How to Get Things Done Even When You’re Super Lazy

Is laziness preventing you from achieving success? Do you feel that laziness is slowly destroying your life? This is like having a parasite that is secretly feeding on your body. Life may seem okay, but until when you discover that this parasite is eating off your progress, you will not succeed.

Some individuals, even after realizing that laziness is negatively affecting their lives, they don’t do anything to change that. They only ignore and allow this ‘’parasite’’ to continue impacting on their life, progress, and goals. They think they have plenty of time to change their situation, but what they miss to know is that any moment that passes is a lost opportunity. A chance to get rid of laziness and give themselves another chance for redemption.

When you choose to walk the path of laziness, you are opting for a painless path where there is no resistance. It is true that you will experience pleasure while on that path, but that relaxation is both futile and temporary. In the end, the pleasure will transform into horrific pain the moment you discover that you have ruined your life. The pleasure that seemed so good for a short time will turn into lifelong disappointment when it becomes apparent that you lack enough time or ability to achieve your most desired goals. And as simple as that, your life turns into suffering and regrets.

What is Laziness?

Laziness is a practice learned when a person resists effort persistently and resort to be idle. It is a shape-of-mind where one is not attentive both in the physical and mental. Some things need to be done, but we have no motivation to get them done. Therefore, we don’t take proactive steps towards our goals but rather choose an easy path, where the pleasure we have at the moment exceeds the benefits we may wish to get in the future.

Is Laziness Different from Procrastination?

Having said that laziness is as a result of passive habit where one tends to resist attempt, procrastination is a bit different in that it is not passive but instead hesitant. This is a reluctant habit that we apply when we don’t want to act. Procrastination is a way of defense against difficulties, failure, obstacles, setbacks, and criticism. When procrastinating, we end up feeling guilty. This is because we are willing to take action, but we hesitate, and ultimately we feel miserable.

On the contrary, laziness is not always attached to guilt. It is a careless behavior where one finds comfort in doing nothing. One is not bothered to act on demanding or hard tasks or can’t afford to exhaust mental energies on a given task. It becomes easier to embrace the short-lived pleasure instead of enduring pain while doing something beneficial.

Why Yield to Laziness?

At times, we all yield to laziness. However, to some, it isn’t a one-time occurrence – it is their everyday behavior. It is a regular behavior that lures them into a false solace. It may seem sometimes easy to give in to laziness, but when you look at its effects over time, you better desist from it.

There are a number of reasons that could be making you give in to laziness. Maybe you are feeling exhausted, and you use that as an excuse to recharge. It may seem okay because our bodies need rest, but remember not to confuse rest and laziness. We take rest so that we can recuperate in doing work and putting our effort towards a task.

When you are tired and are feeling bored or uninspired, it may be that you need mental awakening to remain motivated. You can try challenging yourself using new ways or have creative ways to inspire yourself to get going.

You can also become a victim of laziness when you are overwhelmed. In this case, laziness is acting as a mechanism of defense the same way procrastination does. However, here you don’t care. You are at a place where you care less about the outcomes, and laziness seems to be the best alternative.

It may also be that you are lazy because you are hurt or not ready to face a situation or something. When you reach a point where you don’t give a damn, you choose to involve yourself in laziness without feeling guilt or experiencing shame.

For you to experience the success that you so much desire, you must resist laziness. Have a look at the following strategies that will help you defeat laziness:

How to Progress Your Goals or Life When You’re Lazy and Have No Motivation?

If you have reached a point where laziness is getting the best of you, and are in search for ways to change, pay much attention to this section. You are actually losing out on many good things by continuing being lazy. Read on and get enlightened with the following steps:

Step 1: Find the Reason You Are Always Lazy

Like in any other solution finding venture, your first step should be to find the reason you are falling victim of laziness. Pause for a moment and consider why you are always lazy. You can do this by asking yourself the following questions:

• What is the exact reason that makes you embrace laziness?
• Are you simply uninspired, bored, just overwhelmed or fatigued?
• Are you actually afraid of taking action or are you using laziness to avoid acting?

Understanding why you are lazy will be beneficial in building an action plan to overcome laziness. For example, if your laziness is a result of being bored, you will find ways to restrict yourself from being bored. If it is out of fear that you become lazy, you must find better ways to fathom your fears.

