Hot to get rid of laziness?

[Nathan]

I'm writing this post just so you guys can give me some advice on how to deal with laziness. To be honest, it's driving me crazy that I can't do anything except lie around, scroll through chats, watch videos on Youtubes and... that's it. It's like I'm going to keep going like this until I'm old (I'm 23, by the way)... At first, I thought I'd beaten this laziness, but alas, I was naive and didn't get rid of it at all... I want to create, grow, and just feel carefree for once.

So, that's how things are.

[Dan Q]

Breaking a habit - any habit - is hard and requires persistence. Which is exactly the kind of thing that can be hard to find the motivation to do when you're stuck in a habit of sedentation!

But fundamentally it's like breaking any other habit: find your motivation, track your progress, be firm but realistic with yourself on your goals, but be gentle and forgiving with yourself for your failures.

[bodypoetic]

That sounds like a really rough place to be in! I know that feeling of uncomfortable stasis more intimately than I would like.

I'm currently a couple of chapters into Devon Price's book 'Laziness Does Not Exist' and, well, I agree. I really recommend reading the book, or at the very least Price's essay by the same name here.

A key excerpt of the latter:

If a person can’t get out of bed, something is making them exhausted. [...] Even if a person is actively choosing to self-sabotage, there’s a reason for it — some fear they’re working through, some need not being met, a lack of self-esteem being expressed.

People do not choose to fail or disappoint. No one wants to feel incapable, apathetic, or ineffective. If you look at a person’s action (or inaction) and see only laziness, you are missing key details. There is always an explanation. There are always barriers. Just because you can’t see them, or don’t view them as legitimate, doesn’t mean they’re not there. Look harder.

I know how difficult it is to apply this way of thinking to yourself, but it is really worth doing. I've learned that when I'm struggling to get anything done, the most effective way forwards is to take the pressure off - to let myself do the thing badly, or slowly, or even not at all. Shame gets me nowhere - it's a powerful demotivator, but shaming a person INTO doing something is basically impossible.

You mention wanting to create - for that side of things, my advice is essentially the same. There's a very good Tumblr post by wrex-writes - who is responsible for some of the most helpful writing advice I've ever come across - called 'Rehab for Writing Injuries'. I suspect it can be adapted to other disciplines relatively easily - the core principles are good.

[Nathan]

Breaking a habit - any habit - is hard and requires persistence. Which is exactly the kind of thing that can be hard to find the motivation to do when you're stuck in a habit of sedentation!

Got it. Thanks for the advice! 

[Nathan]

I'm currently a couple of chapters into Devon Price's book 'Laziness Does Not Exist' and, well, I agree. I really recommend reading the book, or at the very least Price's essay by the same name here.

You mention wanting to create - for that side of things, my advice is essentially the same. There's a very good Tumblr post by wrex-writes - who is responsible for some of the most helpful writing advice I've ever come across - called 'Rehab for Writing Injuries'. I suspect it can be adapted to other disciplines relatively easily - the core principles are good.

Thanks for the advice and recommendations. I think I'll read that book after work; the quote from it already has me interested.

Also thanks for the writing tips, too. I'm actually planning to write a fanfic for my own fan-universe, but I'm struggling because my head is full of ideas and concepts I've been holding onto for 8 years. Plus, I'm planning to make an RPG for myself.

[Horsey Chobunso]

I'm currently a couple of chapters into Devon Price's book 'Laziness Does Not Exist' and, well, I agree. I really recommend reading the book, or at the very least Price's essay by the same name here.

This was a really nice read and a great reminder of how much nicer I need to be to myself. Thank you for sharing.

I've been trying to make progress on a bunch of different projects and I've mostly stalled out on all of them.

[camelwize]

Something that helped me was realising that it wasn't laziness but a lack of motivation. I mean think about it. If you were truly lazy, would you be asking how to stop being lazy? No you'd just relish it. The fact that you want to change means it's not a lack of wanting to do things as much as it is a lack of energy and drive to do them.

That distinction helped me because instead of thinking "How do I force myself to do X when I don't feel up to it?" I instead think in terms of: what can I do to have more energy/motivation.

Some things that helped me are:
- Dividing tasks into smaller steps, and I mean REALLY small. Let's say you want to tackle a workout. Make your goal to just do one set, or just to get to the gym, you can go home after if that's all you're up for. But if you feel up for it, set a new small goal, and go for it, and repeat until you can no longer do more/have done enough.
- On that note, exercise. When you're exercising you're learning how to effectively draw energy from within to accomplish a hard task, so it doesn't just benefit you inside the gym, but in your every day motivation/energy levels too. You don't have to start big, literally just start off doing a single set of push-ups or pull-ups, or a 5 minute jog. You can build up over time as your energy levels get better.
- Use a todo-list or a plan for the day. Sometimes it's not a lack of energy but actually you just feeling overwhelmed. You don't start because you don't even know where to begin, or how to possibly manage all the things you ought to get done. Making a todo list or planning your day helps you see how you can accomplish all that stuff. I'm literally like 10x more productive now that I use both.

Also don't beat yourself up, take it a day at a time, just try to do a little more than yesterday, you adapt to what you're used to - so once you get used to more activity, it'll be easier.

Hope this helps!

[littlelum]

I've learned that sometime what seems like laziness is often really something else. Scrolling on your phone might be a dopamine addiction, rather than not wanting to do anything. Taking a nap might be because you're tired and your body needs a rest. So I'd recommend asking yourself when you're feeling lazy: "is this laziness, or some other issue that results in me doing nothing?"

[Nathan]

Some things that helped me are:
- Dividing tasks into smaller steps, and I mean REALLY small. Let's say you want to tackle a workout. Make your goal to just do one set, or just to get to the gym, you can go home after if that's all you're up for. But if you feel up for it, set a new small goal, and go for it, and repeat until you can no longer do more/have done enough.
- On that note, exercise. When you're exercising you're learning how to effectively draw energy from within to accomplish a hard task, so it doesn't just benefit you inside the gym, but in your every day motivation/energy levels too. You don't have to start big, literally just start off doing a single set of push-ups or pull-ups, or a 5 minute jog. You can build up over time as your energy levels get better.
- Use a todo-list or a plan for the day. Sometimes it's not a lack of energy but actually you just feeling overwhelmed. You don't start because you don't even know where to begin, or how to possibly manage all the things you ought to get done. Making a todo list or planning your day helps you see how you can accomplish all that stuff. I'm literally like 10x more productive now that I use both.

Also don't beat yourself up, take it a day at a time, just try to do a little more than yesterday, you adapt to what you're used to - so once you get used to more activity, it'll be easier.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for another helpful advice!

[sloth_army1]

I've been having similar issues too. Right now I've been trying to break them just by doing a couple of small things everyday. I've been doing a short meditation, a short exercise or stretch, and duolingo. Just finding one or a couple small things that you can get yourself to do is a really good start. And like others said, not beating yourself up too much if you mess up. It's okay to miss a day or two, and it doesn't mean you've failed or lost all of your progress.

[AndGeo]

There's lots of good advice already on this thread. But to be a bit more "practical." Try to get rid of distractions in your surroundings, especially when you want to get some work done.

Laziness is a symptom, but much like a physical illness you want to fight cause and symptoms. So, uninstalling apps like youtube, downloading a distraction blocker, putting your phone outside of your room while you are working. All these things will temporarily help you get work done. Over time this can also help you build confidence which might help against your "laziness" in the long run.

While I was worried for a while that I'd miss the high quality posts and videos on social media for example... reinstalling Instagram every now and then really made me realize how little I gained from it.

Hope this helps! Cheers