Why Am I So Lazy? 9 Tips to Stop Being Lazy and Unmotivated
Later. That’s the recurring theme that runs through your head as you arrange all your snacky snacks and flick through the options on the Hulu playlist.
All while assignments are pushed out for later, the kitchen is a mess, and you need to prepare your presentation for the SCRUM on Thursday.
When you’re rushing through your tasks at the last minute, it’s inevitable that you’ll ask yourself, Why the hell am I this lazy? How am I to overcome laziness?”
Fear not. We have your back.
See, your laziness isn’t so much a condition as it is a symptom. That means, if you’re ever going to get to the bottom of your laziness and start meeting your goals, you need to dig deep.
Very, very deep. Is it going to be hard? Heck yes! So why do it? Because it feels good. So damn good.
Table of Contents
Why Am I So Lazy?
Laziness can be caused by a number of things, for instance, a lack of motivation, no clear direction or interests, or even a feeling of overwhelm. There is also our evolutionary trait. We are hardwired to preserve our energy and lay low. The result? Netflix and chill in an endless loop of instant gratification and regret.
But here’s the thing, if we could wire this behavior in, we can wire it right back out. So let’s look at some of the potential causes of your overgrown lawn, assignment deadline extensions, and zero plans for personal development.
1. You’re afraid to fail
Fear of failure is a real thing. Whether you were bullied by your parents into a performance trap or ridiculed by peers when you stuffed up your rebuttal at the high school debate. When we experience something that leaves us feeling inadequate or mortified, our kneejerk reaction to that is to just never attempt it again.
But the experts have a solution.
- Redefine Failure: Sure, failure is tough. Especially when that failure links to our security. Getting fired or closing down your business might seem like the end of the world when it’s more like the closing of a chapter. What you perceive as a failure might prevent you from seeing the opportunity. For instance, losing your job means you can finally see what is out there in the job market, start your own business, go back to school, start a family you name it. When you frame the experience differently, your mind can interpret the signals differently. For instance, an anxiety-filled situation suddenly becomes a fresh adventure.
- Know You Worst-Case Scenario: You want to know what can happen, and what the effects are. Once you know it, you can make the necessary plans to either avoid the effects or counter them. A good example would be to have a set of skills to fall back on if you’re suddenly without work.
- Stay Relevant: No one is going to push or prod you to get your degree, take that course, or learn something new. That’s on you. You need to make sure that when that fear situation pops out of its ugly head, you’re ready for change.
- Work Towards The Fear: The best way to overcome fear, is to incrementally move towards the situation that causes the fear. For instance, if you fear you won’t have enough money to start a business, then do the logical thing and save. If you want to move up the corporate ladder but you’d rather sit on the couch with a family-sized pack of M&Ms, figure out whether it’s training, further learning, or building relationships that need a boost.
2. An invisible script is getting in your way
We’re all shaped by TV, news, social media, and even what our parents and teachers tell us, but often we don’t realize it. Growing up, you absorbed messages about how the world works that are still affecting your decisions today. I call these ‘invisible scripts’.
Some of these invisible scripts can be really harmful. Things like: You’re not going to make it; you’re not good enough, rich enough, thin enough, tall enough, or smart enough.
Here’s something that should smash some of that inner dialogue: Think of the top ten richest people on the planet. Do they all meet all the criteria on that list? What about your five most successful friends? Nope?
But here’s the thing. We want you to get up and go for it. Our post on invisible scripts should get you up and at it in no time.
Ever wonder why some people are 10x or even 100x happier, more confident, and more successful than others? Click here to learn how to master the psychological “Success Triggers” that top performers use to shift their negative thinking into peak performance, natural confidence, and lasting happiness.
3. You’re waiting for motivation to strike
We’ll start with the bad news first, motivation isn’t going to get you there. In fact, there are going to be very dry spells where motivation is just not a thing. The best way to curb this is to assume that future you will still fight anything that remotely resembles work.
So you build systems. You make sure that you have a clear starting point and end goal. But more on this later. (I told you we have you covered).
How To Stop Being Lazy: Tips to Kickstart Action
You know you have a tendency to the horizontal, ie. procrastination level: expert. What you need is how to get upright, stand tall, and inch closer to your goals.
