Laziness is a common and convenient excuse for one’s own inaction. Are its reasons objective or invented by us? Is it possible to fight laziness?
When I sat down to study this material, I wanted to look into dictionaries and see what definition was given to this concept. A large explanatory dictionary defined laziness, as “lack of desire to work or do anything; dislike of work."
Dahl's explanatory dictionary gave the following definition: “Laziness is a reluctance to work, aversion from work, from work, from activities; a tendency towards idleness and parasitism.”
“Lack of desire to act, to work, tendency to idleness”- this is how laziness was defined by the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by S.I. Ozhegova, N.Yu. Shvedova.
I continued to study laziness and came across information that indicated that the attitude towards laziness in ancient times was purely negative, in the Middle Ages it was viewed as evil, and in Christianity laziness was called a sin. Only in recent centuries has laziness been considered negative character trait.
There are four approaches to studying the nature of laziness:
- First: laziness as a negative characteristic of a person’s personality.
- Second: laziness is a defense mechanism of the body.
- Third: laziness is a disease.
- Fourth: laziness is a myth.
So, approach one
Laziness as a negative characteristic of a person’s personality. I'll start from afar.
I am the mother of two sons with an age difference of nine and a half years. I constantly involuntarily watch them. My observations clearly indicate that laziness as a lack of desire to act, a tendency to idleness the youngest was completely absent until the age of four. That is, until about the age of four, the child was actively involved in any activity, from cleaning up toys to shopping in a store - he was interested and captivated by absolutely everything!
The first attempts to be lazy (to shy away from activities) began to appear when the son began to actively attend kindergarten. He was too lazy to dress himself, to draw on a given topic, or to cut with scissors.
He simply did not start working. Moreover, if you need to get dressed to visit your grandmother, the child was ahead of the adults, and if he went to kindergarten (it was very difficult for him to get used to the garden), then he sat in a chair, covered with clothes and, for example, sang. If I had to draw not circles and lines, but to fantasize with a brush in my hands (simply smear paints on the paper), then such drawing was done so quickly that I did not have time to hand over blank sheets. And if he was asked to draw something specific, for example, the sun, the child answered: “No, let’s draw it better.” And my son simply didn’t know how to use scissors...
As you may have guessed, the child sought to avoid work in which he felt unsuccessful, or work that would lead to an undesirable result. At the same time, I understood well that success is born only in action: if you don’t use scissors regularly, you won’t learn how to cut, if you don’t draw circles, you won’t draw a round object. And the child simply stopped at the line called “I can’t do it” and did not dare to cross it.
This pattern of behavior, when repeated, is reinforced and becomes a character trait.
So, the first reason for laziness is fear of failure. If there is a cause-and-effect relationship in your beliefs: “don’t do it - it may not work out,” you need to consciously overcome it. After all, you and I understand: if you don’t pick up scissors, you won’t learn how to cut with them; the first circle is never as even as that of someone who is excellent with scissors.
Should you stop if you really want to have some meaningful results?
Recently, my eldest son, who is now in his teens, asked me a difficult question: “What is the meaning of human life?” Of course, at first I thought about how to answer him. I began to think from the point of view of biology, philosophy, and religion. Suddenly a very clear conclusion dawned on me that the meaning of life, whatever one may say, is development! And if you look at laziness from the perspective of development, it is a huge inhibitor! In this sense, I agree with Christian philosophy, which considers laziness a sin.
I continue to watch my children. My eldest son is a schoolboy. Needless to say, there are a lot of problems that we are too lazy to solve. First of all, I’m too lazy to do my homework. But not all. Sometimes he loudly asks: “What’s the point of this, just wasting time?!” I understand that schoolchildren are hostages of the system. And I answer that this is a test of strength, you can do it, you will overcome it - you’re great! I told myself this too when at work (and I liked my work) there were meaningless tasks that I wasn’t even too lazy to start, but rather sad.
Conclusion: doing something you don’t like, doing meaningless work, doesn’t just cause laziness, but also triggers an internal block to complete them.
There are only two ways to deal with laziness of this nature: not to do something that causes a categorical protest of consciousness, or to come up with your own motive according to the principle “if I do it, I’m great.” The danger is that such games with consciousness (I’ll do it - I’m great) cannot be permanent, it will get tired of playing. The best option is to change your least favorite activity to your favorite one!
Another type of “dreary laziness” occurs when a capable and ambitious person becomes uninterested in engaging in activities in which the ceiling has been reached. In children's groups, children whose level of development is ahead of their peers become lazy to complete tasks with everyone else.
This type of laziness can only be overcome by going beyond the “ceiling” to a new level of development.
Approach two
Laziness is a defense mechanism of the body. This is a quality that manifests itself only at certain moments in life and is necessary for relaxation. When a person works a lot, the body itself begins to refuse to work.
Of course, there is common sense here. A person needs a break from work. If laziness is dosed and does not become chronic, there is nothing to worry about. But, in my opinion, it is wiser to learn to organize yourself in such a way that work and rest alternate consciously and sensibly, so that rest creates a thirst for work, and work is rewarded with rest.
This approach will help prevent “burnout” at work, which leads to serious psychological, and in advanced forms, mental problems.
What you are aware of, you control; what you don't realize controls you.
Another reason when laziness manifests itself as a defense mechanism lies in the lack of vital energy. This happens when you realize that you will get results if you start doing something. You are not afraid of a fiasco, you simply do not have the strength. Even what you love begins to irritate and raise doubts. And all because your current physical form does not correspond to the scale of your goals. And your energy sources do not provide enough strength to act. So, to overcome laziness. I need to stop and rest, recuperate.
