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.