Feeling tired and lazy and &!@#$%

[officelurker]

I am a avid reader of Steve's blog. In fact, one of my favorite blogs is his How to become a early riser.

I tried doing the early riser thing, but psychologically I put my self back to sleep citing reasons such as "i slept so late, i need the sleep" and "what am I going to do up at 5am" and such. When I do wake up at like 8am, my body tells me I still need more sleep. My eyes are tired and red. It takes me until mid to late morning to get going.

I also get very tired when I get home from work. Mind you, as much as I don't like to tell people, I don't do a lot of work, nothing laboriously, mostly sitting infront of a computer or walking around the office pretending to be busy.

With that in mind, I question why I feel and look so tired. Is it my diet?? Am I having too much coffee or tea? Should I just eliminate those from my diet and will I see improvement?

I have 6 month old new born, our first, but I was always tired and lazy even before his birth so he is no excuse.

I also have literally 60-70 books bought that are just sitting on the self brand new collecting dust. I know I have to read. I want to learn and be knowledgeable about life and my surroundings through reading but I just never get around to having the energy and the willingness to read.

I don't watch TV. Yet my to-do list is never complete (my personal growth to-do list).

How do I get over this hump?? I would really appreciate your suggestions.

[quin]

I find that the later I use the computer, the later I get to sleep, the later I wake up in the morning.

I like to exercise before lunch. It helps me sleep better at night and in turn I wake up more refreshed.

Eliminate coffee. You will see a lot of improvements!!

Have you practiced the technique Steve suggested in his blog? Practicing getting up to an alarm? That was helpful to me.

[Paul C]

Yes, as said, an alarm is essential at the beginning of the habit building process. And to make it even more effective, place the alarm clock on the other side of the room. And after you stop the alarm, immediately get dressed to further discourage the urge to return to bed. I've done this myself for many months and have had very consistent success.

Concerning the brand-spanking-new books that are collecting dust: Just. Do. It. That is as direct as I can be.

It'll take a little discipline in the beginning to build up a habit of reading each day. For example - When I started my mind constantly urged me to stop and go do something pointlessly entertaining. So instead I acknowledged this but proceeded anyway with my reading. Focus is everything, I found. Don't think about it, just focus at the task at hand. With enough persistence you will eventually make it into a habit and actually enjoy the activity! It is educational, entertaining and relaxing, just to name a few of the benefits. Imagine the advantages waiting for you to claim them (time willing of course).

Seeing that you have a young child long sessions of reading may not be realistic, as they say. But that doesn't mean you couldn't still find value in much shorter sessions either, just remember to have a good store of book marks.

I will second the suggestion of dropping coffee/caffeine. But tea on the other hand -green tea specifically- I would recommend drinking.

And as said already before - Steve has many helpful articles concerning many of these things.

[officelurker]

Thank you quin and Paul for your encouraging suggestions.

[dor]

Originally Posted by officelurker

I also have literally 60-70 books bought that are just sitting on the self brand new collecting dust. I know I have to read. I want to learn and be knowledgeable about life and my surroundings through reading but I just never get around to having the energy and the willingness to read.

I don't watch TV. Yet my to-do list is never complete (my personal growth to-do list).

How do I get over this hump?? I would really appreciate your suggestions.

i could be you find all this stuff interesting, but not emotionally compelling -
also i posted a recent insight into procrastionation here:
Procrastination might be caused by lack of confidence in achiveving.

[demk]

If you want energy try this...

Ideally do this twice a day but as much as you can will bring an improvement. Simply sit for thirty minutes or so and be. Dont do anything. Dont even think. You want to be in a receptive state of mind. In Zen Buddhism they call it beginners mind. Its a state of openess and receptiveness that is very energising. Imagine that someone is about to explain something to you and you are waiting for them to start. It is that state of mind where your mind is open and ready. It is extremely peaceful and relaxing and you can access it whenever you want. It is as if you open yourself up to your own natural source of energy.

Other good ways of explaing this state of being are...

Its like waiting and doing nothing but waiting.

Its like watching or listening with your entire being.

Its a state of watchful alertness.

Its like a bewildered state of awe.

[Michelle]

Just a thought after reading your post. You use the word "lazy" in quite a negative way. Why? Laziness can be a great thing if used properly :-).

If you put so much pressure on yourself to read 70 books, and get up at 5, and care for your newborn, and grow personally, work full-time, and and and and and ... it is no wonder you don't do anything.

What would happen if you had a job which stimulated you more? What would happen if you would try to make your current job more stimulating?