1. Break your task list into manageable chunks
You’re probably sick of this phrase but we’re going to throw it at you anyway. How do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite. Simple as that.
How do you lose weight? Small changes every day. This week, you make small changes to your diet and start walking. Next week, you increase that to a jog once a week. The week after, who knows? Add in sets of weights, do resistance training, or take up Pilates.
The same goes for work goals. Want to deliver a kick-butt presentation that will leave your team bright-eyed and reaching for their notebooks and pens? Do bits of research and work on it every day. Start with small sessions of 15 minutes a few times a day. If you need to, increase these time blocks to 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or even 45 minutes. Whatever you need to get the job done.
A key point to remember is how to get started and that will take some willpower. But don’t let that put you off if willpower hasn’t been in your wheelhouse before. You don’t need willpower for the entire task. You just need willpower for the first few minutes of each time block you’ve allocated. This is because once you get started, it’s easier to stay in motion.
2. Make sure your goals are realistic
Drop 20 pounds by next Tuesday? Are you kidding me? Of course you’re getting stuck in neutral. Drop three pounds by next Tuesday is a little bit more reasonable, but still pretty tough for some people.
When setting your goals, you need to incorporate all the variables that will help you reach that goals.
- Is it time-sensitive?
- Will you need to learn a new skill?
- Does it require a career change?
- Will you need to invest a sum of money to get it going?
Here’s the thing. You decide where you land and having a big, scary, somewhat off-the-radar goal is completely doable, but you need to trust yourself that you will follow the path that leads to this goal.
If you’re setting unrealistic goals and get into a cycle of not achieving them, anything that seems even remotely difficult will be out like last week’s leftovers. You need to build trust with yourself, and that means getting into the habit of achieving goals that you know you can reach, and building goals you think you can reach. Eventually, you’ll build up your goals to a level where you’re unsure, even a little scared.
3. Find an accountability partner
An accountability partner is someone who will be a cheerleader when you meet your goals, but more importantly, will take on the role of a psychological drill sergeant. Relax! It’s not as bad as you think. All it means is they give you that nudge when you’re still building self-discipline while you crawl out of your comfort zone.
Your accountability partner is someone who understands your goals, the methods to reach them, and what would happen if you don’t meet these goals. For instance, if you’re looking to train for a marathon and you’re struggling to get out of bed in the mornings to get a run in, you want someone who can run with you or track your progress.
They will check in on you in increments to make sure that you’re reaching the smaller, bite-sized chunks of your goals (remember the elephant?). They will also be frank with you when you return to your old habits.
Learn to take control of your finances and spend your money GUILT-FREE with our free Ultimate Guide To Personal Finance below:
4. Commit to the smallest possible action
A critical component of how not to be lazy is the ability to see the smallest portion of the task and then commit to getting it done. For instance, if you have an enormous project, look for that element in the project that will only take five minutes to complete.
Then find another element that will take only ten minutes. Soon, you’ll be working on 45-minute tasks without hassle.
That tendency for laziness could very well just be overwhelming and cause insecurity. This can wreak havoc on your mental health, as laziness keeps you in that cycle. When you’re able to take it little by little and focus on the quick wins, you’ll have the motivation you need to take on the larger chunks.
Struggling to get going when it’s time for the gym or a run? Put on your workout clothes. That will trick your brain into getting out of the door, otherwise, the act of dressing was a waste of time. See how simple that is?
5. Make it easy to get started (and difficult to get distracted)
If you happen to have a friend who is always on top of her household chores, you can bet your hard-earned dollars that cleaning supplies and tools are within easy reach. Your friend understands that unpacking things from a dark, dank closet or basement is a task in itself, and might push out the task at hand until there’s time to do both.
What about your work-from-home friends? They know the easiest way to get started is by following a foolproof system that cuts out all that jazz. And by jazz, I mean texting, social media, the TV, pets, you name it. Whatever seems to eat large chunks of your time.
So here’s what you do:
- Make sure the area is work/exercise/task friendly. This means cleaning out clutter, setting up your workstation, and ensuring that you have what you need to perform the task.
- Your space should be permanent (work) or at worst, semi-permanent (exercise). This way, that dedicated space is already set up for use. If this isn’t possible, make sure that you set the space up ahead of time so that when it’s time to work, you can jump straight in.
