Everyone feels a little lazy at times. But being lazy on a regular basis can have a severe negative impact on your life. Laziness is a natural tendency. All creatures gravitate toward comfort, or at least what’s perceived to be comfortable. However, laziness is indulging in short-term comfort at the expense of long-term pain.
Do you know anyone with a great life that’s lazy? Over time, the law of cause and effect holds true. Laziness has a long-term price.
Beat laziness and accomplish more:
1. Find a way to get excited. Consider the benefits you’ll receive by getting it done. It might be the end result that excites you or the fact that you’re learning and growing. Maybe demonstrating self-control and discipline is something that you can get excited about. It’s much harder to accomplish something if you’re complaining about it.
2. Set a deadline. When you have plenty of time to complete something, or no deadline at all, it’s human nature to procrastinate. Setting a deadline in the near future can help to focus your attention and energy.
3. Create smaller tasks from the main task. Every large task can be done in steps. Even building a house has steps. First the site must be prepared. Then the foundation is created, and the framing begins. The remaining steps are followed until the house is completed.
- The overall project might be big and intimidating. However, the individual tasks might be easier to handle.
4. Focus on taking the first step. Once you get started, the momentum you’ve created can carry you far. Activity breeds further activity. Sitting on the couch tends to lead to more sitting. Instead of worrying about the mountain of work ahead of you, focus on getting one simple task completed.
5. Read or listen to something that motivates you. It can be something as simple as a book of inspiring quotes or a song that energizes you. You already know what inspires you. Use it to your advantage.
6. Consider the pain of not getting started. We’re good at imagining the pain of getting started, but try the opposite. What will happen if you continue to be lazy? What will it cost you in the future? What has it cost you so far? Instead of using pain as a reason to be lazy, use pain to create action.
7. Remind yourself that the last few years have flown by. Laziness is often a chronic condition. A lot of time has passed in the last 5 years, but how much have you accomplished? Five years goes by quickly, especially when one day seems to be a copy of every other day. Life is wasting away. Get up and do something!
8. Reward yourself for activity. Get one thing done and celebrate. You probably haven’t done enough to deserve a new car, but you have the right to get excited and be proud of yourself.
9. Be patient. It’s common to believe that action comes from motivation, but the opposite may be more true. Action leads to results. Results lead to motivation. Be mentally tough and get busy. You’ll have a reason to be motivated soon enough.
Avoid allowing laziness to keep you on the sideline. It will steal your time and limit your results!