Personal growth is a journey which never ends, so it is logical that your to-do list would be endless. This is why you need to plan laziness in your life! These are the scheduled times where you are free to lay around, watch tv, read, star-gaze - whatever. Your brain and your body need to recover. The harder you work, the harder you will have to relax.

Good luck to you.

[Amit]

Some tips for you for someone who was in exactly the same boat recently.

1) If you can't be bothered to read, just like me somtimes, get some audio books, put them on at night before you go to sleep. I don't always feel the urge to read and so audio books on PD are a perfect solution. I listen to Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Steve and Erin, Neale Donald Walsch, Abraham Hicks, MP3 books on NLP etc...I find that having them on gets me to sleep quickly but fills my mind with some of the good stuff

2) Eliminate coffee! The choice is yours, if you don't want to, don't have any after midday. I gave up coffee at the beginning of October and my quality sleep went, from a scale of 1 - 10 where 1 is bad, from about a 2, to probably at least an 8 or a 9.

3) At the moment your head hits the pillow, Set your intentional alarm clock. Say this intention out loud in your head - "I am going to sleep deep, and arise energised!" Say it a few times and make sure you say it with energy, passion, and feeling it!! I have been using that for the last month, didn't have impact for the first few weeks but since the beginning of this week I've been waking up at 5.30am on the dot with little effort.

If you're always tired you're sleep isn't deep enough and that usually comes down to high levels of caffeine in your system and probably stress.

4) Wake up to ascending music. Something uplifting, something that gives your spine a tingle!

5) If you have trouble setting your body clock to sleep early, stay awake an entire night, and go to bed early the next and arise early. That method has always done wonders for sorting out my sleeping pattern.

6) STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP. If you do that, all your doing is giving yourself incantations of failure. Even when you've failed, know that you've sown a seed of success and only focus on the true end result that you desire with Joy, excitement and fire!

I don't know if this is any help to you but all of these things have truly benefited me immensely!

[WanderingOak]

As others have said, start small. You asked about your diet, but did not elaborate on what your diet is. I have known people with blood sugar problems who literally run out of steam if they don't have a small snack every now and then. Myself, when I work on day-long projects, I tend to completely forget about food and drink, which means that by the end of the day I feel like a zombie. All I want to do is grab a beer and a cheeseburger and zone out in front of the idiot box for the rest of the evening.

[alexb5784]

I think you should follow everyone's advice here and keep trying. And I agree with Michelle, lazy doesn't have to be a bad word.

You can't change your habits overnight, because your habits = your life. If you have been living in a certain way for a long time, you can't change in one day or week or even month! It will take time and you just can't give up. Your habits have formed who you are. If you want to change your habits, you've got to change yourself, one day at a time. It's like losing weight, you lose one pound at a time. And then after some time, all those pounds add up to a large amount of weight loss.

If you get up normally at up 7am, try getting up at 6:45 am first. Then after a few weeks, get up at 6:30 and so forth until you get to 5 am. But the real question is, what and why do you want to get up at 5am?

I get up at 5:30 am, because I work out and go running for 30 mins four times a week. Plus I walk to work (30 min walk) and I like to be in the office at 8 am. I then work until 5 or 6 pm, because I love what I do and time flies by so freakin' fast. But I have a reason for getting up early.

Create a reason for getting up and you'll succeed. Take it slow and don't worry. I think you're doing great, because you're asking for help and you will succeed if you hang in there.

[C33]

You think you are being lazy, but that is in comparison to others, or high expectations you put on yourself.

Lazy is cool, lazy means you need the time. With a new baby to take care of and working, I don t think you can be lazy.

I am telling you, because I am the laziest person on earth right now!

A few ideas:
Supplements: Omega 3, helps me for mild depression, lack of proper rest, PMS.
Also, if you are into that kind of thing: a chiropractic adjustement, maybe the energy in your body is out of sort.

Good luck.

[officelurker]

Thank you all so much for your encouraging responses! They really give me a boost to get things in order or may be things are in order but I need to free up some time. Either way, I really appreciate everyones input. You guys really know how to make someone feel good! and for that I am thankful.

[Firefox]

Originally Posted by officelurker

Feeling tired and lazy and &!@#$%

This tastes nasty, but makes you feel really good.