- Turn off your gadgets if you can. Cal Newport, considered the authority on focus and getting things done, has a system where he creates blocks of time for focus. In these blocks, there are no distractions. His office is set up for work, his phone is off, and he stays away from that inbox during his work blocks. While deep work might not be for everyone, there are a few lessons that can get you into a good working rhythm. For instance, creating a space that is distraction-free when you know you should be focusing on the task at hand. Remove the desk blotter, the desktop toys, and even music if you must at least until you’re able to work through tasks more efficiently. Then, when the job is done, doodle on that blotter all you want!
- Let those around you in on your plan. All those office workers who made the change to remote work not only need to change the way they approach their work and home blocks but also educate their families to do the same. Provide a clear schedule of work time and family-time. This allows you to work and have fun without guilt on either side as you’re effectively implementing time management like a boss.
6. Create new habits
You know which actions let you down. You know that if you come home from work, sit down, and switch the TV on, you don’t get anything done. Sure, you need that break, but you also need to have that break without worrying about everything you still need to do.
Instead, take 15 minutes to put your things away such as your laptop bag, and your shoes, and have a shower or change into your gym gear. When you do this often enough, that after-work couch lull will disappear.
Forming a new habit can be tough. However, when you consistently perform an action and continue to do this for a length of time, your brain misses that action when you don’t do it. The brain is all about systems and routines. According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and Smarter, Faster, Better:
The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, our habits are what determine how successful we are at meeting our goals. Basically, you need an action plan to cement the habits you want to form.
At first, a habit is a choice. Then, in time and with enough repetition, it becomes an act we no longer think about, we just do. Your brain simply creates a new formula to follow.
7. Be willing to change
If you find yourself in a space where you’re justifying your behavior, it’s going to be a tough journey to change. But if you have the willingness to change, those behaviors that help you back before simply won’t be as effective.
The willingness to change needs to be affirmed every day, and when you’re feeling low during the course of that day, break it down even further. Remind yourself why you’re doing things, and work in little bits of motivation. This is the part where you pull out that dream life map, or as we call it at IWT, your rich life. Envision what that life would look like if you continue working hard on your goals.
8. Give yourself permission to fail
This one stings far more than we realize. Especially if we were birthed into families where failure was frowned upon and even punished. It makes it hard for us to equate failure to growth, learning, or anything positive for that matter. But successful people know better. They know that failure is an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and become better, not bitter.
By giving yourself permission to fail, you’re far more likely to try new things and explore new avenues, because you know that failure is not the end. Ask yourself what the worst thing is that could happen, and if it doesn’t cause irreversible damage or physical harm, can you give it a chance?
9. Work in little rewards
Set aside a day or an hour, depending on your needs and schedule, to do those things you long to do when you should be working on your goals. For instance, if you simply have to find out whether Sherlock and Joan end up together as you work your way through Elementary, you can set some time aside for it.
But use it like you would a reward system. That way, you still get to work on your goals and enjoy a bit of unproductive downtime. We all need rest, but it’s that endless loop of R&R that gets you in trouble.
Ready to improve your habits and level up your life? Download our FREE Ultimate Guide To Habits below.
FAQs About How to Stop Being Lazy
What are the main causes of laziness?
Being unmotivated or distracted are two major causes of laziness. But more often than not, people just don’t have good habits in place that help them be productive.
How do I stop being unmotivated?
There are three ways to motivate yourself:
1.) Plan for Failure
2.) Put it on Your Calendar
3.) Develop Laser Focus (yes, it’s possible)
Why am I so lazy and tired?
You may be unmotivated, distracted, or just not have good habits in place to help you be productive. Fortunately, learning to be more productive doesn’t have to be complicated.
How do I stop being lazy while working from home?
If you want to be more productive while working from home, you need to
1.) Accept reality
2.)Develop new routines
3.) Make sure you’ve got your work/life balance right
4.) Be careful not to get carried away with productivity apps
If you’re serious about kicking bad habits like laziness, start by reading my free e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Habits
Earlier this year, I spent 16 hours prepping for an extraordinary interview. One of my mentors, Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg, taught me much of what I know about psychology and persuasion.
