Understanding Laziness
Not feeling motivated to do anything? What you’re calling laziness might be burnout, fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog or lack of motivation. The first step to overcoming laziness is understanding the root cause of it. Most of us feel lazy occasionally, and that’s okay. It’s our body’s way of asking us to slow down. But it might start becoming a problem if you feel lazy too often and start procrastinating for long. There are three types of laziness – physical, mental and emotional. Physical laziness is when you’re too tired to move your body. Mental laziness is when you lack motivation to engage in mentally challenging tasks; emotional laziness is when you become numb to avoid dealing with emotions.
Overcoming laziness is important as it can have consequences. You could miss important opportunities, put your physical health at risk, strain your relationships and increase your chances of experiencing anxiety and depression. So, how to break out of laziness? You have to start by setting goals efficiently. Whether you’re looking for solutions for overcoming mental laziness or physical, the key is to break down your big goals into small ones that you can try achieving bit by bit. Let’s explore that a bit further below.
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Setting Clear and Achievable Goals
Efficient goal setting is crucial in overcoming laziness. Start by listing down the why of each goal. Ask yourself why it is so important to achieve that goal. Then, evaluate your current habits and actions to identify what needs to change. Then, break down your big goals into small ones. We are more likely to get lazy about completing a task if it seems too overwhelming. So, breaking down each goal can help you stay motivated to achieve the big one. Finally, create an action plan with timelines and do one thing each day to achieve your goals. For example, if your goal for the year is to become fitter. Break it down by assigning one day to shop for your workout wear, the next to find yourself a trainer and the next day to exercise just for ten minutes and so on. Remember to track your progress and celebrate each goal you achieve to keep the momentum going.
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Practical Tips to Get Started
Some people are more prone to getting lazy than others. Different things might work for different people. However, here are some expert-approved tips to help you get started:
- Don’t chase perfection. A task done with a little bit of imperfection is better than not doing it at all.
- Turn your negative self-talk into a positive one by using affirmations. This will not only increase motivation but also your confidence.
- Create a plan of action and follow it. Deciding which direction you want to go in can provide a lot of mental clarity to achieve your goals.
- Identify your personal strengths and use them to your advantage to tackle any task.
- Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements both big and small every step of the way.
- Don’t be afraid to seek help. Get the support you need, and you’ll achieve your goals much faster.
- Improve your focus by avoiding distractions. For example, if you’re trying to complete an assignment, dedicate an hour to it and put all your gadgets in flight mode during that time.
- Make doing your tasks fun. For example, you could play upbeat music you like while exercising.
- Practise mindful eating by consuming protein-rich foods and avoiding sugary or fatty foods.
- Get enough sleep to regulate your hormones which will help you stay motivated and focused.
- Use healthy coping strategies to combat everyday stress like meditation and breathwork.
- If none of the above works, seek help from a professional to identify the cause of your laziness. Sometimes, it could be a sign of a mental illness.
Conclusion
It’s okay to feel lazy once in a while, but feeling exhausted all the time can affect your life. It can strain your relationships and cause problems in your professional life as well. You can overcome laziness by setting achievable goals, avoiding distractions, improving self-talk, eating better and exercising every day. Learn more about combating laziness from experts on SoulSensei.
Sources
Healthline – 17 healthy and practical ways to break out of laziness. By Adrienne Santos-Longhurst.
One Response
It’s so true that sometimes we confuse laziness with burnout or even anxiety. It’s a reminder to listen to our bodies and take a step back to recharge when we need to. Setting small, achievable goals also seems like a game-changer.