The Lazy Mind is always present, constantly trying to convince us to be lazy, to put something off until tomorrow, to ignore something that is hard just one more day, to avoid the hard work, to quit early, and to not even start. Even after I have poured a ton of energy into keeping some serious commitments and now even though I am on this 84 day sprint to improve my running capacity – I still am victim to the constant noise coming from the lazy mind.
It is annoying! Will it ever stop!? Can I ever beat this sucker into submission so that it will stop trying to convince me to be lazy? I think the answer is no, it will always be there. There is something primitive going on that I will never be able to overcome. Instead I have to come up with some ways to defeat the lazy mind. I have been trying various things. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Just start. Even if you only can get up the fortitude to put in 5 minutes, just start. Play mind games with yourself. Say, ok, you only have to do this for 5 minutes and then you can be done. This way you at least accomplished the task, even though it was not very good. You can go into this knowing that you are lying to yourself, but it still works. Amazingly, after the first 5 minutes are done, the primitive lazy mind has already gave up on stopping you from starting. You can then think, hmmm, maybe I can go just another 5 minutes. This little trick works. It works on more then just exercise. It can work on projects as well. Getting started is always the hardest part.
2. Do smaller, easier chunks. The lazy mind wins when the task before you seems overwhelming. Instead, break it down to bite size pieces. Schedule them first thing, and when you get a couple of wins, the psychological motivation will be great. You will want to do more. This is just a mind trick. Remember – we are not tricking your active consciousness. We are tricking this primitive instinct that you have. Instincts do not think. They have no idea what the active mind is planning. So do smaller chunks, you will trick the primitive mind to try to convince you to avoid something else instead – like cleaning out the downstairs closet.
3. Wake up first thing in the morning and go outside and move around. Run if possible, walk if that is your only option. Do this right away. NEVER sit at a desk and ponder your day, or your tasks, or your overwhelming life. Certainly do not look at your phone, email, or other distraction. Instead, get outside, get some exercise in. You will feel better, you will be more motivated, you will be ready to take on more when you get back.
4. Change your environment. My wife taught me this recently. I noticed she was wandering around the house and studying in different locations. I thought it was weird at first. Books out on the kitchen table, then at Panera, then upstairs in the bedroom, then at a hotel, then in the backyard. The point is that she was fighting laziness by changing her working environment. It seemed to work, so I have tried it as well. Sure enough, it helps.
5. If you look lazy, you will be lazy. One of my children had a project to do one day and he was complaining how he could not focus. He was in really comfortable clothes, laying in bed, listening to music, and drinking lemonade or something like that. He looked like someone who would not be working on anything, yet he was trying to accomplish an important task. If you want to perform a task, and you want to fight the lazy mind, consider dressing up for the part you are to play. Whatever you need to be doing, try to look the part. You will be amazed at how that effects you.
6. Overwhelmed! Yeah Right. That is the first thing the lazy mind uses against you. You have so much to do! I am so overwhelmed! Ah! I guess I will just eat a pint of ice cream and binge watch a show on Netflix instead. This “I am overwhelmed” excuse is just a bunch of BS that the lazy mind throws at you. Here is the trick that I have learned. Sit down with a notebook immediately when you feel this first sign of overwhelmedness. Make a list of the thing that you need to do that are overwhelming you. By the time you are done, you will realize that it really is not that many, or not as many as you thought. Now that you have the list, pick one and fix it. Right now. By the time you are done with 1 of them, you will no longer feel overwhelmed anymore.
7. Count. Pick something that you really want to accomplish. Identify what you need to work on everyday to get there. Start doing it and count the days. See if you can get to 100. Then 200. Then 300. This is a psychological effect that can really help defeat the lazy mind.
There are some tips on defeating the lazy mind. We all experience it, so it is not only you that is going through that. It is all of us. We all have to come up with ways to avoid this primitive part of ourselves.
Guy Reams