I asked him to spend an hour with me, where we would share our favorite techniques and tactics on behavioral change — on everything from money to exercising and flossing.
We talked our about favorite persuasion studies from academic research — then spent time sharing some of the persuasion models we’ve developed ourselves. And we recorded it.
It’s easy to find some jackass blogger who can write the TOP 10 EASY WAYS TO INFLUENCE YOUR NETWORK!!! But finding someone who has a deep, thorough knowledge of academic research, plus practical persuasion is extraordinarily rare.
If you’re interested in how to change your own behavior, I strongly encourage you to listen to our conversation.
You can’t get this kind of material anywhere else, and BJ is a tremendous expert with a lifetime of experience.
But that interview is only one small part of my free e-book on creating great habits, breaking bad ones, and performing to the peak of your ability.
In this guide, here are a few nuggets that I share:
- How systems beat motivation every time when trying to change your behavior and form lasting habits.
- The Treadmill of Disappointment and 3 easy steps to achieving any goal you set.
- How even chocolate can be a powerful motivator for positive behavior change.
- How to use failure expectation to stay on track after a setback.
- Jerry Seinfelds system of building momentum, Don’t break the chain.
The single best way of keeping laser-focused on achieving your goal, as well as the systems to achieve it.
Most importantly, instead of feeling guilty about being so lazy, you’ll learn practical ways to stop being lazy. And that is, quite simply, why this site exists.
Want to build a business that enables you to live YOUR Rich Life? Get my FREE guide on finding your first profitable idea.
54 Comments
-
-
-
Michelle
We love Ramit and Tony but I seriously doubt Ramit is trying to be like Tony. Hopefully you will hang around for a while to see how Ramit tackles these and other issues!
-
Irok
Me when I'm lazy: https://www.facebook.com/171120259736578/videos/vb.171120259736578/499231730258761/?type=2&theater
-
-
Joseph Dantes
Cal Newport talks about another reason for "laziness", or total demotivation, something he calls "deep procrastination," which happens to a lot of college students. Cal lists the following reasons for procrastination: 1. Fear (of both success and failure). 2. Perfectionism. 3. We think our work is of low quality. But the biggest, Cal says, is that, "Your brain doesn't buy your plan." http://calnewport.com/blog/2011/07/10/the-procrastinating-caveman-what-human-evolution-teaches-us-about-why-we-put-off-work-and-how-to-stop/ Cal has good solutions for students. Ramit Sethi has good solutions for earning money. But these are specific rather than general answers. The real problem is not the plan itself, but the plan before the plan... or, HOW you plan. So what is the "plan before the plan?" It's your info organization method - be it paper or digital. It's how you process all your thoughts, including your tasks. A bad system generates mental resistance by exceeding the limits of your working and long-term memory, by creating info fragmentation, by failing to provide default procedural algorithms. Or by generating so much overhead that adherence is impossible. This is the slippage in the gears before action ever begins. Human working memory is limited to 7 items, and long-term memory forgets everything that isn't vividly imprinted and then given spaced repetitions. If you automate your finances, how much more important to automate your brain? Only Cyborganize can do this.
-
Vince
I disagree! The system isn't the problem - deep procrastination is an indication of no motivation. However, motivation is a studied topic and there are strategies for biasing our own thinking to become more motivated. On my blog, I discuss motivation strategies originally developed to help drug addicts recover; a major motivation win (http://www.happyhomunculus.com/2011/07/week-of-motivation.html). Break out some metacognition and change your thinking first! Rock on!
-
Russell
A plan before the plan seems more like a good way to procrastinate further to me. Where does that madness end- a plan to plan for the plan that we are planning, and lets not forget the plan we need to generate in order to get to the plan that we are planning of doing on how we plan to create our plan.
-
-
John Doe
1. Details. Be very specific. If your goal is to make more money then you basically need to map out a business plan. Not a biz school type of plan, but a real business idea with concrete ways that you will make money off this thing, hopefully from the beginning. Even if you are a full time employee, you are still selling your time, and that's a business. Map out your strategy for getting that raise or perhaps jumping ship. 2. Treat it like a job. If you need to make more money and you have gone through step number one, then you need to create a space you can work from. Your day job provides this for you, so you don't have a problem there. Unfortunately, you probably don't have this for your "side" stuff. Everyone needs a place to work from. A student might study in the library. A web worker might work from Starbucks. Just make sure that you are getting out of your lounge space. You aren't going to get anywhere if you are contemplating your options when you haven't even put any clothes on for the day.