There are also opinions according to which laziness is the engine of progress, without it there would be no discoveries. I think there is a substitution of concepts here.
“Lack of desire to work or do anything, dislike of work, aversion from work, from business, inclination towards idleness, parasitism, lack of desire to act, tendency towards idleness”- is not the same thing as searching for new ways to achieve results. If a person not only does nothing, but finds a way and does it differently, this is no longer laziness.
Third approach
Laziness is a disease.
I am not a doctor, and I will not undertake to think in this direction. I will only make the assumption that laziness is not a cause, but only a consequence of improper upbringing, improper self-organization, internal promiscuity, which over time become chronic and make a person chronically lazy.
Fourth approach
Laziness is a myth! And this point of view is closest to me in all respects. The only reason for inaction is that you were unable to see in time the lies that were written among your beliefs. In moments of doubt, your consciousness presents this lie on a silver platter.
For example, my consciousness tells my child: “Don’t pick up scissors, you won’t be able to cut a beautiful circle anyway.” But this is a lie! The truth is that in activities with scissors the skill of using them is formed!
Or consciousness warns me: “You live no worse than others, calm down! Why change anything? But you can perceive the situation differently: “You live worse than your own expectations, many have achieved what you dream of. Dare and you will succeed!”
Or this belief: “I would do it, I would learn, and I would... But I’m not ready yet and there is no one to help me...”
These are all examples of beliefs living in our minds. They make us stop and remain inactive. But beliefs are a convention, a myth!
Laziness ( atslanut) is a very bad quality. For a person in whom this quality predominates, all the affairs of this and the future world are spoiled. King Shlomo said about him: “I passed by the field of a lazy man and near the vineyard of a foolish man, and behold, it was overgrown with thorns, covered with thorns, and its stone fence collapsed” (Mishlei 24: 30-31). He likened the mind of a lazy person to the field of a lazy person. By not cultivating his field, a lazy person not only does not receive a harvest, he also grows bad things, such as thorns and thorns, which spoil the harvest. Even if he tried to grow a crop, he would lose it, because the stone fence collapsed, and he is too lazy to repair it. Cattle wander into the field, and thieves come and take everything. And he said “stone fence” - the stone fence is very strong, but it collapsed due to the laziness of the owner - he did not repair in time what needed repairing.
The same is the case with the lazy in the Doctrine and Commandments. Lazy people love to relax, and therefore the commandments are difficult for them, and the study of Torah is burdensome to their souls. And they flee from the house of study to where they can rest. And in the synagogue they doze, as it is said, “Laziness brings sleep” (Mishlei 19:15). For by human nature, laziness induces sleep. And King Shlomo warned: “Sleep a little, doze a little, lie down a little with folded hands, and your poverty will come like a traveler” (ibid. 6; 10).
Negative consequences of laziness
Not only will a lazy person not achieve knowledge of the Torah because he does not study it properly, but because of his laziness he invents erroneous judgments. For the lazy man declares his laziness permitted, saying: “It is good for the body to rest, so that it may be strengthened. For if a person has strength, he can do a lot.” The lazy person listens to empty talk, saying that this makes him smarter - thus, laziness leads to the fact that he is looking for evidence that, by shirking his studies, he is fulfilling the commandment. It is true that it is useful to rest in order to gain strength or to hear something intelligent and witty in preparation for continuing to study. But this is said about such a person who quickly and properly engages in the Teaching, for the strength of a person is not the strength of a stone, a person is not iron, and his bones are not made of copper - he cannot constantly be in the tension of study, and he needs to rest from time to time and gain strength. But, agreeing with this thought, the lazy person strives for it so much that he does not study at all. And for every commandment, the fulfillment of which requires effort, he will find an explanation, according to his laziness, why this commandment should not be fulfilled. Briefly speaking, a lazy person directs all his judgments out of laziness.
A lazy person is a coward, he will not go into exile to the place of Teaching. And King Shlomo said seven things about him. How? They say to a lazy person: “Your teacher is in the /neighboring/ city - go learn from him!” And he answers: “I’m afraid of the lion on the way!” - as it is said: “The sluggard said: “A lion is on the way!”” (Mishlei 26; 13). They tell him: “Your teacher is in /this/ city - get up and go to him!” And he replies: “As if there were no lions in the streets! I'm afraid! - as it is said: “The lion is in the streets!” (ibid.). They tell him: “He lives near your house!” And he answers: “And the lion is outside!” - as it is said: “The sloth said: “The lion is outside, in the streets, they will kill me”” (ibid. 22; 13). They tell him: “Here he is inside the house!” And he replies: “If I go and find a locked door, I’ll have to come back!” They say to him: “The door is open!” - but still he will not get up and walk, as it is said: “The door turns on its axis, but the lazy man is on the bed” (ibid. 26; 14). And when he didn’t know what to answer, he said: “Let the door be open, but I want to sleep a little more,” as it is said: “How long, sloth, will you sleep? When will you get up from your sleep? (ibid. 6; 9). He gets up - they put food in front of him, but he is too lazy to raise his hand to his mouth, as it is said: “The slothful man has put his hand in the cup, and it is difficult for him to bring it to his mouth” (ibid. 26; 15). And what's the seventh? It is said: “The lazy man has not plowed since winter” (ibid. 20; 4). Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: “This is the one who, out of laziness, has not studied Torah since childhood, but wants to learn it in old age, but cannot”; this is “he will ask during the harvest, and not” (ibid.). This is how Shlomo rebuked the lazy!
