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A very common yet unavoidable phenomenon called laziness is a predominant symptom in our society.
Even I can profoundly say that I’ve been a victim of laziness. Every once in a while, this feeling of idleness creeps silently into our beings and it gets so hard to flush it out of our system.
To help evade this sense of sluggishness, below are my personal tips and ideas based on past experiences and my reflections from what I’ve noted from others.
Is it okay to be lazy?
The key here would be moderation, if it is an occasional occurrence then you could safely say that it is okay but if you believe that being lethargic and inactive pretty much defines who you are then now would be a good turning point in life to turn over a new leaf.
” The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them’’ – Robert Frost
HOW DO I STOP BEING UNMOTIVATED AND LAZY
1. Don’t be hard on yourself
First off, move away from negative thoughts. Start creating a positive mind frame and know your self-worth. Avoid looking into the past as that could distress rather than de-stress you. Shower yourself with lots of love and kindness as that is a good way to get the ball rolling in the right direction.
2. One step at a time
Driven by solid emotion sometimes depending on the severity of laziness, on certain days you may feel down and under whereas on certain days you may feel pumped and would like to turn over a new leaf overnight. Remember a tiny drop of water makes a mighty ocean, so even a small step would definitely generate a good outcome.
3. Charting progress
If you are serious about trying to eradicate laziness, then set realistic goals and stick to them.
The best approach would be to do some self-examination and chart out how you would like to make progress and in which direction. Don’t bite off more than you can chew hence try and set achievable goals. So here is your chance to get creative. I’ve enlisted a few examples of the ways you could chart.
For example: try creating a roadmap from start to finish or create a to-do list, chart your ideas in a journal or maybe just to create a calendar with individual goals for each day. This activity in itself is making you proactive and is a good healthy start.
4. Use of time product vs inactive
It is not innate for everyone to have a good sense of time management. So that begs the question, do I be productive or inert?
Either do some brainstorming well in advance to decide on how you would like to spend your time (hourly, weekly, monthly etc.) Make sure you monitor you progress to know if your ideas are working in the long run.
For example: I plan on an errand or work on a particular task for about 30 minutes and then I would treat myself with a mandatory rest period for about 5-10 minutes.
5. Reward or renounce
Despite setting goals sometimes it can be hard to keep or you may find yourself off track and are lagging far behind your set target.
Or maybe in another scenario you may feel like you’ve made tremendous progress and feel like an overachiever or feel very accomplished. In such extremes, it would be best to avoid the two ‘’R’s’’ – reward or renounce.
The pitfalls of this are that sometimes you may be motivated to accomplish a goal only if rewarded or maybe you might be too hard on yourself and that you might start thinking about renouncing your goals and this could be destructive to your long-term plan.
It would be best to avoid these strategies as rewarding oneself would become habitual or renouncing would make you feel unaccomplished especially if a lot of work was put into it.
6. Declutter your life
If you live a haphazard and overwhelming lifestyle then it would be a good idea to put the brakes and start to declutter your disorganized life.
A few questions to ponder over:
- How long can I stay proactive without any idle time?
- If I were given a task to complete over a specific duration, how would I make use of my given time?
- Can I push the envelope and try and complete a goal well in advance of a specific time duration?
- If I had some spare time to spend, what would I do and how long would I utilize it?
7. Preventing failure
Try converting a setback or an obstacle which you may have encountered on the way into a positive learning experience.
These unavoidable stumbles are hard to evade and are a part of the steep learning curve that comes with it. So be prepared to slip or trip, especially when you’re moving away from your comfort zone.
Questions to be asked at this juncture:
- What can I take away with me from this scenario/experience?
- How can I prevent minor blunders from my end?
8. Motivation and enthusiasm
Try deriving both external or internal eagerness, drive and alacrity wherever possible. It can be internal self-motivation which you can build or seek inspiration from the people around you or someone who you look up to.
A few ways that can help you become more enthusiastic or eager about kicking the habit of laziness once and for all would be to:
- Try listening to some inspiring speeches through podcasts or audio clips to help boost your zeal.
- Engage in conversation with like-minded people who have similar goals to you. A good place to find such individuals would be at a motivational club.
- Seek information through books or via the internet to help get you thinking and create the right mood.
9. Allow time to renew or alter goals:
If your original draft of how you would like to combat laziness is found to be ineffective then ever so often it would be required to change up the routine or make a few new inclusions.
Try to break the monotony by having a few edits to the original plan.
Like for example: If you feel you are heading for a burnout or if you feel demotivated to push furthermore. Then it would be about time to get innovative and find ways to make yourself productive on lazy days.
10. Cheat days
Yes, cheat days are a must and should be included into your new routine.
It would be completely okay to temporarily pause and be on a small hiatus maybe one day in a week or spend two hours idling per day. This time could be spent trying to rejuvenate or restore your energies.
The time spent on a cheat day is solely based on what you would like to do. Unwind and binge-watch an entire season of your favorite sitcom or sink into your bed and take a much-needed power nap.
Hopefully this cheat day would be a good way to recharge your spirit and help you stop being lazy.
