you’re avoiding? There must be a long-term benefit. It might be looking great at the beach or as mundane as satisfying your boss and keeping your job. Consider your initial motivation.
2 – List the benefits you’ll gain. If you’re feeling lazy, you’re focusing on the fact that you don’t feel like doing it. Instead, consider what you’ll gain. Suppose you’re learning to play the guitar but can’t stand the thought of practicing. What do you gain by practicing each day?
- You can impress your friends and family.
- You’ll be learning a new skill that makes you more well-rounded.
- You’ll be able to play your favorite songs.
- You may increase your dating prospects.
- You can join a band and have a new experience.
3 – Consider the consequences. What do you lose by being lazy? What do you lose by not filing your taxes on time or letting the weeds continue to thrive in your lawn? If you need to do something, there are consequences for not doing it. What are those consequences?
4 – Limit your focus to a single task. Maybe you’re not lazy. Maybe you’re just overwhelmed. Focus on a simple, single task. That can make it possible for you to get busy.
5 – View the task as a learning opportunity. Maybe you don’t want to prepare for your speech at work on Monday. You can choose to view your speech as a learning opportunity to become a better public speaker.
Or mowing the grass can be a chance to practice your walking meditation skills. You could also listen to a language tape and learn how to speak German while manicuring your lawn.
6 – Listen to music that motivates you. Have you ever noticed that certain music energizes you? You can use that to your advantage. When you’re feeling lazy, play a couple of your favorite songs, gain some energy, and then put that energy to good use.
7 – Set an alarm for 10 minutes. This works incredibly well. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge yourself to see how much you can accomplish. You’ll be shock by how motivated you feel as you quickly get to work. Then set the timer again and see if you can beat your record.
8 – Schedule a break. Knowing that you have a break to look forward to can be enough to allow you to get started. It’s not easy to get to work when you believe you’ll be busy for the next six hours doing something you dread. Give yourself a little oasis to look forward to.
9 – Stop thinking, start doing. Laziness is the result of thinking about something and feeling bad about doing it. Forget the thinking. Just get up and get started. Don’t even think about it. You’ll be making progress before you know it.
Learn a few techniques to avoid and overcome laziness. Just because you don’t feel like doing something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Address your laziness and you’ll accomplish more.
Laziness is a barrier to your success, so learn how to manage it. Giving in to laziness or overcoming it comes down to which set of habits are more strongly developed.