And Moses said something more than that, as it is said: “And this word is very near you: it is in your mouth and in your heart, to do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). So, just say it with your lips! (Dvarim Raba 8; 6). And there is no greater laziness than being lazy to pronounce these words with your own lips!
Look how far the lazy person is from all good qualities! It is harmful as a messenger, just as vinegar is harmful to teeth. As it is said: “As vinegar is to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sloth to those who send him” (Mishlei 10:26), and it is said: “The greed of the sloth will kill him, because his hands refuse to work” (ibid. 21:25), and it is said: “A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven advisers who answer thoughtfully” (ibid. 26; 16).
The explanation of this verse is this. The king had many messengers and envoys, and all of them, fulfilling the king’s order, went and brought him the necessary information. And one is lazy, he deceives, saying: “I’m sick!” And he rests and eats from the royal table. And seeing that his comrades are tired from the road, he considers himself smarter than all of them. This is nonsense, as it is written: “Have you seen a man who is nimble in his work? He will stand before kings” (ibid. 22; 29). It’s the same here: the king will reward intelligent servants who brought the necessary answer, but this reward is not important to a lazy person. In short, a lazy person is not fit for this world or the world to come, because his hands refuse to do good.
And the sage said: “The laziest among people is the one who is lazy to make smart friends who fear the Most High; and even lazier is the one who had all this and lost it.”
The Almighty created a weak creature that cultivates its field and works for its food. And in order for the lazy person to become wiser, he should be taught, it is written (ibid. 6; 6): “Go to the ant, lazy person, look at his behavior and become wise.” Let the lazy man be ashamed, seeing how diligent and careful the weak ant is in his affairs! And let him learn from the ant how to be diligent, how to get rid of the oppression of laziness and save himself from hell!
When is laziness commendable?
But there is also very positive laziness. For example, being lazy to do evil or pursuing passions. They tell about a man whom the king wanted to send to a dangerous place, but he did not want to go there. The king put him to shame. And he said to the king: “It is better that you blame me alive than pray for me dead.” The sages said something similar to this: “There is a diligent person who receives a reward, and there is a diligent person who loses it; There is a lazy person who receives a reward, and there is a lazy person who loses it. The diligent one who receives his reward works all week, but does not work before the Sabbath. The diligent man who loses his reward works all week, and he also works before the Sabbath. A lazy person who receives a reward does not work all week, but does not work before the Sabbath. A lazy person who loses his reward does not work all week, but works before Shabbat” (Psachim 50b).
Look and see that there is commendable zeal and there is bad zeal. The same can be said about laziness: there is laudable laziness and there is bad laziness.
A way to get rid of laziness
Think and calculate how to do good with all parts of your body and with all your movements. Choose for each part of your body a little lightness and a little heaviness, and all in the name of the Almighty.
Be with ease with friends who gather for the Teaching, commandments and good deeds, and find it difficult to be with scoffers and those who do evil. Let your eyes become light when you look at the law and the works of the commandments, and make it difficult even to look at worthless works, at idols and at women.
Let your ears open easily to listen to instructions and edification, and let your ears not hear curses and chatter.
Puff up your nose easily, being angry at the evildoers, and do not be angry at the righteous. With your mouth and tongue, make it difficult to quarrel, lie, mock and slander, but hasten to learn, easily instruct, edify and command good things.
Do not raise your hand against your neighbor - let it become heavy - but do not squeeze your hand - let it be light - when you give to the poor, hurry to give alms and do your job honestly.
Let your feet be heavy to walk along the paths of evildoers, to taverns and idle festivities. But run with light feet to the house of prayer and to the house of study, go to visit the sick, accompany the dead on their last journey and visit the homes of those mourning the deceased, and fulfill all the commandments.
Do not burden your heart with evil thoughts, envy and hatred, but meditate on the Teaching, easily achieve the degrees of love for the Almighty and pure fear of Him.
So you will become light and efficient in your heart, you will strive for the highest light.
Laziness is not a disease in the usual sense of the word, but its consequences are more serious than even after illness. What is its danger? Is there a cure for laziness? Can it be considered a diagnosis? Is it correct to talk about drug treatment? How to overcome laziness with the help of medicine? Or is this the subject of research by completely different specialists? How to force yourself not to be lazy if this condition cannot be treated with pills? Let's talk about basic techniques on how to deal with laziness.
How to overcome laziness?
Can this human condition be considered as a painful condition? More likely no than yes, although laziness can be caused by malfunctions in the body. Then it is more correct to look not for a cure for laziness, but for a way to cure a specific disease. After all, the symptoms of many diseases are associated with loss of strength, depression, apathy and other similar manifestations. Especially with chronic diseases.
This is caused by constant exhaustion of the body, loss of necessary energy, which is spent on maintaining internal reserves. How to kill laziness? Only by defeating the cause of the disease, and then restoration of strength will follow.
In addition to purely physiological disruptions, they can cause mental disorders. This is also a medical problem, only from the psychiatry section. How not to be lazy in this case? Most likely, thanks to a visit to a psychologist, or a powerful external stimulus that will literally shake a person and make him move.
But, more often than not, laziness does not acquire such catastrophic proportions and the cure for laziness is simply the right motivation. Let's look at several effective techniques on how to eliminate laziness.
