It is a challenge to overcome laziness and procrastination. It is hard to stay motivated and keep on working when we are feeling lazy. However, it is possible to change our mindset and habits if we take some time out of our day to do so.
There are many ways to get over laziness and procrastination, some of which I will explore here. It’s worth remembering thought that one way is by taking care of ourselves by eating well, sleeping well, exercising, or getting enough sunlight or sleep.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks that require immediate attention. It can be caused by a lack of interest, fear of failure, or feelings of inadequacy. This word is derived from the Latin “pro crastinare” which means “to put off until tomorrow.” Procrastination can lead to stress, lack of productivity and decreased self-confidence. It can also be a symptom of depression and anxiety.
Procrastination is a common problem that affects individuals in many different contexts and settings. For example, some students may procrastinate on their schoolwork by watching TV or playing video games instead of studying for an exam. Employees may procrastinate on tasks such as filing paperwork or completing expense reports as they await approval from a supervisor. Or, as a mum wanting to make money, you might start sorting out a cupboard instead of coming up with a business plan and actioning it.
We are Hard Wired to Procrastinate
We’re hard-wired to procrastinate, and this is somewhat of a comforting fact…
Humans are designed to avoid discomfort. However, unfortunately, оr fortunately for us, discomfort is what makes us grow.
Procrastination can take many forms, the most obvious ones being delaying, watching movies, playing games, and scrolling on social media when you have a deadline or something you need to do. However, the most poisonous type of procrastination is procrastination disguised as productivity.
This means procrastinating by doing tasks that could be considered productive at first glance but in reality, are in no way efficient. Tasks like these include answering emails, making a list of what you need to do instead of doing it, spending time in pointless meetings, organising your desk, and so on.
These tasks by themselves are not malicious. The question is, when do you choose to perform these tasks? If you’re getting a lot done, that’s great, but are you truly making progress on what’s important?
You need to find the cardinal drivers of progress that are of utmost importance and deliver the most impact. Are you doing something because it’s moving you closer to your goal, or are you doing it because it can be seen as productive, but it’s actually just the path of least resistance in comparison to the hard task you need to do?
Two Essentials For The Fight Against Procrastination
When it comes to changing a hard-wired behaviour or even resolving any problem of any nature, there are usually no more than two essential things that will bring most of the change. And that is valid for the fight against procrastination, too, so let’s have a look at the essentials!
1. Urgency
There needs to be a sense of urgency in order for you to win the battle against resistance. Urgency can be created by simply thinking about where your time goes.
Time is running by, and the longer we put off the important tasks, the longer it’s going to take to reach our goal.
You don’t have forever.
2. Specific Goals
‘’If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable.’’
– Seneca
Why do you do what you do? What are you trying to achieve? What you’re doing right now, is it moving you closer to your goal, or is it drawing you further from it?
These are all questions we need to ask ourselves throughout the day. Think again about why it’s important for you to get through this specific task.
Also think about how delaying this task will push back achieving your goals in a week, maybe a month, maybe years. Think about the long-term detriments of procrastination being a habit and a constant weakness that looms upon you.
Don’t rationalise and justify it because everyone is doing it. That’s because not everyone has what it takes. Do what everyone else is doing, and get everyone else’s results.
How To Set Yourself Up For Success
The truth is, beating procrastination becomes easier when you’ve built enough friction between you and the things that distract you and make you procrastinate.
We need to set ourselves up for deep work and make procrastination hard. To do this, you need to first identify your most notable procrastination triggers and habits. Everyone is different, but to give an example, these are the kinds of things you would be looking for:
- Is your Facebook feed open while you’re working?
- Is your phone constantly next to you?
- Is the TV always on for background noise?
Things like this send us on a slippery ride down the procrastination slope. So look for them. Once you’ve found them try to think of ways that you can make it harder for yourself to slip.
- Close Facebook.
- Put your phone in the other room while working.
- Turn off the TV.
Make it hard to procrastinate.
That’s the difference between the top performers and the rest. The top performer’s engineer environments and habits that promote working. They make it easy to start working and make it harder to procrastinate.
Once you’re all set up and you’ve removed all possible triggers and distractions, all you need to do is just go.
How to Overcome Laziness
Laziness is a cognitive bias that makes us believe that we are not doing anything useful with our time. It is an irrational feeling of tiredness and lack of motivation. We can overcome laziness by using the following three strategies:
- We should create a list of key tasks or activities that we need to do. This will help us to overcome laziness because it will remind us what needs to be done and how long it will take us.
- We should set deadlines for ourselves in order to motivate ourselves to finish tasks on time. Setting deadlines for oneself can also help one avoid procrastination because it provides a sense of urgency and reduces the feeling of lack of purpose or meaninglessness.
- We should try to focus on the benefits associated with completing tasks as opposed to focusing on the negatives associated with not completing them, such as feeling guilty or ashamed, being constantly reminded about unfinished tasks, etcetera.
- Use a timer or alarm clock. Setting a timer for 20 minutes, for example, forces you to focus on one task without interruption for the duration of the time you set your alarm for. If you know that you need to do something but don’t want to do it, setting an alarm clock may help you get started with the task at hand.
Best books on procrastination
If you need some further help on how to overcome laziness and procrastination, here’s my recommendations:
- The Power of Discipline: How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals Currently free on Kindle Unlimited
- Instantly Stop Procrastination: 4 Powerful Concepts That Will Help You Effectively Complete the Tasks You Keep Avoiding (Currently free on Kindle Unlimited)
- The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play £9.85
Disclimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from any qualifying purchases
Take-Home Message on How to Overcome Laziness and Procrastination
If you are struggling with laziness and procrastination, don’t worry. We all do it from time to time!
I hope some of these tips have helped at least one person who’s struggled in the past.
Remember, don’t give up on yourself and keep trying new ways to deal with your problem until you find something that works for YOU!
Good luck out there 🙂