How to Stop Being Lazy
Sleep., Wash your face., Exercise regularly., Watch your diet., Get help., Clean your home and office area., Start your day with positive self talk., Listen to energetic music., Change your environment., Surround yourself with productive people...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Sleep.
You should ideally be getting eight hours of sleep and trying to get on a regular sleep cycle.
Irregular sleep patterns or sleepless nights can lead to low energy and lazy tendencies. -
Step 2: Wash your face.
As soon as you wake up in the morning, just wash your face and freshen up.
It's a very easy way to wake yourself up a bit more and start the day off right. , Even something as simple as a brisk walk gives you natural energy and also releases endorphins that improve your overall mood, making you feel more inclined to go out and accomplish something that day. , If you're not getting enough vegetables or healthy foods into your body, it can also affect your overall energy.
Try to cut out excess junk food and eat regular meals per day.
Also, if you feel hungry in between meals and want a snack, try to make it something healthy (for example, pick a fruit over a bag of chips.) , If none of the above methods help, your feelings of laziness could possibly be linked to depression, or more rarely another mental health issue such as attention deficit disorder.
It may be worth seeking professional help. , Having an environment free of clutter can often remove some of the clutter from your mind, and make you feel more motivated and productive. , For example, "Today, I will go for a run."
Workout songs or exercise jams that get you "pumped up" and feeling active will help set up a positive tone to your day. , Different environments have different impacts on our productivity.
For example, if you're trying to work on something in your bedroom, does it make you want to work or just snuggle and sleep? You may want to consider a different space if you're trying to accomplish a certain task. , Who you surround yourself with inspires your behavior.
Hang out with people who are successful and motivated, and their energy will likely rub off on you. , Have you always wanted a new job or to run a marathon? Tell people about it! Whenever people see you, they will now ask you about how things are going with those goals.
It's a great way to hold yourself accountable for your actions. , Are you waiting for a perfect time to accomplish something? There usually isn't one.
Unfortunately, perfectionism can be one of the biggest reasons for procrastination. , If you have several things to do in a given day, prioritize them into "have-to's," "need-to's" and "get-to's".
Do the have-to's first.
Having things written out on paper often makes it easier to see what is most important. , While you haven't expanded any energy yet, do the most unpleasant tasks of the day later.
If you focus on the easier tasks first, you will have more time to work on the worst things later.
Things that you don't like to do will obviously take more time than the usual.
This creates an extra barrier in your mind as you have other works that you like to do or can easily get done with and yet, not doing them, as you are stuck with something that you don't like. , Again, you don't want to overwhelm yourself into lethargy.
Pick one or two things to focus on and fully devote yourself to those tasks.
You don't want to spread yourself too thin. , Another way to avoid having work seem too overwhelming is to break a task down into individual parts, then focus on each part. , If you have a project and all you've given yourself is the due date, it's very easy to put things off until the last second.
Make a timeline that lists all the steps you will need to take leading up to that due date and give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish them. , Take up a new interest or hobby.
Try a structured activity: that way, it's not up to you whether or not to be productive.
This will keep you busy and productive, and you will expand your interests and skills. , If you get a homework assignment, don't put it off until the weekend.
Start working on it now while everything is fresh in your mind. , Know what you spend time procrastinating with and take action to remove it.
If you waste time surfing the web, work in a place that doesn't have internet access.
If texting friends is your vice, move your phone into a different room or have a friend hold on to it for the afternoon. , If you say you're going to start working on something at noon, start at noon.
Don't make it acceptable to start 30 or 40 minutes later than what you committed to. , It's natural that you will need to take a break from working, but make sure that time is limited.
For example, you could commit to working for the first 50 minutes of every hour and then take a break for 10 minutes. , There isn't any cure for being lazy.
The only way to overcome this is by setting your mind to the task and completing it.
Have self-discipline. -
Step 3: Exercise regularly.
-
Step 4: Watch your diet.
-
Step 5: Get help.
-
Step 6: Clean your home and office area.
-
Step 7: Start your day with positive self talk.
-
Step 8: Listen to energetic music.
-
Step 9: Change your environment.
-
Step 10: Surround yourself with productive people.