Complete diet
Regardless of the reasons for the loss of strength, the best cure for laziness is proper nutrition. After all, thanks to the consumption of all the necessary nutrients, energy and strength appear for vigorous activity. The main thing is not to overeat and create a balanced diet, which must contain fruits and greens. Dairy products, fish, and eggs are also considered very healthy. They will fill the body with missing vitamins and minerals, thereby increasing a person’s emotional and energy level.
Healthy sleep and regular rest
As paradoxical as it may sound, those who know how to have quality rest are less lazy. Thus, good advice on how to remove laziness from your life is to learn to restore your strength. First of all, make healthy sleep an axiom. Similar to working out at the gym. Muscles do not grow during training, but during the recovery period between them. Also in everything else. The brain needs time to process daily information. To do this, he needs to rest regularly. Then the obsessive phrase “I’m lazy” will sound much less often.
Sleep is the best medicine, including the cure for laziness. During it, all processes of the body are updated, everything that happened during the day is systematized. By the way, daytime sleep is no less useful. Taking a nap even for 10-15 minutes after lunch will be much more effective than “spitting” at the ceiling for an hour.
The right motivation
An effective way to force yourself not to be lazy is to learn self-motivation. The fact is that laziness arises in a person’s brain due to his lack of understanding of the importance of this or that matter. If someone is sufficiently motivated, then problems with unwillingness to complete the task will not arise.
How to deal with laziness in this case? Clearly define significance. If there is none, then it is not worth wasting your time and energy, but if there is, then you should begin to implement it immediately. You can perceive this as a cure for laziness, but rather it is a psychological trick.
The Internet is full of motivational literature and videos. You can download and install a motivating image on your computer desktop. There are plenty of ways to motivate yourself to work, the main thing is not to be lazy in using them.
Communication with active people
How to overcome laziness? – Learn this from others. Adopt their experience and zeal. Our environment greatly influences ourselves. If you communicate with non-lazy people, then it will be much easier to understand how to kill laziness in your mind.
In addition, active friends will never let you get bored. They will always come up with something new and interesting, strive somewhere, thereby pushing a person towards a similar lifestyle. In this case, everyone will take the medicine for laziness together, as a kind of group therapeutic effect.
If work or everyday activities do not arouse interest, apathy or despondency gradually appears. How to force yourself not to be lazy? At least for a while, take your mind off sad thoughts. A meaningful hobby will become your salvation. Thanks to him, you will be able to recharge emotionally and begin your usual duties with greater zeal.
A hobby will turn into a real cure for laziness if it differs significantly from the activity that caused the feeling of laziness. This way you will be able to cheer up much faster.
Alternating physical activity and intellectual activity is especially effective. If someone works at a construction site, then during a break they can play chess. If the main work involves mental work, then it is better to restore strength, for example, by playing table tennis.
The article analyzes effective recommendations on how to overcome laziness. It is unlikely that this will “open up” America for anyone, but such a goal was not set. The best cure for laziness is a healthy lifestyle and a proper daily routine. If you don’t leave a place for it in your life, either on a physiological or psychological level, then you won’t have to look for ways to force yourself not to be lazy.
Laziness is a lack of desire to engage in work, a state when free time is preferred to work.
What is laziness
Laziness has long been considered one of the human vices and is included in the standard seven deadly sins.
However, in conditions of long-term employment, this phenomenon can be considered as a signal from the body about the need for rest and cessation of work activity.
Based on the results of the experiments, researchers concluded that a person whose work contribution is not assessed as his personal achievement shows laziness at work.
However, a lazy person and a weak-willed person are not the same thing. Outwardly, laziness and depression, as well as some other mental disorders, may have the same manifestation, but the reasons for their occurrence are different.
However, let's get back to the experiments. Experts are sure: when a person feels the futility of an action he performs, the subconscious turns on the mechanism of laziness. Why is this happening?
Social laziness
This term was introduced into everyday use by Max Ringelmann. A number of experiments were carried out. The participants were not told that their personal contributions were valued in group work, and as a result, their performance scores were three times lower than in individual work.
The next test was even more interesting. The man was blindfolded and given a rope in his hands, while informing him that five more people would be pulling it with him. As a result, the subject pulled the rope alone and exerted less (18%) force than if he knew that he needed to work himself.
One more test. A small group of subjects. Participants are asked to scream as loudly as they can. At the same time, they are put on headphones so that they do not hear the noise that they themselves create. Each person produced three times less noise than in single trials.
Types of laziness
Laziness comes in many different forms. Let's look at some of them in more detail.
1. Thinking. A person does not want to think about the results of this or that action.
2. Physical. Sometimes rest is simply necessary, but in everything you need to know when to stop and not overdo it.
3. Emotional laziness. As an individual develops, the emotional background also undergoes changes. The New Year is no longer the same as it was in childhood, the music is also not so catchy, and the partner has acquired a lot of negative aspects, people are worse and angrier than in their youth... Emotional extinction can lead to apathy. Such disorders should be treated by professional doctors.
4. Creative laziness. It is characteristic of many inventors and people of creative professions. It is observed when a person thinks for a long time about a question that interests him, and then unexpectedly receives an answer. A striking example is Newton with an apple that fell on his head during his hours of reflection.
5. Pathological laziness occurs if you cross boundaries and overdo it with rest. Psychologist D. Carnegie described such a case. One woman claimed to be seriously ill. Her mother looked after her while she lay in bed. When the mother died, the daughter was miraculously cured immediately.
6. Philosophical laziness. This type of “doing nothing” arises as a result of misinterpretation of religious texts. This is especially often observed with excessive immersion in Buddhism. If the world around us is nothing more than emptiness, then all actions lose meaning.
