Do you ever have a tendency to be lazy? If you do, do you know how to stop being lazy? Most people have times when they’re happy to be 'lazy' and often say they’re being lazy when what they’re really doing is relaxing but for some reason feel too guilty to admit it. However, for some people being genuinely lazy can have a direct and negative impact on their life, making them miserable, lowering their energy levels and stopping them from achieving the success they want. So here are my 5 top tips for how to stop being lazy.

Tip 1 - How to stop being lazy: Don’t confuse laziness and procrastination

Although both laziness and procrastination manifest themselves in exactly the same way ie an inability to either get things started or finished, the root causes are quite different and it’s important you recognise that. People use procrastination as a defence mechanism so they can protect themselves in some way from experiencing what they believe will be a negative outcome. This could be fear of failure, fear of success, lack of self-esteem, fear of working outside their comfort zone ... and any number of other reasons.

Laziness is quite different. The root cause is not fear. It could be caused by low energy levels or it could be a bad habit that you've allowed to grow. If you’re going to learn how to stop being lazy it’s important that you don’t confuse laziness for procrastination.

Tip 2 – How to stop being lazy: Be honest with yourself

As well as not confusing laziness and procrastination, it’s important that you be honest with yourself if you’re going to successfully learn how to stop being lazy. You need to ask yourself why you're being lazy about something. Is it because you have low energy levels or is it because it’s just become a habit and you don’t know how to break it? It could be a combination, but by being honest about why you’re being lazy is the first step in starting to tackle it.

Tip 3 – How to stop being lazy: Review your health and well-being

It’s easy to be lazy if you have low levels of energy. You might not even be properly aware of it –so it’s worth reviewing what you’re eating, how much exercise you’re getting and what you’re sleep pattern is like. Diet can play havoc with your energy levels if you're are not eating a healthy diet. Make sure that you are eating sensibly with enough variety to provide all the necessary nutrients that are vital to sustaining a healthy lifestyle.

Likewise review the amount of exercise that you’re getting. Don’t slip into saying that you’re too busy to exercise. It’s easy to build in extra exercise into your day, by walking some of the way to work or taking stairs rather than lifts. If you are eating well and getting some exercise you will have more energy and it should mean that you sleep better. However, check that your bedroom is conducive to you having a good nights sleeps and avoid taking electronic devices to bed.

Making even small changes could make a tremendous difference to your energy levels and help you in your quest to overcome being lazy.

Tip 4 – How to stop being lazy: Break the bad habits

The thing about laziness is that it is purely subjective. One person’s idea of laziness won’t be another, so you’ll know the areas of your life where you have a tendency to be lazy. Think about the negative impact of your laziness and what the future would look like if you break the habit. Breaking bad habits can be a challenge and you will need to try any strategy such as breaking a task into small bite sized chunks and using rewards to motivate yourself. Just make sure that if you use a reward system that the reward matches the effort you put in. Because there is no fear attached to being lazy it should be easier to overcome than procrastination.

Tip 5 – How to stop being lazy: Adopt a “Do it now” approach

Adopting a “Do it now” approach can help you to overcome a tendency to be lazy. If there are things that you know you should be doing like a task that you’ve been putting off, rather than delaying further when you think about it – do it immediately. Of course it’s not always practical to adopt this strategy but it’s a great way to train your inner strength, and strengthen your ability to overcome laziness.

Summary Learning how to stop being lazy will have a positive impact on your life. If you recognise there’s things that you’re lazy over, making small changes to the way you approach them will reap benefits and strengthen your will-power and self discipline. Why not give it a go and do it now?