-
Freud
"In this conversion, here are a few nuggets that we share" Freudian slip
-
Anca
Took me a long time between buying your book and starting to read it. No surprise that it's taken me a long time to make progress in reading a book on procrastination. Fear of failure/success is a huge hurdle.
-
-
imelda
Sigh. My first time on your blog in a while, and I was excited to see an interesting topic. Yet as usual, it requires some sort of sign-up at the end. Why? If you're not going to use our email addresses to send us spammy appeals and sales pitches and whatnot, then why even require it? I'm already on the newsletter list, so I'm already hassled every time I visit this website with the popup invite to join. Now, to get content, I need to provide my information again. I see that you spent a lot of time on this phone call, and I have enjoyed your content in the past. Both of these things make me willing to sign up for something - I just wish I knew what I was signing up for. If you gave a reason for requiring our email address, I would feel a lot better about it. Also, just a comment on the sales pitch, the "testimonials" are really unhelpful. I would rather get a breakdown of the content of the phone call, like a table of contents, and a description from YOU of why it's helpful. I suspect that the "Tony Robbins" comment you got stemmed from the structure of this (confusing) sales pitch.
-
Ramit Sethi
If you click "Maybe later" on the popup, you will be cookie'd and won't see the popup again. I think it's more than fair to ask for your email address in exchange for this premium material that you can't find anywhere else. If you think that (1) all I will do is sell things to you using (2) spammy appeals, then you really need to ask yourself whether you trust me to provide you useful material. If you do, then sign up and you'll get the information, and you can decide on a day-by-day basis if I'm providing value to you. As usual, about 98% of my stuff is free. If not, why bother signing up? Unsubscribe and be on your way, and we won't waste each other's time. I suspect that someone who complains about "spammy appeals" is probably not right for this site.
-
imelda
Again - just to clarify - I, too, agree that it's fair to ask for our email addresses. I just think you should state WHY you're asking for it. As you (probably don't) know, I've been a subscriber for a long time. I go back and forth on this stuff. Among your readers, I am NOT alone in feeling like you send too many pitchy emails. Many people have complained about it. It is a little disheartening that, every time people complain about something, you tell us we're not right for your site.
-
Sam
I have also wondered why the request for email addresses appears so frequently EVEN IF I'M ALREADY ON THE LIST. I'm happy to receive the emails; I am capable of deciding whether to read them. I understand the request from NEW visitors but not the perpetual barrier to content. Where is the BJ Fogg podcast for those who are already subscribers? The annoying thing is putting my name and email into your system EVERY TIME I'd like to check out the free content you're pointing to. Several times I've gone through the loop and never arrive at the thing I was being directed toward (or it seems like the content/offer has expired and is now part of a paid product). I know I'm on your list with two email addresses after chasing what I thought would be a file/ebook on email scripts.
-
-
KGreen
Personally, when I get up in the morning the best thing for me to do is eat a good hearty breakfast and go work out. Whether thats going to the gym or going for a run around my neighborhood. I find that it makes my day a lot more productive. I try to focus on killing two birds with one stone to be more productive as well. For instance, when I go for a run, I run to a neighborhood that I am interested in buying real estate. And, it just makes it more enjoyable for me (since I enjoy and my passion is for real estate).
-
Justin
I've had some success changing my behavior by using positive reinforcement to try and make myself want to do something. For example, I want to want to workout regularly - if I can make the jump from "wanting to want" to "wanting to workout", that's a huge behavioral change, and makes behaviors easier to accomplish and automate because they are desirable. It also effectively combats procrastination. It's a slow process, but I reinforce myself positively whenever I observe that I "want to want" to workout. Eventually - after about 4 weeks of continued observations of these thoughts and subsequent rewards - I noticed that I now want to workout. I'm interested to see how long this perspective will last, but it's been a great experiment. Thanks for all the work, and the call with BJ - I learned a ton last time around.
-
Beth
How do you "reward" yourself?