Each person is characterized by several types of laziness.
Causes of laziness
Laziness is also a person’s conscious desire not to make any effort to obtain the desired result. That is, it is also saving your own reserves of strength.
The reasons for laziness can be very diverse, but the most common ones can still be identified:
- Overfatigue - the body has exhausted its reserve of physical and emotional strength and is unable to maintain working capacity at the same level.
- Feeling that the work being done is not necessary at the moment. Usually this feeling is intuitive.
- Unpreparedness to cope with assigned tasks.
- Lack of habit of leading an active, dynamic lifestyle.
- Inability to plan your day, lack of a clear plan that will allow you to solve all the problems, no matter how many of them accumulate.
- Just a desire to get the necessary rest.
As you can see, various reasons can cause laziness. Psychology describes this phenomenon as a lack of motivation.
Such a state can appear in the absence of natural reasons pushing the individual to action: hunger, cold, other threats - i.e. factors that affect his survival and safety.
A lazy person reasons as follows: “I don’t see the point in doing this now or ever.”
Laziness in different branches of human activity
IN psychology Laziness is more of a bad habit than a disease. And there is plenty of evidence of this. Research in this area shows that laziness, the causes of which depend on many factors - from lack of motivation to excessive stimulation - is a consequence of the production of large amounts of dopamine in the body. What do experts from other fields say about this?
Economy
Economists argue that laziness and idleness are the result of the intense and rejected work of other people. And people work productively when they are confident that the return on their work will be much greater than their contribution.
Religion
In religion, laziness is a vice, a mortal sin, which is defined as a spiritual or physical reluctance to do something, apathy.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, in one of the sayings of Jesus, this condition is also not welcomed.
Muslims believe that laziness comes directly from Hell, which means it must be fought in every possible way. Thus, prayer five times a day, on an empty stomach, is a good prevention of idleness.
Buddhism views laziness as an unhealthy phenomenon that includes lying down as well as stretching.
Culture
Laziness has a strong place in human culture. It is described in books, its influence is shown in cinema, and it is condemned in the folklore of almost all nations. For example, some proverbs about laziness hint that it leads to poverty and misery. What about fairy tales? This is actually a storehouse of folk wisdom! Remember, in cautionary tales, the lazy person always has a lot of problems, at least until he realizes his shortcoming and begins to improve.
Some episodes of the popular American TV series “Supernatural”, the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist”, and the film “The Big Lebowski” are dedicated to Laziness. Everyone is also familiar with Dante Alighieri’s comedy “The Divine Comedy”, where laziness is successfully located in the 5th circle of hell.
Proverbs about laziness
There are many folk parables and proverbs that talk about perhaps the most common human flaw.
Here are some Russian proverbs about laziness.
- Labor gives, but laziness takes.
- Every day a lazy person is lazy.
- He who is lazy is not valued.
- You, brothers, grind, and we will eat.
- They go to the pies, but run away from work.
- I'm lazy and tired of sitting.
- Laziness is worse than illness.
- A rolling stone gathers no moss.
- A quitter and a slacker - their holiday is on Monday.
- A lazy person is good at making excuses.
Oral folk art condemns laziness as a phenomenon and proves that a lazy person is a burden to others.
Cinema does not ignore the phenomenon we are considering. Many films have been made about laziness and lazy people, and even more cartoons. Often the main characters suffer from this vice, until a sharp change in environmental conditions forces them to reconsider their behavior and priorities.
Laziness as an ally
Of course, laziness deserves reproach. But is she as dangerous and disgusting as she is painted to be? If you look at this phenomenon from the other side, it turns out that there are also positive aspects.
So, laziness is also the engine of progress. Many inventions, without which we can no longer imagine our lives, arose precisely due to all-consuming laziness. You don’t want to get up from the couch to change channels - and now the remote control is ready! If you don't want to climb the stairs, the elevator and escalator are at your service! In principle, they also solve the problem of descent.
Mobile phones and vehicles greatly simplify human life, save time and, in a sense, indulge our laziness.
But is it really so important if we only benefit from it?
The negative side of laziness
Many have already found peace and even come up with an excuse for their laziness after reading about its positive effects. However, you shouldn't relax. Perhaps, if it weren’t for Mother’s laziness, there would have been much more inventions.
Just think how many interesting ideas she crushed in the bud, how many relationships she ruined, how many wishes were not destined to come true! And sometimes the price of laziness is human life.
There are many such examples; it is enough to turn on the daily news for the decision to change your life to fill a person. Although how long this desire will last is also a big question.
Fight, lose or negotiate
How to overcome laziness, this eternal enemy of achievements? No way. Moreover, this is not required at all (and let’s be realistic, it is impossible to do this). As mentioned above, laziness, like everything in this world, has two sides to the coin. This means that people should learn to use it for their own purposes and receive certain benefits from this cooperation. It's kind of a symbiosis.
What to do if you are too lazy to even move? You simply lie on the sofa or bed, slowly merging with this comfortable furniture. In the event of such an attack of laziness (not to be confused with real fatigue or poor health!) Try to look at yourself from the outside. So...
Here you are lying, absolutely relaxed, your hair is disheveled... Obviously, it could use styling or at least washing. Are you a man, and beautifully styled hair is not so important? Fine! There is two-, no, five-day stubble on his face. Not very neat either, is it? The skin on your face does not look very fresh... You should do peelings and masks... A peeling manicure does not make you more attractive... And your muscles literally spread out on a horizontal surface... Maybe you shouldn’t take the tenth route to the gym?