Step 2: Explore the Effects of Laziness in the Long Run

Now that you have discovered the reasons that make you lazy, now gauge the long-term effects of your laziness. You have already seen how laziness lures you with the short-term benefits and pleasures. We all fall victim to this sometimes; however, before you know it, that short-term pleasure may lead to a lot of pain when you start regretting on the opportunities that you’ve missed.

The main reason we find ourselves ‘’finding refuge’’ in laziness is that there isn’t sufficient urgency or pain to make us do the opposite. We see life in the short term and base our decisions on what will make us feel good at the moment. In such situations, laziness presents itself as the best alternative. It provides us with short periods of pleasure minus pain or guilt.

Therefore, for you to break the cycle of laziness, try and refocus yourself. You should be cautious about what you are attentive and focused on. This means that instead of concentrating on the short-term pleasure that comes with laziness, you should focus on the effects that will come if you continue to fall victim of laziness over time. Laziness eats you slowly by slowly as time goes by and its consequences may not be seen at the moment, but in the long run, its effects will be far-reaching.

When tempted to give in to laziness, ask these questions:

• How does laziness hurt you?
• What are you potentially missing due to laziness?
• What are the long-term results if you continue giving in to laziness?

When you regularly give in to laziness, you are strengthening it. Sadly, laziness will lead to negative consequences due to missed opportunities.

Step 3: Put in Place Achievable and Challenging Targets

One mistake that people make when setting goals is setting goals that are so much beyond their abilities. When they are overwhelmed by those goals, they excuse themselves through laziness. Therefore, when setting your goals, make sure they are achievable. They must not be over-challenging to avoid killing your interest and stimulation. Pursuing a much easier goal can also make you bored, which is a major trigger of laziness.

Persons who embrace a habit of laziness have no clear and concise goals. And the few who have, they are not inspired by their goals to wake up with passion and vigor.

The secret to getting rid of laziness is having a clear picture of what you are looking for. Asking yourself the following questions might help:

• What do you dream of achieving?
• What goals stimulates or inspires you daily?
• What projects are passionate about?
• Why are you achieving those goals?
• What goals are achievable but challenging?
• Why must you achieve those goals?

Asking yourself these questions helps in setting your goals. However, this is not enough. Most individuals lay goals but do nothing towards achieving them. For you not to fall into this class, you must be specific on what is required to attain these goals. You should know what is exactly involved in making your goals achievable. Know the routines you have to engage in and use it as a foundation to attain your goals.

After you have identified what is needed to achieve success, create stimulating tasks that offer both the challenge and excitement to you. If you set boring tasks, it is easier for you to go back to being lazy. Have a specific deadline within which you should achieve your tasks as this will motivate you to act swiftly. However, note that setting deadlines and priorities alone will not help you to overcome laziness completely. Ensure your tasks are engaging, fun and enjoyable.

Step 4: Take Quick Small Actions

In an attempt to overcome laziness, don’t make the mistake of doing a lot in a short period. This may be overwhelming.

It is true that after you have laid out your plan and outlined the tasks to focus on, you may find it necessary to start rolling out your plan immediately. However, it is advisable to take small but actionable steps. Concentrate on a single item each moment. Through this, you will avoid the pressure that would come in trying to achieve all your goals once.

Ponder the following:

• What is that one thing you could do that would take you closer to your goal?
• What should you focus on primarily?

While working on your task, remind yourself:

• It’s better to Make a few steps than not making any step at all
• After the pain you are experiencing now, you will have the pleasure
• You’ll do what is necessary now for you to have what you want later

Remember even in the long-distance race; the slow and unwavering emerges the winner. Don’t put yourself in the pressure of trying to accomplish everything at a go. Just take a few steps and be consistent over time and you will see the progress. For instance, if you are targeting losing 20 pounds in your weight, don’t beat yourself up when you don’t realize it within one week. Have a plan and execute it consistently and before you know it, you will realize your goal.

That’s the only way you can achieve your goal and be happy.

 

Author: Samuel Njoroge

Samuel is a freelance writer, blogger and marketer. He has a career spanning for three years and enjoys crafting error-free content that increases subscriptions and sales. He excels in health, technology and marketing topics.