From time to time all of us feel the desire to be idle, to do nothing, resist effort, procrastinate and postpone doing things. This is okay to do once in a while after working very hard but if this happens too often, on a daily basis than it needs to be addressed. There are certain which if you do or follow will help you get over your persistent laziness and improve productivity.
Two minute rule
- Whatever things you’re aiming to do, do it for a period of two minutes
- Best practice to do this is to follow it for any small / regular task that you’re trying to avoid or postpone
Close your escape routes
- While trying to postpone or not do a thing we have our escape routes
- A simple example of this is reaching out to your phone while feeling lazy
- Whenever the task is tricky / difficult / something which doesn’t interest us, we tend to do this
- Skip the temptation to do this completely
- Go offline or do complete digital detox when doing an important task
- Instead whenever you have time, go for walks, talk to your family members, have water / fruits etc
Do the task for just 15 minutes – 30 minutes countdown
- Applicable for difficult or time consuming things which needs more hard work
- This is my most successful mantra to avoid not doing a thing
- Use the initial time to just plan, visualize, break it down, make a road map and prepare a to do list
- This helps you to focus on the task at hand
Switch on your environment
- Declutter
- Be distraction free and comfortable in your space
- Stay organized, it really helps
- Each work area must have boundaries and design zones in the environment
Delegate
- Don’t try and finish all the things by yourself
- Delegate / ask for assistance, whenever you need it
- Follow this both at home and at work
- At home specially, it is imperative for both partners to share equal workload to avoid one partner getting burdened with all responsibilities
- Don’t exert yourself to a level that you start avoiding and giving up on important tasks
Rejuvenate
- Run, rest, rejuvenate, reset and run again
- Rest, sleep and meditation are equally important for your health
Avoid negativity
- Don’t engage in negative self talk because of guilt
- Avoid comparisons with others
Some others pointers to help you stay active
- Indulge in smart snacking
- Have fruits / water / slightly cooked veggies / high protein snacks
- Avoid sugary / refined snacks
- Carry water with you : dehydration can cause laziness
- Dress up for work / workout in general (may help you feel in the zone)
- Avoid stimulants when you’re already feeling lazy (avoid tea / coffee / smoke / alcohol)
- Have tea / coffee before you crash
- Give sufficient time and energy for planning (work / meals / routine tasks / all other important tasks)
- Exercise regularly in moderation, avoid exerting yourself too much
- Take frequent walks, don’t sit for too long
- Write down your problems, this will help you confront them better