Your laziness, so sweet and defenseless, lies next to you, on the already, excuse me, slightly smelling bed linen (when was the last time you washed it?).
As a rule, after such visualization a person gets up and starts doing at least something. This does not mean that you will run to the gym or go beat out carpets, but, as they say, the ice will break at least a little, and laziness will go away. Psychology offers many ways to counteract your idleness, but this one is one of the most effective.
Try it for yourself when the moment is right and see the results for yourself.
And remember: laziness, the causes of which are very diverse, is not your enemy. Moreover, with the right interaction, she is your faithful ally and inspirer. If you do not agree with this, proceed to the next section of our article.
If you want to become more active and involved in your own life, you should eliminate the very causes of this condition.
How to overcome laziness? Eliminate the following factors:
- lack of interest in what you are doing;
- energy exhaustion;
- creative crisis.
Each of these factors causes laziness and the feeling of giving up, but each of them requires a different “treatment”. In some cases, changing the type of activity will be a good solution, and sometimes you need to continue doing the old thing, but raise the bar.
“Many people have a dream that can be realized in a week, but they make it the dream of their whole life,” these words belong to an unknown author, but how clearly they reflect the state of most people!
Take a simple test. Let's say you're too lazy to get up early in the morning. Will you enjoy it if you have to get up early to go, say, to the Maldives, Bali, or around the world? The answer is obvious, right?
The main thing is to see the meaning in what you do.
It’s good if a person is initially characterized by hard work. He will quickly become bored with laziness as a useless, idle pastime. But most people have a monotonous life: home - work - home... Monotonous work activity quickly leads to a decrease in motivation. And this, in turn, is a sure path to laziness. Which exit? Obviously, you need to add variety to your daily routine.
You can sign up for courses, lectures that you have long wanted to attend, or go in for sports, if this desire does not leave you. In some cases, it will be useful to change jobs, if possible at this stage, or go on vacation, make friends with people with whom you would like to maintain closer relationships.
Another way to avoid bouts of laziness is to create a daily routine and stick to it. Pay special attention to your body and body - a contrast shower in the morning gives you strength and energizes you, not to mention the fact that you definitely won’t want to sleep after it. A healthy diet will provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals. Listen to good music, take a few minutes to meditate and visualize.
Work with contentment, feeling satisfaction from what you have done.
Feeling cheerful and energetic is a sure indicator of physical health. Therefore, you should exercise daily. You can start with the habit of doing exercises in the morning. And in your free time, do yoga, fitness or sports games. It all depends on personal preferences. Exercising promotes the production of endorphins, so very soon you will enjoy such hated exercises. Don't forget about your body, take care of it, care for it and cherish it.
Laziness as a symptom of energy decline
Every person experiences a lack of energy and desire to do what they love from time to time. You work selflessly, feeling the joy of the work done, but gradually you simply run out of steam and your strength leaves you.
What to do in this case? First, review your diet. Not all problems are spiritual in nature; physical health is also a very important factor. You should think about relaxation, for example, go on vacation, recharge yourself with positivity and get the necessary incentive to continue your work.
Laziness is, of course, a common, everyday phenomenon, the eternal companion of any person; it can be both a gift of nature and a real punishment. But how far it will go depends only on the individual and the case.
What is the opposite of the concept of “laziness”? Synonyms and antonyms of this word are quite varied. The words “idleness”, “idleness”, “laziness”, “apathy” will be similar in meaning. The opposites are “industriousness”, “labor”, “active activity”.
Alternating work and rest is a sure way to keep yourself in good shape and maintain energy balance. Remember that you need to take equal care of your physical and mental health.
Has it ever happened to you that you need to do something, but you don’t want to. Laziness.
Laziness is sometimes so strong that a person gives up and obeys it. Laziness is omnipotent and omnipresent; they say it was born long before us.
Laziness is often called the biggest human vice, but is it really that bad? Let's figure it out.
So, what is laziness?
By definition V.I. Dalia is
“disgust from work, from business, from activities; a tendency towards idleness and parasitism."
In fact, laziness can be considered a much broader phenomenon.
Let's consider several main options for the manifestation of laziness:
Laziness as a lack of motivation due to a lack of understanding of one’s purpose
From a literary point of view, this is a typical Oblomov, the character of Ivan Goncharov from the novel “Oblomov”, part of the “Ordinary History” trilogy. For those who have not read this epoch-making work, I’ll tell you a little about the plot. The novel tells about the life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. He lives in St. Petersburg with his servant, practically does not leave the house and does not even get up from the sofa. He does not work anywhere, does not engage in any activity, but only dreams of a cozy and serene life in his native Oblomovka estate. No problems can move him from his place.
Remember how in the song “Rapi**yay” by the Leningrad group “I don’t go to work and don’t listen to the radio, but whatever God gives me I’ll drink and eat.”
A person has no motivation on a subconscious level, and there is no conscious motivation either. Sometimes, in critical cases, a person can force himself to do something, but this happens extremely rarely.
Do you think this is all some kind of joke and deliberate exaggeration?
I have a friend, a typical Oblomov. He grew up in a rich family, he was taught to live well, he was taught to live on a grand scale, but, alas, he was not able to earn money. Time passed, the boy grew up, graduated from college... and filed a lawsuit against his parents because they refused to provide for him and called him a parasite. After that, such stories happened that you could even write “Oblomov 2.”
