Keys to Overcome Laziness

1. Be Happy

Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5

Depression, or merely sadness, can sap you of energy, motivation, and strength. In a long run, it also saps you of health. The side effect of depression, whether clinical or not, is lethargy. It can disguise itself as laziness, which produce guilt. Guilt is a fuel of depression.

Be joyful then your productivity would increase much more and you would become more stable.

2. Be Thankful

Thankfulness rewards the good, but too much self-criticisms punish everything. It kills both the good and the bad.

To give thanks is the best cure to the habit of complaining, bitterness, depression and by extension, lethargy. Try and give thank for even the tiny little things, you will be amazed at the result if you do it consistently for a few days and carefully observe the change.

3. Do Not Fear

¹³ The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!” Proverbs 26:13

It’s easy to associate work with fears such as pain, failures, illness, danger, and whatever that makes you afraid.  When you create fears, you are at the same time conditioning yourself to avoid the fears you created. Whether you are doing it consciously or not.

While we are surely not as stupid as the “lazy man” as is depicted in the bible, which made up a lion in his head, you and I could make up a lot of fears in our minds.

Similarly, a salesman might find it hard to sit down and make sale calls, for fear of rejections. A unemployed person might dread taking actions to look for work for fear of landing in an abusive work environment, or fear of working hard to make someone rich.

 

4. Do not eat heavy Meals

²¹ for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Proverbs 23:21

Drowsiness and gluttony are twin brother! Heavy meals decrease energy. Also on the anti-energy list are greasy, sugary, dairy, and junk foods in general.

Sugar and caffeine filled food or beverages make you hyper, but reduce attention span and focus. Back in the day when I didn’t know better, I took them while I studied for exams, and I couldn’t do any significant learning afterward even though I felt very much awake.

Raw fruits and plants, on the other hand, give stable energy and nutrients to the body, and cleanse the body of toxins that come from the environment and standard diets. I am not talking about one apple a day or 1 to 2 oz of vegetables. I am talking about filling your stomach with them! Drink large dose of juices! Eat a lot of fresh vegetables!

5. Do not Idle Chatter

²³ In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter^[a]leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

Conversation is addictive.

It’s easy to mistake idle chatters for “fellowship”. Don’t get addicted to spiritual sharing!

Building this Blog is a profitable project. If I talk to someone and share my spiritual insight in person, I am only serving one person, and all that are said during the conversation will pass. But for written work, it will work 24/7 for me for years to come, and a lot more people will receive the benefits. Building a blog is a lot of labor. Obviously when I am working on this project, I can’t talk. But thinking about the future this project will bring is a great joy that keeps me going.

Idle chatter grows. Like any other addiction. The more you enjoy idle chatter, the more you become dependent on it. You will feel a void if you’re deprived of it suddenly. Use your time to build things that last!

6. Fast regularly

¹⁰For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” ¹¹We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11

²⁶ The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.  Proverbs 16:26

A lazy person is often time a meddler. A lazy person will busy himself with all kind of things, but will not commit to any major responsibility.

If you meddle in other people’s affair or gossip, then you probably have too little responsibilities of your own and are being too idle. Meddling Christians bring so much trouble to the church. They create stress for the real producers, leak secrets to third party, and throw accusations at others.

Meddler has no clear job description, but love to throw advice at everybody, especially at the authorities and the real servants of the church who do real work with sweat and love. Meddlers (Busybodies who are actually idle) regard themselves highly. (Proverbs 26:16)

They also respond bitterly when they think their advice is not heeded. This is why they are often the originators of gossips! They feel bitter at people who don’t seem to follow their advice and complain to others about it. They use secret information they coveted through all kind of means as evidences to convince a third party who is not involved with the issue.

If you are struggling with a lack of motivation to work, try to reduce your food intake. This is what I do to myself. It’s actually healthier this way. Often time, your body is fatigue and overwhelmed due to the toxins that come from unhealthy diets.

If you’re not exercising your body, your body doesn’t need as much food as it does when you engage in physical labor such as going to gym. As for mental work, it’s the same, if you tend to avoid work, then avoid eating more than your body needs too. Keep your food intake to the bare minimum. Don’t let security or gluttony take away your drive and will to work. Appetite is a great source of power, utilize it.

 

7. Wake Up at Sunrise.

¹⁹He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. ²⁰ You appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about. ²¹ The young lions roar after their prey And seek their food from God. ²² When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their dens. ²³ Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening.  Psalm 104:19-23

Different creatures have different biological clocks. Some beasts were created to be active at night, and some are to be active during the day. Humans operate best when we wake up as the sun rises.

It is now pretty well known that the morning is the most productive time. Some say an hour in the morning equal to 3 hours in the afternoon in term of productivity. I totally agree. As the day pass, the burden and usage of our mind increase as well. We can’t reserve our energy and capacity of our minds for later in the day, because our minds are always active. The brain will invent tasks for itself and keep itself busy, whether you like it or not. Taking deep breaths will relax it, but the default mode of the brain is to find something to release its energy upon.

If you don’t assign important tasks for your brain first thing in the morning, it will go after low yielding tasks such as checking emails, social chattering, worrying, daydreaming, fidgeting, surfing the Net, and etc.

Divide your day into two half. There are approximately 16 hours of wakeful time for an average person. Allocate your first 8 hours for work. Assign the first 4 hours of the first half of your day for important tasks such as studying for professional exams, or intelligence intensive works such as drafting a proposal.

8-10 hours of works per day should be enough. Any more than that is a waste of time due to diminishing returns, and can even be harmful to your health. It is important to wind up the day. Release and let go of all petty concerns of the day and enjoy a quiet evening. Reduce factors that is bad for sleep hygiene such as lights, noises, crappy food, alcohol, coffee, and upsetting conversations or TV programs.

Bad sleep hygiene results in drowsiness during the day, which is one of the major factors for laziness.

Finally

By now you might be able to spot a lazy person very quickly. I admit it usually took me quite a while before I realized the damage and the true character of a lazy person.

Cut all association with them. Don’t trust them with anything, even if you feel lonely at working by yourself. Otherwise you will get hurt, you will be meddled, you will be gossiped against, and you will be disappointed!