What is laziness? Laziness is a mental state in which an individual lacks willpower to do a given task. It can creep up on us at work even when we constantly remind ourselves to stay committed to getting our work done. We try to combat laziness with different ways. Whether itβs changing our phone wallpaper to some motivational quotes or setting multiple reminders on pending tasks. But, sometimes it just seems like battle that we can never win. After all, itβs in our subconscious minds to be idle whenever we can.
However, there are still ways to combat laziness off at work. Hereβs how:
Remember what motivated you to apply for this job
As quoted by Anne Frank, laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction. If you truly enjoys what youβre doing, there is nothing more valuable than the satisfaction you get from doing what you love.
Ask yourself: what were your expectations when you first applied for the job? What do you want to achieve? For every day that you are putting in effort in your job, you are one step closer toward accomplishing your career goals. Stay focused on achieving your goals to combat feelings of laziness and lethargy. Remember that every time you feel like slacking off, you are getting further away from realizing your dreams.
Understand the implications of being lazy
Think about the serious consequences you might face for being lazy at work. Being issued a warning letter or worse, get fired from your job. We are not talking about the little break after lunch, but the habit of procrastination. It might be just a few missed deadlines in the beginning, then a bad performance review, and eventually cost your entire career.
Take one step at a time
Donβt be too eager and bite off more than you can chew. One of the most common mistake many of us tend to make is that we try to multitask too much. Even though multitasking can help to save time and increase productivity, but not everyone can focus on more than one thing. Know yourself and if you function better by focusing on one thing at a time, just do that! Donβt be pressured by others and think that youβre falling behind for not being able to multitask. Some studies even suggest that multitasking is a myth.
So, even if you think that you can multitask well, think again.
Get moving!
If youβre feeling sluggish all the time, chances are that you should be more active physically. You might be surprised by the positive effects you can get by just a little exercise. You donβt have to hit the gym every day or get into high intensity training 5 times a week. Anything that involves some kind of movement such as walking, cleaning the house, or doing laundry counts!
Try taking a walk around the office after a long meeting and see how refreshed youβll feel afterwards. Soon you might find yourself skipping the daily afternoon caffeine boost!
Divide big task into smaller ones
When dealing with a difficult and time-consuming task, most would choose to procrastinate and sit on it as it requires more motivation to start. As the saying goes, the beginning is always the hardest.
Hence, try to divide a larger task into smaller, simpler ones. Youβll find it easier to execute the smaller tasks and once you completed them, you are getting closer to finishing the whole task. Donβt get overwhelmed or intimated when youβre asked to handle a big project. Instead, take the opportunity to show your abilities to your boss.
Have a positive mindset
This is probably the most effective way to keep laziness at bay. When you have a positive mindset, itβs easy to develop a can do attitude. Having the right work attitude can definitely take you far in your career.
Start with having positive role models that you look up to such as successful people in your industry who inspire you to do better. Surround yourself with people who can motivate you at work helps too! Try to avoid being around those who always give you the cold shoulder whenever you suggest new ideas. Their passive attitude can cause you to stop taking initiatives after a while and you donβt need such negativity in life.
Unclutter your life
When you life is too overwhelming and full of unnecessary clutter, you are more likely to procrastinate since you canβt seem to solve everything at once.
If you find yourself in such situation, start uncluttering both your personal time and work hours. Imagine if you only have a limited amount of hours to finish all your tasks, how would you prioritize them?
You can then get rid of or maybe delegate tasks that arenβt that important to be more efficient and productive. More importantly, you wonβt get overwhelmed by the busy schedule and feel like you have too many things to do but too little time. Your life will be easier when you know exactly what to focus on and no more excuse for procrastination.
Always remind yourself that itβs totally okay to not be perfect. After all, we canβt be constantly doing something and we all need some down time every now and then. Spending a moderate amount of time on being lazy is actually useful for personal well being. Even if youβre on a job hunting, itβs okay to take a break and get back to it when youβre more energized. Do you know that you can earn Bosspoint by logging in daily? With Bosspoints, you can redeem different vouchers from our merchants like Grab, Lazada, Petron, and others!
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