-
-
MD
I listened to this a while back. I'm going to give it another listen. The one point that I will never forget from this is the idea that you can convince people to do a few small things much easier than one big task (something along those lines). I've applied that tip to every single area of my life. No girl will ever go home with a stranger. Most will however agree to leave to grab a snack. The rest is up to you. Blog readers won't just buy something from you. They will give you their email in exchange for a "free gift." How you convert that over time is once again up to you.
-
Richard Millington
I think the secret to beat most procrastination is to have a system. Something that feels easy. For example, I'm currently writing a lesson for a course I'm running. Everything was flowing until I reached a section I wasn't sure how to tackle. This is usually where I decide to 'take a quick break'. Perhaps check Twitter/FB/Blog comments etc. These breaks can turn into afternoon-long sessions if I spot something that interests me. My system these days is to identify that temptation to check those platforms and tell myself: "ok, I'm going to make the slightest dent in this next section, perhaps just 2 paragraphs, then take a break". I use StayFocusd to lock me out of the time-sucking platforms after 10 minutes on any one day. I've found that once I've made the slightest dent into something, it's a hundred times easier to get going again than when I don't know how to begin. It's not a perfect system, I wouldn't be writing this common right now if it was, but I don't want a perfect system. I'm at a level of productivity I'm very happy with.
-
sarah m.
This is my first comment on this blog. I appreciated the BJ Fogg interview. The baby steps interview articulated a principle I practiced many years ago. I started running for enjoyment in college (10+ years ago). I started out telling myself I would just run a bit and stop when I no longer enjoyed it, even if I only made it two blocks. As I accomplished those goals, I would start adding time in very small increments. About three years later I ran a full marathon. I had forgotten about this principle. I'm currently working on some fitness goals, and have been inconsistent, probably because the lack of immediate results discourages me. I have also enjoyed some of your other material. I have identified some mental barriers relating to income and responsibility and failure. I'm recognizing a need to "fail more" -- to attempt the process and use the results to fine tune the work. Additionally, being aware of certain mental barriers is enlightening. It's difficult to work through and create the baby steps and systems to overcome them if I'm not cognizant of them. I also appreciated the insight that context can change attitude -- I recently have seen very personal examples of how this principle plays out. Articulation of these ideas can definitely lead to productive action.
-
Brandon
"Unconventional approaches BJ has used to help people get dream jobs, get speaking engagements, and get national recognition" Unconventional, BJ, dream job and national recognition should never be used in the same sentence.....
-
Michelle Brown
Ramit - thanks for including my comment! I had forgotten about it but elements of that interview do often pop back into my head! I have found a way of influencing behaviour is through creating "Standard Work" and then auditing it, in a company environment, and having behaviour influence others who have trouble buying into a change process. Behavioural change on an individual level is more challenging but the principles are the same!
-
Ben
Nice psycho talk. I have a Phd in accounting with a concentration in behavioral psych. We all have anchoring heuristics that dictate behavior. Changing them is not simply using some code word like should have or would have. It takes significant behavioral change in our decision making processes not just a slick blog filled with Tony Robbins football coach Rah Rah talk. Please get serious and stop wasting the most important resource everyone has ... TIME. Stanford has one of the best industrial psych departments in the world. Let's use something in the DSM and not option.
-
-
Howard
I discovered (about 12 years ago) that a huge component of my lethargy/laziness came from my diet. Once I eliminated sugar, grain, and transfats from my diet, not only did I lose 100 lbs and improve my health, but I got a boost in my physical energy and my ability to focus my mind.
-
Joseph Dantes
Same here. I think it would make sense for Ramit to partner with some kind of paleo diet info resource, since he's interested in behavior change.
-
-
Shaleen Shah
Sometimes, I wonder if technology is to blame for this generation of slacktivists that we are all in. I guess, one can always think that there will be no tomorrow so they have to do their best - today. Love your insights, anyway.
-
RustyH
My father always said I was lazy when I didn't put the screwdriver back when I was done with it. I explained to him "If I was lazy, I would have never used the screwdriver in the first place." I do not have fear of success nor failure. I am a perfectionist but a minimalist so it is even. I know my work is of high quality, though my clients believe my work is of a genius. Unfortunately, whenever I "begin to begin" a project, I instantaneously feel the urge of "I don't want to do this". It's not a fear, it is a stubbornness. I am an INTP with asperger's syndrome. Anyone care to throw a few nuggets this way?
