later. it’s the recurring theme that crosses your mind as you organize your goldfish, stars, and kitkat while browsing Netflix’s options. while homework gets pushed back, your room is a mess and you still haven’t made your doctor’s appointment. When you rush through your tasks at the last minute, it is inevitable that you will ask yourself, “How did I get into this situation? why am I so lazy? how am I going to overcome laziness? Do not worry anymore ! I am here to help. Trust me…I’m the laziness expert. to the point where I had to wake up at 4am just to finish the job I should have done the night before.
laziness is not so much a condition as a symptom. so, we need to get to the bottom of our laziness and start achieving our goals. and we will do it because the result will be felt that way. Damn. GOOD!
laziness can be caused by a number of things: lack of motivation, no direction or clear interests, maybe even a feeling of being overwhelmed. the problem is that we are wired to preserve our energy. the result of that…watching netflix in an endless loop of instant gratification, then regretting later. here’s the positive look, though! if we could hook up this behavior, we can hook it back up immediately. so… let’s look at some of the potential causes for our room to feel like it’s all on display, those assignment deadline extensions and zero plans for personal development. ouch, sorry!
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you are afraid of failing. When we experience something that leaves us feeling inadequate or mortified, our immediate reaction is to never do it again.
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you wait for the motivation to strike. bad news… motivation will get you nowhere. frankly it’s not Really a thing. the best way to curb this is to assume that future YOU will always fight anything remotely resembling work.
now the first thing is to accept that you have reached the level of procrastination: expert -> now you need to straighten up, stand up straight and get closer to your goals. how ? well I’m glad you asked 🙂
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break your task down into manageable chunks. a key point to remember is how to get started (it will take willpower). but don’t be put off if the will hasn’t been in your wheelhouse before. you don’t need it for the whole job. you just need it for the first few minutes to get started. once you’ve started, it’s easier to keep moving. May I also recommend…staying organised! this is my favorite daily planner from Amazon
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make sure your goals are realistic. lose 20 pounds by the end of the week? I love you guys, but absolutely not. of course you are stuck in neutral. when setting your goals, you need to incorporate all the variables that will help you achieve that goal: is it urgent? will you need to learn a new skill? do you need to invest money to make it work? if you set yourself unrealistic goals and engage in a cycle of not achieving them, anything that seems even a little difficult will be ruled out. you need to build trust with yourself, which means getting into the habit of setting achievable goals that you know you can achieve. start small, but start and keep going!
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engage in the smallest action possible. an essential element of not being lazy is the ability to see the smallest part of a task and then commit to doing it. if you have a huge project, look for this item in the project that will only take five minutes to complete. then ten minutes, and so on. the tendency to be lazy is very overwhelming and can wreak havoc on your mental health. WE DON’T WANT TO BE STUCK IN THIS CYCLE. When you’re able to take things small and focus on the quick wins, you’ll have the motivation you need to tackle the big chunks.
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make it easy to get started (and hard to get distracted). Having trouble doing that race you were planning on doing? put on your sports clothes. it will trick your brain out the door, otherwise the act of getting dressed was a waste of time. see how simple? make sure you’re working in a tidy area with no televisions or noisy distractions nearby. maybe even try putting your phone on do not disturb.
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create new habits. you know what stocks let you down. for example, I know that if I come home and lie on my bed, nothing gets done the rest of the day. of course, breaks are necessary. but breaks are necessary so that you don’t worry about all that you still have to do. instead, take 15 minutes to put things away, take a shower, and then your after-school/work lull will wear off. forming new habits is difficult. but if you constantly perform an action, your brain misses that action when you don’t. the brain is all about systems and routines 🙂 habits change from a choice to something we do involuntarily.
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fastest now! give yourself permission to fail! work with mini-rewards! give yourself time to change!
If you take anything away from this post, it should be this:
three ways to motivate yourself: plan for failure, put it on your calendar, develop laser focus
I believe in you and I give you all as much strength as possible to achieve your goals. you can with the right attitude and mindset 💛
always with love,
eliza