He doesn’t officially work anywhere, he just works part-time. They don’t want to officially hire him because he doesn’t keep his promises and doesn’t comply with labor discipline. If some money falls through, he spends it on the first day, even if the amount is 50,000-100,000 rubles. At the same time, he is very absent-minded and can easily forget a large sum of money or valuables somewhere.
One day, when he tried to get a good job with a decent salary, we had an interesting dialogue. He had to come to work at 8 a.m., but, of course, he arrived at lunchtime, and even then not every day. When I asked why he agreed to such conditions if he couldn’t come to work so early (he lives in the region and likes to sleep), he answers me:
“I agreed to a salary, not a job.”
There are also counter examples.
A person is greatly influenced by his environment and the society in which he grew up. A person who grew up in a family with little income considers such a life to be the norm. In the Soviet Union there was such a thing as the “working class”. After finishing 8 classes of secondary school, he went to the factory, got up every day at the factory whistle, and so on day after day throughout his life.
Now there are a lot of such stories, including in Moscow. Such a person may have a wife (husband), children, a small salary in a government organization, or a room in a dorm. People get so used to this life that they don’t want to change anything. Nothing spoils people more than a stable small salary; they are in their comfort zone and don’t want to change anything. What if it gets even worse?
What can I recommend here? With the Oblomovs everything is clear, here, as they say, “in the bag and with an awl.” The second category is more difficult; those people who grew up below the poverty line, orphans, or in a “bad area” often have a strong motivation to make their lives, or at least the lives of their children, better. And those who grew up “in the comfort zone” find it more difficult.
One tip:
Laziness as a defense mechanism
Laziness is a very effective mechanism for refusing to do work that will not bring benefits. It is as if the body is constantly working in energy saving mode, mobilizing this energy when needed.
You will never see a wild boar that has been running all day and then says: I need to sit down to rest, I’m tired. There was so much going on today.
Laziness appears when you don’t understand why you should do this or that work, when the goal you set is not inspiring (see my previous article). When the goal you are trying to achieve is important to you, there is no trace of laziness. You are ready to work for hours without interruption for food and sleep.
And if you feel something that needs to be done, but you don’t want to get out of bed to do it, then reconsider the purpose of this event. Is it really important to you?
Another aspect of reluctance to do something is when there is no clear understanding of what needs to be done. So sometimes you open a task manager where there are a lot of overdue tasks, look at it, sigh and close it. Has this ever happened to you? Or you are trying to do one task and are constantly distracted. The point here is that the brain does not understand what needs to be done and tries to switch to another task that is more understandable to it.
In the first case, stop using task managers if you don’t look at them at least once a day. A huge number of overdue tasks will only upset you and will not contribute to productive work. All people are different, it is impossible to create one universal technique for everyone. If you are told that making a to-do list, strict timekeeping, the Pomodoro technique and other popular things are cool and must-have, don’t believe them! Try it for a month and see if it suits you or not.
If lists are not your thing, then a good way to start doing something is to think in the evening and determine which 5-6 tasks tomorrow will bring you the greatest results and focus on them in the morning.
In the second case, goal decomposition will help. You need to break the goal down into steps that are understandable to you and other performers. For example, is conducting market research an understandable goal? For a marketer, of course, but for a novice startup, additional clarification is needed, a checklist of necessary actions.
An interesting example is given by psychotherapist N.V. Karyagin
Imagine that a person is too lazy to play sports. The more weight he gains, the harder it is to walk and the less he wants to move. What happens if you remove such a “fuse” as laziness? He will lose weight, become prettier, become more sexually attractive, and the opposite sex will begin to show interest in him. This could be a problem. If he attracted attention and a relationship began, then you will have to build these relationships and master new roles. Or it may happen that the relationship turns out to be short-lived, and you need to have strength and resilience to survive the breakup. Many people are so scared to experience such situations that not starting a relationship is a much safer and more comfortable state. And then with your sports =)
Laziness as a sign of genius.
A lazy employee is a good employee, don't you agree?
Many people probably won’t check it for me, but there is a lot of truth in this.
Richard Koch in his book “The 80/20 Manager” tells the story of the German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, a participant in the First and Second World Wars. He led the Blitzkrieg that quickly conquered France, and then commanded the Wehrmacht's XI Army, whose successful actions in the Crimea against the Soviet army culminated in the capture of Sevastopol in June 1942.
Manstein divided his officers into four categories, depending on their intelligence, stupidity, hard work and laziness.
1. First group
These are lazy and stupid officers. Leave them alone, they do no harm.
2. Second group
These are smart and hardworking officers. They make excellent staff officers, from whom even the smallest details will not escape.
3. Third group
Hardworking dumbasses. These people are dangerous, they burden everyone with completely unnecessary work. They should be shot on the spot.
4. Fourth group
Smart slackers. These people deserve the highest positions.
Thus, laziness in itself is not a virtue, but it is very useful when combined with a high level of intelligence.
The famous British philosopher and public figure Bertrand Russell said:
“The path to happiness and prosperity is through orderly reduction of work.”
How can this be achieved? In fact, we have plenty of time, more than enough. We simply waste it on the exciting struggle with “problems” and pointless meetings.
Remember the Esenhaur matrix.
A. Important urgent matters. These are burning cases when you need to drop everything and start putting out the fire. It's better not to let things get to this point. When you successfully complete an important and urgent task, you feel a surge of strength and a lot of different emotions - joy, pride, satisfaction with the work done, but it takes a lot of energy and it is impossible to work in this mode for a long time.
