In our society, we are constantly surrounded by countless temptations.
From when we enter a supermarket, to when we browse the internet on our smartphone, to when we are in a shop, we are surrounded by stimuli that invite us to do something that could perhaps make us lose health, time or money.
Therefore, it is often difficult to make the best choice in all circumstances.
It is easier to give in to the satisfaction of a momentary pleasure than to give up in anticipation of a more lasting future well-being. Who among us has never chosen to stay at home on the sofa and watch a movie rather than go for a walk in the open air ? It happened to all of us. Yet we know that sedentariness is not good for us and that our body needs to move.
So how can we fight laziness and start doing what is really good for us?
Stefanie Stahl , a German psychologist specialized in strengthening self-esteem, explains it to us in her book ‘ Who turned off the light? ‘.
Through concrete examples and practical exercises , Stahl leads us on a path towards a greater balance in the search for the satisfaction of our needs and allows us to acquire a greater mastery of our emotions and control over our lives.
DOWNLOAD 3 FREE BOOK EXTRACTS NOW!
How to fight laziness
The sloth is one of our ‘resistance’ greatest when we want to implement the life changes . It has a genetic basis. That is, there is a mechanism within us that allows us to be active in certain circumstances. In the same way, there is another that allows us to save energy when it is not worth it or it is not necessary.
However, these two automatisms do not always act in the best way for our well-being . It is therefore necessary to restore and reprogram their functioning according to the lifestyle we want to achieve and which is more congenial for our psycho-physical health.
The principle of inertia
Before ‘going to work’ and trying to push us in one direction rather than another, one fact must be taken into account. There is a so-called ‘ inertia principle ‘, according to which a body in a state of quiet continues to stand still if there is no cause that causes it to move and a body in motion continues to move until an external force intervenes that modifies its direction or that stops it.
It is important to know this mechanism because it helps us understand why, when you move little, you tend to lazy more and when, instead, you do many things, you become more active . Finding the right size can be an excellent goal to combat laziness without becoming hyperactive.
Between laziness and hyperactivity
Have you ever experienced periods in which you carried out irregular activities and your biorhythm was completely in disorder? Sometimes it can happen, for example when you are a student, to spend periods in which you are unable to organize yourself in a profitable way . For example, during the holidays a student can start, in the first period, to do the thousand things he would have liked to do during the year but which, due to his studies, he was unable to do but then suddenly find himself with too much free time. and not being able to plan your day .
In that case, you start going to bed too late, waking up late in the morning and not being able to do even those little things like ‘tidying up the house’ which, however, in more ‘standard’ times of the year, when you study or you work, they get through quietly.
These situations can be explained precisely thanks to the inertia principle described above. This explains the feeling of relief that sometimes occurs when you start working or studying again after a break.
The ” roadmap ”
As in all activities, from sports, to work, to study, to writing, the more we exercise and the more regular our training, the lighter it will be, little by little, to carry out these tasks. Staying active is much easier if we don’t lose the habit .
In fact, most people need external requests and a daily roadmap to be able to ‘work’ effectively. Therefore, the best prevention against laziness is to have a daily , weekly, monthly plan etc.
Some people, when they hear the word ‘ programming ‘ mentioned, go into alarm. Maybe you too are part of this group. It may seem, in fact, that planning your days is an additional activity that adds stress to what we already have to do on a daily basis.
Well, it is actually proven that those who have a wrong or non-existent breakdown of the day are often more stressed than those who ‘ plan their own routine ‘, find themselves doing things at the last minute and always feel under pressure.
LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR TIME!
Discipline and passion
One of the reasons why some people do not welcome the programming and the discipline necessary to carry it forward is that they tend to contrast it with passion . Their idea is that if something is done out of passion it is not right to ‘harness’ it within programming.
In fact, this is not the case. It has been seen that even the greatest artists and writers have a working method . Writing a book or creating a work of art requires great perseverance and commitment. It is vital, therefore, to have specific times in which to dedicate oneself to it, otherwise, the possibility of ‘deconcentrating’ and wasting energy would be too high.
Those who carry out creative activities but fail to give themselves set times to respect often end up starting a thousand different activities but not completing any of them. While, it is well known that dedicating yourself to a subject with constancy and with a desire to deepen can give us a deep sense of satisfaction and increase our self-esteem .
FIND OUT HOW TO IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM
The fear of failure
Often, those who tend to put it off are afraid of failing . He believes he is unable to do it or is unable to complete an assignment and, abandoning himself to fear and laziness , continues to procrastinate . In this key, laziness can be read as a strategy for defending the individual who fits into the ‘ avoidance ‘ systems .
To make decisions
Defining an ” organization scheme ” for our days is very important especially for one reason: our brain cannot continuously make new decisions. Deciding is a process that requires a lot of energy . It is a matter of imagining the different hypotheses, assessing which is the best, often according to different criteria, and finally choosing.
The case of some illustrious personalities, such as in the past Steve Jobs or others, who always dress in the same way, with the same style is famous. They wear a kind of ‘uniform’ which can vary in fabric or color but which never changes too much and which allows them to avoid a decision every morning. The famous ‘what do I wear?’ typical female is part of the daily decisions that each of us must make.
This does not mean that you have to ‘take away the taste’ of choosing clothes, to always wear different clothes if you want to do it, but simply that you can consciously reduce our decisions (this or others) and, thus, simplify our life .
How to organize your activities
Based on what is described above, here is a ‘handbook’ with the main points to take into consideration in order to better plan your activities and days.
1. Set your priorities
Take some time to rest easy (at least half an hour). Set up a relaxed atmosphere and sit at your desk. Grab a pen and paper and start thinking (and writing) what your priorities are , both working and non-working, within the day .
What is important to you? Spending time with your kids? Playing sports? See friends? Working on your personal project? Write your book?
2. Insert them into your day
Once you set your priorities , (the most important ones should be a maximum of 3 so as to be sure to complete them and not waste your energy) you will have to plan to dedicate yourself to them every day. If they are your priorities, it is really important for you to find the time to carry them out and, whatever the cost, you can find the right time.
Consider also waking up early in the morning to do what is important to you such as physical activity or meditation or writing your first work. Plan the start and end times of each of these activities.
