How to fight laziness?

[NickWeb]

SO basically I am too lazy. I could achieve much more if I was not so lazy. I am too lazy to cook food for myself, I am too lazy to improve my German and also I am too lazy to work sometimes.

Sometimes I am too lazy to go to bed, and stay up late and just sit in front of the computer

I would like to change. How can I do that? If I say to myself , OK let's do it, I still end up sitting in front of my computer and reading some stuff. So looking forward to your ideas. Also if you know any interesting novels is German please suggest to me

thanks in advance.

[Alstar]

That's not laziness, that's procrastination.

[NickWeb]

Originally Posted by Alstar

That's not laziness, that's procrastination.

yes you are right. Did not know this word yet lol, English is not my native language.

So how can I fight procrastination then?

[Additive]

Just start doing whatever needs to be done. Ignore the lazy feeling. Slog through it and it gets easier

[NickWeb]

Originally Posted by Additive

Just start doing whatever needs to be done. Ignore the lazy feeling. Slog through it and it gets easier

OK thank you I will try, any more ideas maybe?

[AlmostGodess]

Is this something you experience often or just now? I remember you shared a story about an interview so maybe you just need some time to recover and then move on?

[NickWeb]

Originally Posted by AlmostGodess

Is this something you experience often or just now? I remember you shared a story about an interview so maybe you just need some time to recover and then move on?

I worked as a freelancer for 2 years and had not much to do, so the feeling of procastination started to get stronger in the last year. Basically I had too much freetime, that was the problem, now I am moving to the capital to start a new business and to find a 9 to 5 job so I hope things will get better, but still i would like to know if there are any useful ideas to my problems.

[AlmostGodess]

Originally Posted by NickWeb

I worked as a freelancer for 2 years and had not much to do, so the feeling of procastination started to get stronger in the last year. Basically I had too much freetime, that was the problem, now I am moving to the capital to start a new business and to find a 9 to 5 job so I hope things will get better, but still i would like to know if there are any useful ideas to my problems.

Freedom can be challenging for many people. I am one of those people too You can plenty of resources online about procrastination if you are interested in the subject. Do you have anything in particular you would like to achieve before you move? Write it down and find ways of doing it. There is nothing more simple than this. But you gotta be really interested in what you want to do. If the does not appeal to you, you'll postpone it. So for a while, since you have time, do only what you really really like!

[Broderick]

Hmmm...maybe you don't fight laziness. That would suck having to have an internal fight every time you felt lazy - especially if you felt lazy a lot.

You wrote "I'm too lazy" like 5 times. Sounds like you really believe that about yourself, but is it true? Having that belief could make it very hard to progress with what you want to happen.

And...I know you said you want to change, but maybe you could be more specific? Change how?

[sorter]

+1 to Broderick

I would consider that maybe you're anxious or depressed.
Either way: yoga, meditation, exercise, and find something to be curious about
even if you have to pretend to be curious.
Be curious about your "laziness".
.

[Andrew Gubb]

If you want to know how to fight laziness, here's what to do:

Fight it. Keep doing this and I guarantee you'll have the opportunity to keep fighting it for as long as you want.

If you want to know how to beat laziness, stop fighting it and find its root cause.

[Soleamplify]

Start by doing one thing at a time. Even if it's just one thing a day. Then build it up slowly until you become a productivity giant!

How to be more productive > How to be more productive – part 1: Organisation | soleamplify.com

[NoJobRob]

I'm lazy, but I'm also a hard worker. My philosophy is get everything done at lightning speed, and then be lazy. LOL People always tell me how fast I get stuff done, but then they also comment on how lazy I am too. WTF? LOL If I get things done in a time efficient manner, then I EARNED the right to be lazy, so kiss my @$$. Haha If the work never ended then I wouldn't work so fast. Actually I'd probably go insane if the work never ended. LOL I need my me time, and I keep my ♥♥♥♥♥ together for a reason. Maintaining everything is a hell of a lot easier than slacking off and having to play catch up all the time. That's how I think anyway... My ex loved to keep me busy on my days off, and that's one of the reasons I left her. I'd get everything done and then she'd think of more (unnecessary) work to do. It drove me crazy. All work and no play makes Rob hate everything. LOL

[NickWeb]

WOW I am surprised how much help I got here. Thanks all. I will write a detailed update I think next week as I am packing my stuff this weekend and moving on monday.