-
Joseph Buchignani
Given that you're not lazy and have Aspergers, you're probably experiencing anxiety produced by the mental resistance of a blossoming set of possibility trees and unprioritized actionables that you don't know how to properly process into your digital info processing system. The hurdle of beginning to begin is what eliminating resistance by creating an automatic workflow is all about.
-
-
Blake Mills
I often run into this, especially when I'm working from home. What I've found that works for me is regular quick phone calls with others in similar situations. Kind of a HooRa! motivational check-in a couple times during the day. This worked so well for me that I'm building a service specifically around automated short group accountability calls. It's called 15 Minute Calls (15minutecalls.com) and you can set-up regular quick accountability calls for yourself. Enjoy and let me know if you stop by. ;-)
-
Aaron
Hi Ramit. Your views have certainly challenged my thoughts on personal finance. I have been one of "those" bloggers who tend to focus more on the save here and there - while sometimes neglecting that the greater reward can be in creating more income.
-
jcran
Also, I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned before, but MEASUREMENT is critical - whatever you're trying to change! Money, health, how many emails you sent today, whatever. If you really want to get good at something, find a way to measure it and stick it in your face, so that you can't avoid it!
-
Lazy?
We are lazy because it feels good fullstop. The problem is that this world is hardly inviting us to a wonderful life. We're riding a self-destructing train, in which all passengers are aware of but can't do anything about it. We are all a coincidental mistake with no real purpose other than making the world worse day by day and moaning about it apparently. Try to make the best out of it. - C
-
jose
I was so lazy, I didn't even finish the article....
-
Katnis
too..... many .... big... words.........
-
Vonahumpalot
Do work son.
-
dee
Hello. I’m mot usually lazy person or I didn’t used to be iv written list after list of what I want to do and do a time scale It didn’t work like stopping smoking getting more meals I did that for a while but got bored of it quite quickly I’m easily irritated by the smallest of things. I go to work at 7 and finish at 1 in the after noon. If I don’t do things like tyding straight away I won’t do it or I’ll do half a job still thinking I should really do it it won’t take long ect that with most things I’m always thinking of what I should be doing to improve my life and set my goals but I just rally don’t no why I’m not doing it doctors thinks it underractive thyroid. I’m not sure I agree how do I get out of this stage I used to be up and out the house walking the dogs either when I finished work in the night or when I was bored. The worst thing is TV bores me so much. Any advice?
-
Daniel Welsch
I know people who call themselves perfectionists and don't do much more than sit around watching TV. I guess the perfectionism is so paralyzing that they prefer to do something it's impossible to fail at. Anyway, failure is almost never final. I've learned to accept imperfection and just put things out there, and it's been a great strategy. You can always improve the product later, if it turns out to be more or less successful.
-
Kendrick Hammond
Ever sense my previous employment fell threw, finding work has been hard/ near impossible for me. With the lack of a diploma I fear I'll never be successful in my life. This fear has draw laziness upon me. I can no longer think strait or clearly anymore. I have a minimum amount of cash, and I am sick of it. I just want to be wealthy, and happy with myself. Please if anyone could leave me feedback, or an email of help I would appreciate it very much.
-
Alonelyblogger
Was going to subscribe till I read your snarky reply to the reader who asked you to state why you ask for emails. Instead of answering the question, you try to push the issue back on them. Way to be professional (as I assume you like to think of yourself as). It could've been easy to say "I like to provide my readers updates on my content", or "I like to send my subscribers extra content not posted on my page". Not "If you are asking why, it means you don't trust me (a completely random author). And if you don't like why I'm asking, then unsubscribe and quit wasting my time". I love to blog about inspirational and motivational pieces, but yours will definitely be a negative. Seemed like you and this page was going somewhere, but if you get that worked up over a legitimate question, obviously you have a lot to work on personally. And I will not be taking advice from someone who has a hard time with the little things.