Blender Salad (More veggies than you can possible eat any other way)

Makes enough to last ~2 days
2 peeled cucumbers
2 large zuchinni
5-6 Big pieces of Celery
~7 Large 'Leaves' of Dark Green Romaine Lettuce
1 green or red Bell pepper
A large handful of dark green Kale leaves

Just start with some quality water (to help turn the blades) and add the cucumbers first. When it is all well blended, your first cup will taste nasty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
15 minutes after your first cup, you will be 'happily hooked for life.'
Will anyone actually try this?

[lrose]

I feel like I, too, spend a fair amount my day sitting in front of a computer or trying to look busy! I don't have great advice on waking up early or nixing coffee, but I would suggest...

For me, at the end of the (work) day, the only thing that will give me energy to enjoy my evening is to go to the gym (or for a walk around the neighborhood). This doesn't work for everyone, but for me it's great -- like a start to the second and more enjoyable part of my day. To add to Amit's suggestion, you could listen to audio books (or read the actual book) while you walk on the treadmill or ride a (stationary) bike. To me, this is relaxing as well as energizing and inspirational.

Maybe someone already said this, but a lot of times, it's best if I get up in the morning as soon as the alarm goes off or as soon as I open my eyes -- otherwise, I'm more tired an hour later when I REALLY have to get up.

Best of luck -- hang in there!

Firefox, your recipe looks fascinating!

[officelurker]

Originally Posted by Firefox

This tastes nasty, but makes you feel really good.

Blender Salad (More veggies than you can possible eat any other way)

Makes enough to last ~2 days
2 peeled cucumbers
2 large zuchinni
5-6 Big pieces of Celery
~7 Large 'Leaves' of Dark Green Romaine Lettuce
1 green or red Bell pepper
A large handful of dark green Kale leaves

Just start with some quality water (to help turn the blades) and add the cucumbers first. When it is all well blended, your first cup will taste nasty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
15 minutes after your first cup, you will be 'happily hooked for life.'
Will anyone actually try this?

Has anyone tried this stuff firefox?? Its almost a dare! very scary indeed.

[Ellesse]

But I have a reason for getting up early.

I totally agree with this!

Due to my work commitments, by the time I'm back home, it's usually quite late and because of this, I've got little time to write new articles for updating my website.

But ever since I've decided to wake up earlier to make time for brainstorming or even writing new content, I find it relatively easier to be a early riser. My family is quite shocked at times to find me buried behind the laptop at 6am on a weekday morning! I'm pretty amazed myself.

I guess when you've a passionate reason to wake up early, your body will act as if "your wish is its command...".

[Traffic]

Originally Posted by Amit

3) At the moment your head hits the pillow, Set your intentional alarm clock. Say this intention out loud in your head - "I am going to sleep deep, and arise energised!" Say it a few times and make sure you say it with energy, passion, and feeling it!! I have been using that for the last month, didn't have impact for the first few weeks but since the beginning of this week I've been waking up at 5.30am on the dot with little effort.

This is an important one. I've never been a morning person, and admittedly I still struggle, but I've always found this to be one of the most important factors. I have found, that what time you get up in the morning is almost dictated by your state of mind when you go to bed.

For example. Some mornings I can never get up. It's so much of a struggle and so frustrating. If you do get up, you're tired, you don't want to do anything and you wonder why you bothered in the first place. But say you have something to get for; you're going on holiday, something you look forward to, that you're excited about. You jump straight out of bed without thinking. The difference is not physical, but a state of mind. You must know why you're getting up in the morning, what time, and believe it before you go to bed. Kind of like intention manifestation, but without any subjective mumbo jumbo because it all comes down to programming yourself to do something. If that proram's not in full working order when your head hits the pillow, it's unlikely to be working in the morning.

[gberardi]

As for doing things that need doing, one of my favorite ideas is "Just start it".

Rather than think "Just do it", which makes doing a large project sound easier than it is, "Just start it" actually IS easy.

If you want to learn something from a book, crack one open, and read through the introduction, skimming through the book to pick up a feel for it. Give yourself permission to stop after this first step, but you must not avoid doing that first step!

How hard it can it be to start something? No matter what the project is, starting something is easy. It's finishing that is hard.

However, once you do the first step, you don't have to do it anymore. So the next time you start, you start the second step.

If you extrapolate out to the conclusion, you will eventually "start" the last and final step, and you are finished.

[dalante]

Maybe what you need is a good reason to wake up at 5:00 in the morning. And when I say a good reason, I am talking about something you WANT to do (not something you should, you must, you ought, etc)

[officelurker]

I want to read. Plain and simple. This is the only time I have to myself. I also want to spend time with my wife. Have breakfast with her while our boy is sleeping. But we just never get around to it.