My method to stop lazyness / procastination will be the following:
I will try to start some activities.
- Get a 9 to 5 job (this is necessity)
- Start with professional photography (hobby)
- Start again with body building (hobby)
- Meet my friends in the capital

I think these will take a lot of time, and I will spend at least 30-40% of time with activities that I enjoy. I hope I can manage it.

[AlmostGodess]

Originally Posted by NickWeb

WOW I am surprised how much help I got here. Thanks all. I will write a detailed update I think next week as I am packing my stuff this weekend and moving on monday.

My method to stop lazyness / procastination will be the following:
I will try to start some activities.
- Get a 9 to 5 job (this is necessity)
- Start with professional photography (hobby)
- Start again with body building (hobby)
- Meet my friends in the capital

I think these will take a lot of time, and I will spend at least 30-40% of time with activities that I enjoy. I hope I can manage it.

This sounds so much more positive! Happy for you and good luck with moving!

[NickWeb]

So I decided to do some update here:


- Get a 9 to 5 job (this is necessity) : Done. Actually I am very satisfied with it.
- Start with professional photography (hobby): Started preparation for it. at the moment I am waiting for a friend of mine.
- Start again with body building (hobby): I go to gym now once a week and I will add swimming and one more gym from next week. So it will be twice gym and once swimming in a week.
- Meet my friends in the capital: Not really done. Instead I am getting maybe new friends at my workplace. People there are very socialble and I like that.

A new goal:
- keep flat tidy (LOL this will be hard): As I have moved to another flat I promised myself that I will keep this one tidy. I think I will need to by an automatic hoover for this, as I am too lazy. Besides I will have to keep the kitchen and bathroom tidy and thats all maybe.

So that is the overall progress.

oh yeah, nearly forgot:
- starting University: Have to check some documents of mine for that. Maybe this weekend.

[dominicsoh]

Hey Nick,

Honestly, I sometimes do fall into the snares of procrastination too...

What really helped me get things done especially when I have a tight schedule and deadlines to meet is to practice what I call the "hour of power".

The "hour of power" is about identifying the most important task, chore or errand to do for the day (like working on a project, fixing a customer's problem, finishing your homework, etc) and then setting aside 1 hour of undivided and uninterrupted time for it.

This was really useful for me when I previously had several essays to complete. I might not know exactly how to start, but when I set my stopwatch (for 1 hour) and just went into it, I gradually built momentum in the task and things just got done as time passed.

So do try to see if this works for you. You may also want to adjust the 1 hour timeframe to suit the complexity of the task itself.

Cheers and all the best!

[veloci]

I tag this thread because I can coach others, but I fail at doing what I preach.

[dominicsoh]

Originally Posted by veloci

I tag this thread because I can coach others, but I fail at doing what I preach.

That's very true for me as well...I would dare to say that I know enough to get things going, but the next challenge is always to practice what we preach...it's definitely easier said than done, but doing it is what makes the difference.

Cheers!

[Monty]

I read a lot of time management stuff, Tim Ferriss etc. and thought recently about working lifestyles and how society sees 9-5 or 8 hours a day as a badge of honour. It posed the question in my mind, how many people are actually productive 8 hours a day?

Richard Branson claims he get all his days work done in the first 15 minutes,I came to my own conclusions,
I would suggest 75% of a normal working day is actually ZERO to low level productivity. If we factor in breaks, lunch breaks, down time, social media etc.

Now, there was some research done a few years ago which suggests 42 minutes being the optimal concentration time for high quality productivity. A person could work in 3 x 42 MINUTE STINTS / BURSTS throughout the day to essentially achieve what the average worker achieves in a normal day.
(not factoring 10 minutes organising time)

Double to 6 stints and you are still outstripping the average worker 2:1...

hmmm,now what to do with my free 4 hours a day?

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by NickWeb

SO basically I am too lazy. I could achieve much more if I was not so lazy. I am too lazy to cook food for myself, I am too lazy to improve my German and also I am too lazy to work sometimes.