-
Step 11: Tell others about your goals.
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Step 12: Stop over-complicating things.
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Step 13: Make a list.
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Step 14: Do not do the worst items first.
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Step 15: Pick your projects carefully.
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Step 16: Break your work into small steps.
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Step 17: Create a detailed timeline.
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Step 18: Learn to do something with your free time.
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Step 19: Do all your projects right away.
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Step 20: Eliminate your procrastination stops.
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Step 21: Enforce punctuality.
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Step 22: Set a schedule of working and breaks.
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Step 23: Just do it!
Detailed Guide
You should ideally be getting eight hours of sleep and trying to get on a regular sleep cycle.
Irregular sleep patterns or sleepless nights can lead to low energy and lazy tendencies.
As soon as you wake up in the morning, just wash your face and freshen up.
It's a very easy way to wake yourself up a bit more and start the day off right. , Even something as simple as a brisk walk gives you natural energy and also releases endorphins that improve your overall mood, making you feel more inclined to go out and accomplish something that day. , If you're not getting enough vegetables or healthy foods into your body, it can also affect your overall energy.
Try to cut out excess junk food and eat regular meals per day.
Also, if you feel hungry in between meals and want a snack, try to make it something healthy (for example, pick a fruit over a bag of chips.) , If none of the above methods help, your feelings of laziness could possibly be linked to depression, or more rarely another mental health issue such as attention deficit disorder.
It may be worth seeking professional help. , Having an environment free of clutter can often remove some of the clutter from your mind, and make you feel more motivated and productive. , For example, "Today, I will go for a run."
Workout songs or exercise jams that get you "pumped up" and feeling active will help set up a positive tone to your day. , Different environments have different impacts on our productivity.
For example, if you're trying to work on something in your bedroom, does it make you want to work or just snuggle and sleep? You may want to consider a different space if you're trying to accomplish a certain task. , Who you surround yourself with inspires your behavior.
Hang out with people who are successful and motivated, and their energy will likely rub off on you. , Have you always wanted a new job or to run a marathon? Tell people about it! Whenever people see you, they will now ask you about how things are going with those goals.
It's a great way to hold yourself accountable for your actions. , Are you waiting for a perfect time to accomplish something? There usually isn't one.
Unfortunately, perfectionism can be one of the biggest reasons for procrastination. , If you have several things to do in a given day, prioritize them into "have-to's," "need-to's" and "get-to's".
Do the have-to's first.
Having things written out on paper often makes it easier to see what is most important. , While you haven't expanded any energy yet, do the most unpleasant tasks of the day later.
If you focus on the easier tasks first, you will have more time to work on the worst things later.
Things that you don't like to do will obviously take more time than the usual.
This creates an extra barrier in your mind as you have other works that you like to do or can easily get done with and yet, not doing them, as you are stuck with something that you don't like. , Again, you don't want to overwhelm yourself into lethargy.
Pick one or two things to focus on and fully devote yourself to those tasks.
You don't want to spread yourself too thin. , Another way to avoid having work seem too overwhelming is to break a task down into individual parts, then focus on each part. , If you have a project and all you've given yourself is the due date, it's very easy to put things off until the last second.
Make a timeline that lists all the steps you will need to take leading up to that due date and give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish them. , Take up a new interest or hobby.
Try a structured activity: that way, it's not up to you whether or not to be productive.
This will keep you busy and productive, and you will expand your interests and skills. , If you get a homework assignment, don't put it off until the weekend.
Start working on it now while everything is fresh in your mind. , Know what you spend time procrastinating with and take action to remove it.
If you waste time surfing the web, work in a place that doesn't have internet access.
If texting friends is your vice, move your phone into a different room or have a friend hold on to it for the afternoon. , If you say you're going to start working on something at noon, start at noon.
Don't make it acceptable to start 30 or 40 minutes later than what you committed to. , It's natural that you will need to take a break from working, but make sure that time is limited.
For example, you could commit to working for the first 50 minutes of every hour and then take a break for 10 minutes. , There isn't any cure for being lazy.
The only way to overcome this is by setting your mind to the task and completing it.
Have self-discipline.
About the Author
Donna Hill
Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.
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