Laziness is the desire to be idle, to do nothing, and to resist effort.
It is a state of passivity and of letting things stay as they are.
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” – Martin Luther
In order to carry out our chores, work efficiently, live to the fullest, and achieve success, we must learn how to overcome laziness.
1. Break down a task into smaller tasks:
Breaking down tasks into smaller tasks helps us to reduce the pressure of deadlines and will keep us motivated to perform these tasks one after the other in a relaxed manner.
Once you have completed one sub-task you can tell yourself that you’re on a roll and that you will soon have finished the next sub-tasks as well.
2. Relax and Sleep:
In some cases, laziness is due to being tired and lacking energy. If this is true in your case, you need to give yourself the rest and sleep you need, and also give your body enough exercise and fresh air.
3. Exercise:
Exercise is the simplest way to overcome laziness. A lot of the time, we feel lazy because completing a task seems too difficult. With exercising, you don’t have to figure anything out.
Exercise will help you break through that barrier of inertia and will help you feel motivated and more willing to put in effort.
4. Motivation:
In some cases, the reason for laziness is due to lack of motivation. You can strengthen your motivation through affirmations, visualization and thinking about the importance of performing your task or chore or achieving your goal.
5. Eat healthy:
A healthy diet high in vegetables and fruits will boost your energy and get your body into high gear. Ditch the junk food that doesn’t provide sustained energy and be sure to eat regular meals.
6. Focus on doing one thing at a time:
If you feel you have a lot to do, you will probably feel overwhelmed and let laziness overcome you, instead of you overcoming laziness.
7. Repeat affirmations:
Tell yourself:
“I can accomplish my goal.”
“I have the energy and motivation to act and do whatever I want or have to do.”
“Doing things makes me stronger.”
“Doing things makes things happen.”
8. Learn from successful people:
Watch successful people, and how they do not let laziness win. Learn from them, talk with them and associate with them.
9. Make a to-do list:
There are times that because of so much things to do, just like preparing for major exams, you lost track of other things that need to be done. You could make a to-do list with just a piece of sticky note since it’s handy and you could place it anywhere. Placing a to-do list where you could see it every time, will help you remind what to do next. Also, making a to-do list will help you focus on doing your tasks especially that distractions are just around the corner.
10. Reward yourself:
Overcoming laziness is really a struggle, so every time you manage to do it, have yourself a reward. Like if you study for 20 minutes or finish an assignment without any interruptions, give yourself a treat, whether it is your favorite bar of chocolate or favorite ice cream.
This will help you build a mindset that making efforts results into positive outcomes. Make the tasks fun by turning them into a challenge. Can you accomplish those tasks? Many people can, so why can’t you?
11. Visualization:
Your imagination has a great influence on your mind, habits and action. Visualize yourself performing the task easily, energetically and enthusiastically. Do so before starting with a task or goal, and also when you feel lazy, or when your mind whispers to you to abandon what you are doing.
12. Think about benefits:
Think about the benefits you will gain if you overcome your laziness and take action, instead of thinking about the difficulties or obstacles. Focusing on the difficulties of carrying out the task, leads to discouragement, avoidance of taking action and to laziness. It is important that you focus your mind and attention on the benefits, not on the difficulties.
13. Set a minimum time limit to get started:
The most difficult thing is to get started – the rest will be easier. So set a small amount of time, like 15 minutes or even 5 minutes, and decide to work on the task until the time is up. After that, it would be easier to decide to continue.
14. Start your day with the most important task:
Start your day with the task that is most important to you. Each day, do a task that will move you forward toward your long-term goals. Build this into your morning routine. If you put them off for later, you will eventually get busy with your day and run out of time for the things that matter the most. This will also keep you motivated to accomplish your goal.
15. Don’t fear failure:
Fear of failure can either stop you from taking action or make you opt for easier tasks. Know that everyone experiences setbacks. Take risks, and if things don’t turn out the way you want, take it as a learning experience.
Laziness Quotes
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. – Jules Renard
I like the word ‘indolence’. It makes my laziness seem classy. – Bernard Williams
Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction. – Anne Frank
It is often laziness and timidity that keep us within our duty while virtue gets all the credit. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Laziness in my biggest pet peeve of all time. Get up, make a plan, do the work, and love yourself, people! – Dove Cameron
Laziness is a secret ingredient that goes into failure. But it’s only kept a secret from the person who fails. – Robert Half
Failure is not our only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others. – Jules Renard
My weak spot is laziness. Oh, I have a lot of weak spots: cookies, croissants. – Anthony Hopkins
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. – Sam Keen
Laziness never arrived at the attainment of a good wish. – Miguel de Cervantes
I never work just to work. It’s some combination of laziness and self-respect. – Harold Ramis
Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence. – James Cash Penney
Ignorance is a matter of laziness, indifference, and apathy. – Tom Tancredo
My block was due to two overlapping factors: laziness and lack of discipline. – Mary Garden
Laziness has become the chief characteristic of journalism, displacing incompetence. – Kingsley Amis
My ambition is handicapped by laziness. – Charles Bukowski
