In a society where there is so much to do and where changes occur so quickly, the pace of life for most people is very hectic. However, neither facing up to responsibilities nor undertaking those difficult initial parts of our projects is something that comes up spontaneously. We need to learn to overcome laziness.

In this article we’ll see just how to overcome laziness , as small changes in our routine can prevent us from falling into the trap of procrastination.

Tips on how to overcome laziness

One of the most relevant discoveries made by psychology is that human beings do not behave in a rational way. According to the theory, we are capable of planning reasonable projects, and we even manage to imagine in all kinds of details what it is that we want to do, but that does not imply that we are really going to do it… even if the cost of not doing it is high, and the effort required for it is not unreasonable.

Many times, when we consider doing something that we know will not go well, there is something that holds us back, that leads us not to get out of a passive attitude. A real barrier when it comes to undertaking those necessary actions: going to the gym, cooking something healthy, studying for an exam or even making a phone call. These are often such simple tasks that we don’t manage to explain why we always put off .

Therefore, to overcome laziness it is important to be clear that this is not a battle that will be won only from introspection and reflection. We know we have to do it, but that is not enough to put it into practice . Therefore, we have to change our way of acting; changes in thought will occur later as a consequence of this. To know how to do this, follow the following guidelines.

1. Sleep well

This may seem like a minor detail, but it’s not. Maintaining good sleep hygiene is essential to have enough energy to do what we want . If we are tired all day because we haven’t slept much, this discomfort will be the excuse we will use to keep on procrastinating, without doing what we want to do.

So, always go to sleep within a very limited but reasonable time limit, and that way you will not be exposed to the temptation to stay up late, which is typical of people who are worried about having responsibilities that are not being met at the moment, because they feel guilty.

2. Structure your tasks

The trick is to make it very easy on yourself, and to do that it is important to establish a detailed planning of what you are going to do, if it is not already done. If we perceive the task to be done as a complicated set of actions, something that requires a great deal of effort as a whole, that perspective will intimidate us and we will prefer anything to thinking about it .

3. How to take the first step

Being able to take that first step is the key to overcoming laziness. To do this, the best thing is to consider doing something absurdly simple and at the same time be the first step to do what you want.
If you think you should go to the gym, propose to go and do just one set of exercises: for example, go to the locker room, change, go to the weight room and do half a dozen squats. If you have a college project to write, try turning on your computer, opening your text editor, and writing a sentence. If you want to study, open your notes and read the first two lines of text.

In the vast majority of cases, and just as you could not start the task until that moment, you will not be able to limit yourself to only those simple actions, and you will keep going until you have the feeling of having done a day’s work with which you can feel good. In this case, the manipulation of your own expectations will play in your favor.

4. Take advantage of any moment to progress

Following the logic of what we have seen so far, it is important to avoid giving you reason to think about what you have to do as if it were something intimidating and difficult to achieve. To do this, take advantage of any moment to do it, instead of assigning yourself a day and an hour beforehand to make a titanic effort. It is important that you set yourself successive deadlines related to relatively simple goals to achieve.