B. Non-urgent and important matters. Current (planned) work; this category also includes business planning, training, development and everything that brings you closer to achieving your goal. If you start things in this category, they can go to square A and will need to be completed under time pressure.
C. Urgent and unimportant. Basically, this is some kind of routine and unscheduled work, or someone asked you to do work that is not part of your responsibilities. This work in no way leads you to your desired goal. Staying in this square for a long time is harmful. It is extremely important not to confuse the things to do in this square with the things to do in square A (important and urgent).
D. Not urgent and unimportant. These are things that you can refuse because they will not bring the desired return. This includes watching TV shows, empty conversations, meaningless Internet surfing, social networks (if you are not an SMM specialist), providing all kinds of services and doing things that are not related to your immediate goals.
To be as productive as possible, try to focus on square B. For example, I have a piece of paper on my desktop with this matrix drawn on it and I periodically ask myself: which square am I in?
It is the smart and lazy people who are usually very creative. Give them free rein, and they will offer a lot of non-standard and original solutions to the problem with one single goal - to complete the task as quickly as possible and with the minimum amount of effort.
It is to lazy and smart people that we owe many innovative inventions.
But what if you still need to do it, but don’t want to?
Sometimes it happens that we, smart lazy people, become hostages of our minds. Without sufficient motivation, the brain begins to strenuously resist leaving the control zone, because this threatens it with large losses of energy when mastering new types of activities.
An important point is that the smarter a person is, the more skillfully he justifies himself and others. It happened to me that I set a SMART goal, but then I made excuses to myself and refused to fulfill the goal only because it did not meet the SMART criteria, and according to such an exotic criterion as “organicity of the goal”, its relevance (relevant).
It also happens that we do not complete the task set by management, because we believe that the task was not set correctly or is simply stupid. I will not dwell on this in detail here; this situation will be discussed in subsequent articles.
How to overcome resistance?
2. Think about what completing this goal will do for you.
3. Turn work into a game and give yourself rewards for completing each step.
4. Read my previous article
5. Read my next articles
The article would not be complete if I did not talk about the last type of laziness.
Laziness as an external manifestation of fatigue.
Sometimes, no matter how great the idea is, there is no desire to do anything.
This does not mean that this goal is not important to us, but sometimes we need to rest. I offer a short excursion into esotericism to understand more deeply why energy sometimes leaves us.
Lack of physical activity
Even if you are engaged only in intellectual activity, physical activity is a must, at least exercise in the morning. As they say, “without physical activity, not only the body, but also the business begins to fall apart.” Muscle tone decreases, the body cannot cope with accumulated toxins, resulting in chronic fatigue syndrome. You didn’t strain yourself, and in the end you have no strength. Not physical, not emotional, not mental.
Lack of emotional stress
Do you think soap operas, DOM-2 and other programs are watched only by stupid women?
I hasten to disappoint you, this is not always the case. We (men) aren’t watching the World Cup because we can’t live without the ball? In this case, we would already be running around the stadium. We all need emotions, and different ones.
Sometimes we swear from a lack of negative emotions, the main thing is not to pour out these emotions on other people. It’s better to watch a movie or read a book that evokes a variety of strong emotions, just don’t try them on yourself - this is not your life. I usually watch arthouse in cinemas, author and festival films, mostly dramas. You sit, worry, but at the same time you understand that this has nothing to do with you. Then you just go about your business and don’t remember.
Some people like to watch news and politics to tickle their nerves. However, everything is good in moderation, do not go too far, otherwise you risk becoming a grouch and a loser.
No intellectual load
Despite the fact that we are faced with a huge amount of information every day, the lack of intellectual load is the scourge of the modern world. Our mind is filled to capacity, processes a huge amount of data, but all this is idle. Even the slightest difficulties cause great tension and irritation.
It’s easier for us to read a dozen public pages or sites on the Internet in search of some cool jokes, cats, quotes, tips, than to apply any of the techniques or tips offered on these sites. You need to get used to learning based on your experience, and not from books. Do not confuse a large amount of information viewed with mental activity. You need to use tools such as analysis, synthesis, analogies. Before reading, always ask yourself questions: why am I reading this information? how can I use this in my life?
The lack of intellectual stress reduces the number of neural connections in the brain, which is one of the causes of aging, illness, depression, weakened memory and decreased will.
Some people advise playing chess, solving crosswords and scanwords. This is certainly useful, but in the first case you develop logic, and in the other case, memory. Not a single neural connection arises here. New connections arise only with the development of new skills and the solution of non-trivial problems. All this is provided in abundance to those who are trying to qualitatively change their lives and get out of their comfort zone.
Don't confuse laziness and idleness.
Idleness is not always caused by laziness. Sometimes a person simply has no goal, he lives aimlessly, does not understand the purpose of his existence. He does nothing all day long and that suits him.
Summary.
So, let's summarize. Laziness is a very cool thing, created hundreds of years ago and a perfectly working mechanism, but it is only effective in combination with a high IQ.
Sometimes a person's behavior looks like laziness, but it is not. An intelligent person will first choose the most reasonable, adequate and effective way of doing it, and then begin to complete the task, since he knows that 80% of any work can be done in 20% of the time allotted for it. We are not taking perfectionists into account here; we will also talk about them in the following articles.
Usually people do not associate determination and laziness, but the desire to find the best solution that requires minimal effort is the highest form of laziness.
Be lazy and enjoy life, but don’t forget that there are different types of laziness. Don't give in to her provocations.