Sometimes I am too lazy to go to bed, and stay up late and just sit in front of the computer

I would like to change. How can I do that? If I say to myself , OK let's do it, I still end up sitting in front of my computer and reading some stuff. So looking forward to your ideas. Also if you know any interesting novels is German please suggest to me

thanks in advance.

Nick!

I have THE solution to your problem. I can't be bothered to post it right now though, I'll do it later.

[moimoi]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Nick!

I have THE solution to your problem. I can't be bothered to post it right now though, I'll do it later.

A great example of procrastination or difference in people's priorities! Am I right?

[moimoi]

Originally Posted by NickWeb

SO basically I am too lazy. I could achieve much more if I was not so lazy. I am too lazy to cook food for myself, I am too lazy to improve my German and also I am too lazy to work sometimes.

Sometimes I am too lazy to go to bed, and stay up late and just sit in front of the computer

I would like to change. How can I do that? If I say to myself , OK let's do it, I still end up sitting in front of my computer and reading some stuff. So looking forward to your ideas. Also if you know any interesting novels is German please suggest to me

thanks in advance.

Hi,

Jules Renard once wrote, "Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired." But what you are referring to in your question rather seems to be procrastination. I have also tagged this thread because I also try to find a way to end procrastination or at least reduce it.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by moimoi

A great example of procrastination or difference in people's priorities! Am I right?

I'll tell you tomorrow.

[Oceans]

A great book on this issue is "The Now Habit"

It teaches that procrastination is not the cause of laziness but procrastination is a result of anxiety/fear, and thus laziness is a byproduct

With the right safety net, a powerful self image and a "okay-ness" of being human- you can make giant leap in overcoming apparent laziness. You are not lazy, you have simply conditioned yourself to react that way to certain stimuli (ie the stress of work, not knowing what to do/how to it etc).

It has several tools and exercises (many more!) to snap you out of a rut. Try out the book! - it takes on a whole different approach then other books and I’m glad I bought it.

It’s very positive and an anti-"Just get up and do it...stop being so lazy" attitude....which has never been very helpful

A few questions to get you stated:

“What can I do now?”

“When can I start?”

[moimoi]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

I'll tell you tomorrow.

OK, You know, I can listen to you later only...

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by moimoi

OK, You know, I can listen to you later only...

OK then! I'm feeling good, and ready to tell you the secret to avoiding procrastination! Let's go...

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Hold on a second, would the title be better underlined, or bolded? Let's see....

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Hmm. I'm not sure. Maybe both?

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

That's better! Wait, should I center it, to give it more emphasis?

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Yeeeeaaah! Now we're talking! Cool! The title's done!

I think that's enough for today. I do the rest tomorrow.

[howtolivehappily]

Skipping many of the answers. Here are a few pointers:

- There are things you think you "should" do, but they are not in line with your true purpose.
- You are afraid of going for what you really want, because being rejected for who you really are hurts the most.
- Somebody lied to you that you were lazy, and you believed them - and you still do.

There's a saying that people are fundamentally lazy, and that you have to force them to work using some kind of incentive. I believe that in truth, people are fundamentally playful and curious. You can spoil them and make them cynical if you treat them as if they were lazy, but that's not their true nature.

[James81]

Laziness and procrastination are not things you effectively fight. Why? Because those aren't the emotional issues behind the behavior. Laziness and procrastination are outside perspective views of your behavior.

Fighting laziness and procrastination are really just you trying to avoid the label from outsiders.

What's the real reason you don't want to go to bed? What's the real reason that you don't want to work?

Laziness and procrastination are just ways to cover up the emotional reason you don't want to do those things.

[moimoi]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

OK then! I'm feeling good, and ready to tell you the secret to avoiding procrastination! Let's go...

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Hold on a second, would the title be better underlined, or bolded? Let's see....

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Hmm. I'm not sure. Maybe both?

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

That's better! Wait, should I center it, to give it more emphasis?

The Secret to Avoiding Procrastination

Yeeeeaaah! Now we're talking! Cool! The title's done!

I think that's enough for today. I do the rest tomorrow.

I am sooooooo interested in your reply!
However all I could do now was to bookmark it to read it later...when I have time for that....

(Hoping the starter of this thread won't misunderstand me. In my opinion we are putting procrastination into practice )