-
Omar
Simply I'm too lazy to read .. ironic
-
Irakli
im so lazy, cant read this
-
Brenna
I'm definitely carrot-and-stick driven, but if it's only a stick I will hold out until the very last minute (deadlines, fines, etc.). A few years ago I created a "Procrastination List" and wrote down all the stupid things that I had been avoiding for months or even years and rated them by difficulty or time to complete. I then made a simple reward system: by earning X amount of points, I could by myself a new pair of Chuck Taylors. And it was enough to work for me. I knocked a bunch of looming items off my list over a number of weeks, and earned myself three new pairs of Chucks. I need to create a long-term version of this to tackle tasks like losing weight, finishing school, and getting out of debt. But I believe I can scale this up.
-
Brenna
*buy, not by. >:(
-
-
Fred
This is awesome! I am 17 years old and moving out to college on my own next year. Thank you, Ramit, I will definitely use this and your other tools to help guide me. I've written out a year 1 finance plan for the coming year and I would really appreciate it if you could check it out.
-
lisa
I get why you ask for our email addresses...its too keep "us" that procrastinate encouraged...I get it. I get the Tony pitch... I love it! I love the Ramit pitches... I love it. I love it because I know ONE day, ONE soon I will open an email from Ramit and say, "Damn, it... this is my day to make a choice." Please keep the positive messages flowing. Because I do read them.
-
Lisa Wimberley
We all have advantages and disadvantages. Someone has many advantages, someone less. But worth remembering every good side has backward side, as described herehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strengths_and_weaknesses_(personality). Actually this lack is in each of us. Who says he do not have laziness - it's not true. Sooner or later each of us in life comes a time when he wants to give up and just do nothing. It is a moment of weakness and laziness. But this does not mean that this person is weak, eventually we are just people! Any workaholic, can give up and just do nothing. Well as any laziest person can change his life and begin to walk to his goal! The most important thing that we must remember: no matter how difficult it is now, no matter how many reasons you have to give up, important always remember one reason to go on. This reason may be for each different: to prove to your parents, loved ones prove to yourself as thesis writing here http://phdify.com/blog/how-to-overcome-students-laziness-and-lack-of-motivation. There thesis writing about our weaknesses and how to fight with them! But most importantly, you should never forget for what you fighting, for what you go on. And for those who are lazy and afraid to make the first move. You should know in your power change your life, enough to make it - the first step and your life will change! Besides there will always be people w
-
Lisa
We all have advantages and disadvantages. Someone has many advantages, someone less. But worth remembering every good side has backward side, as described here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strengths_and_weaknesses_(personality). Actually this lack is in each of us. Who says he do not have laziness - it's not true. Sooner or later each of us in life comes a time when he wants to give up and just do nothing. It is a moment of weakness and laziness. But this does not mean that this person is weak, eventually we are just people! Any workaholic, can give up and just do nothing. Well as any laziest person can change his life and begin to walk to his goal! The most important thing that we must remember: no matter how difficult it is now, no matter how many reasons you have to give up, important always remember one reason to go on. This reason may be for each different: to prove to your parents, loved ones prove to yourself as thesis writing here ( http://phdify.com/blog/how-to-overcome-students-laziness-and-lack-of-motivation ). There thesis writing about our weaknesses and how to fight with them! But most importantly, you should never forget for what you fighting, for what you go on. And for those who are lazy and afraid to make the first move. You should know in your power change your life, enough to make it - the first step and your life will change! Besides there will always be people who will help you!
-
Jade
I couldn't finish reading this article, it's too long and I'm lazy
-
brandon
im too lazy to read all that, can somebody sum it up for me
-
Sam
Try not to confuse laziness with inability to manage your time. If you can't manage your time, you can't do anything. Laziness is when you know what you want, but you don't understand why you need it. The lack of understanding of what you do is the exact definition of laziness. The most difficult stuff is to force yourself to grow, study and work hard)) http://myessayshelp.org/ will help you!
-
bubuza
And i'm too lazy to read them all
-
Tony Santoro
Yes. But sometimes I think there's a deeper psychological issue behind this. Some of the celebrities also say that they are lazy but they WORK when it comes down to it. So, maybe just pick a fun job to start with? I don't know, just putting it out there!
Comments are closed.
Nuzum
Sounds to me that Ramit is a platinum member of Tony Robbins, both have great advice, but present it differently. But this post really makes me believe that Ramit is trying to be Tony. Both have their places, both have their audiences. Just thinking out loud here.