Laziness is the enemy of productivity. If we were lazy, there is no way we could accomplish meaningful things. We may procrastinate doing things, or - even if we do them - we may do them only half-heartedly. There is no way we can produce high-quality results that way.

So we need to overcome laziness. While I can’t say that I’ve been completely successful in overcoming it, I’m happy with my progress. Here are 16 tips I find useful to overcome laziness:

1. Exercise

You could feel lazy if you do not have enough energy to do your activities. Exercising is a good way to increase your energy level so that you feel energized and alert throughout day.

2. Have a good rest

Not having enough rest could also make you lazy. How can you feel enthusiastic if you are sleepy? So make sure that you have good rest.

3. Set a minimum time limit to get started

The most difficult thing is to get started - the rest will be easier. So set a small amount of time, like 15 minutes or even 5 minutes, and decide to work on the task until the time is up. After that, it would be easier to decide to continue.

4. Create a sense of urgency

This is among the most effective ways to defeat laziness. If you have a sense of urgency, it will be much easier to get up and do what you need to do. One way to create a sense of urgency is by setting a deadline. You can read more about it on my article about sense of urgency.

5. Look at the benefits

One reason we become lazy is because we only see the difficulties of the tasks ahead without thinking about the benefits we will get when we finish them. So focus your mind on the benefits instead of the difficulties.

6. Set a reward for yourself

If the benefits are too far in the future, they might not be strong enough to motivate you to act now. In such cases, you can give yourself a more immediate reward. You may allow yourself to eat your favorite meal or watch a movie as your reward for completing the tasks.

7. Think about what will happen if you don’t do it

While thinking about the benefits can motivate you, thinking about the disadvantages if you do not do the tasks can also motivate you. What are the consequences if you do not do what you are supposed to do?

8. Find partners

Partners can motivate you to overcome laziness. While inner motivation is the best, sometimes we also need motivation from the outside.

9. Aim to minimize idle time

Make it your resolution to minimize idle time. Try to be in the state of doing as often as possible. If you have this mindset, it will be easier to overcome laziness.

10. Divide the task into manageable chunks

We could be lazy if we feel overwhelmed by the scale of the task. In such cases, divide the task into manageable chunks, and then tackle them one by one. Remember, the way to eat an elephant is by taking one small bite at a time.

11. Decide what the next physical action is

We may procrastinate because we are not sure what to do next. So look at the task and decide what the next physical action is. Once you know exactly what to do, it will be easier to start.

12. Do one thing at a time

It may seem obvious, but we could be lazy because we try to do more than one thing at a time. That makes us feel overwhelmed. So select just one thing at a time, do it, and ignore the rest.

13. Challenge yourself

Make the tasks fun by turning them into a challenge. Can you accomplish those tasks? Many people can, so why can’t you?

14. Write down your progress

You will be more motivated if you can easily see the effect of laziness. One way to do that is by tracking your progress daily. Put a mark whenever you complete a task. Laziness will give you an empty sheet, and you can easily see how bad it is.

15. Watch other people’s progress

Knowing how far behind you are compared to other people could also motivate you. Watch good performers in your field and let their performance inspire you.

16. Align yourself with what matters to you

While all the tips above can help you, it will be much easier to overcome laziness if you do something that matters to you. You will have the burning fire within that make you want to act. So find a cause that matters to you and align yourself as much as possible with it.

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Those are the tips I learned. Do you have other tips to overcome laziness? Feel free to share them in the comments.

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Photo by Ingorrr