How to stop being lazy

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Does anyone have any advice on how to conquer the sin of sloth or laziness? I struggle with this. I'm not very good at keeping my home clean and part of that is having two kids. Part of that is needing to go somewhere on nearly every day off I have. But...in all honestly, most of it is laziness. Let's just call it like is. I don't want to be like this anymore. Time is too precious to waste. I have two little ones who deserve better from their mother and need me to be an example. If I ever want to be all that God would have me be I need to break this sin from my life.
Please does anyone have any advice?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

The most important lesson with children probably is to read Scripture to them EVERY DAY for a few minutes at least. Even if it is not explained to them at the time, or if they are only a few months old, reading out loud to them every day on schedule is POSSIBLY the most important thing ever, (as important as praying, or even more important maybe) .... Later when they are grown or growing up, then they may have the resources 'internally' and intentionally (God's Plan and your hope)
to meet everything in life they run into, God's Way.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Put down the pie, get off the couch, and go for a nice brisk walk. It'll charge up your batteries.

My guess is that the kids have got you pretty worn down as well. Are you a single mom?

 

[Zatek]

This video helped me a lot:

The summary is that people who procrastinate (or lazy, same thing) are doing so as a passive-aggressive form of rebellion against the constant barrage of people always telling them what they have to do or else, without ever taking time to take our thoughts or feelings into account. The passive-aggressive response becomes so ingrained in our behavior that it persists into adulthood even after there's no longer anyone forcing us to do anything.

Now that you're an adult your life is a blank canvas and you can do anything you want or don't want to do with it. Of course you still have to deal with the consequence of your actions, such as if you don't wash your clothes then you'll have to keep wearing the same dirty ones over and over, but if you're okay with living like that then go for it. No one is going to come to your house and put you in timeout or ground you until you wash your clothes.

Once you realize that you never have to do anything you don't want to do you can stop self-sabotaging yourself with laziness. You never have to do anything you don't want to again. Ever. This doesn't mean that everything you do is always fun, but everything you do is because you want to do it. For example, it isn't always fun to care for your kids, but I assume you love and so you do things to care for them even if they aren't fun. Doing laundry isn't fun, but having nice clean clothes to go out with is and so you do it, or at least that's why I do it. I hate wearing dirty clothes.

Also, keep in mind that even after you realize you don't have to sabotage yourself anymore you will still have to break your bad habits which may take months. It isn't going to be an overnight thing, however you should find that it is very easy relative to before because you're no longer in that mindset of other people being in control of what you have to do. You have the freedom to do whatever you want with your life, so decide what you want to do with it and go do it.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Put down the pie, get off the couch, and go for a nice brisk walk. It'll charge up your batteries.

My guess is that the kids have got you pretty worn down as well. Are you a single mom?

Yup

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Yup

I'm going to say something to you that will go against every mom's intuition you have.......(drumroll please),

You.... are more important than your kids. Their welfare should never come before your own. "Don't muzzle the ox (yourself) that treads out the grain".

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Time is too precious to waste. I have two little ones who deserve better from their mother and need me to be an example. If I ever want to be all that God would have me be I need to break this sin from my life.

This is true.
The answer might be simple, even suggested years ago, but not realized.
Most of the time, on this forum, the answer is not realized. (it is confused too much with a lot of not good ideas).

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

I'm going to say something to you that will go against every mom's intuition you have.......(drumroll please),

You.... are more important than your kids. Their welfare should never come before your own. "Don't muzzle the ox (yourself) that treads out the grain".

I will say that if I don't take care of myself I can't take care of my kids. And also I have to be the best "me" I can be, living my life with integrity and in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to God not only for Him, but as an example for my children.

 

[Sketcher]

I'd say chip away at it one thing at a time. Do one more thing that needs to be done around the house every day.

 

[jacks]

I think we all struggle with being lazy at times. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all I have to do so I don't do anything. If that makes sense. So the key is just to get started. So I set myself real easy goals. For example if I have to write a letter, I will set the goal of addressing the envelope. If I need to clean the bathroom, I set an easy goal like only clean the sink. Setting these easy goals make the tasks seem less overwhelming, so at least I do something. Often after I begin doing something I end up doing more anyway. (inertia?)

Also when there are so many things competing for our attention, it can be hard to decide what to do first. I have found thinking "doing anything is better than doing nothing", helps me get going. It doesn't matter if it is the most important thing, at least it's something!

Being lazy can become a habit, I try to break the habit by taking small steps.

 

[Ancient of Days]

@ The OP, What is your diet like? What do you eat? Its hard to get motivated if your feeling sluggish right out of the gate...

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

@ The OP, What is your diet like? What do you eat? Its hard to get motivated if your feeling sluggish right out of the gate...

Well i'm currently working on eating healthier. I drink only water and I am trying to give up redmeat and eat less pasta, more rice and more vegetables. I don't buy sweets. Try not to buy junk.

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Well i'm currently working on eating healthier. I drink only water and I am trying to give up redmeat and eat less pasta, more rice and more vegetables. I don't buy sweets. Try not to buy junk.

I bought turkey bacon today despite it not looking like actual bacon. My body can't handle too much grease.

 

[Ancient of Days]

Add a bunch of fresh ORGANIC fruits and veges to your diet. Try juicing as well. Its true, we are what we eat... On a scale of 1-10 what's your energy level? Be honest...

 

[Beautyinsteadofashes]

Add a bunch of fresh ORGANIC fruits and veges to your diet. Try juicing as well. Its true, we are what we eat... On a scale of 1-10 what's your energy level? Be honest...

Umm... idk. I know I generally need six to eight hours of sleep to not be a zombie.

 

[Ancient of Days]

Ok, think about it for a few days. Start to listen to your body. God designed it to be able to tell us when something is and isn't working. The problem is a lot of people just disconnect the "engine light" when its flashing and don't seek a solution until its to late. Or until the damage is excessive. My point is that once you take care of the physical issues of the body and mind the mind is much easier to train.

 

[-Luca]

There is the famous 2 minute rule that can be followed: if something takes 2 minutes to do, start it immediately.

This is beneficial because when we complete small tasks, motivation builds up within us, providing momentum for other tasks.

Also, the 2 minute rule is not necessarily a tool used to complete tasks but to initiate one (expected incompletion). For example, if you were starting an art project or doing push-ups, take 2 minutes out of your day to doing it.

 

[Petros2015]

This video helped me a lot: (putting off Procrastination)

That looks good ...I'll check it out later lol

 

[Poppyseed78]

Your home doesn't have to be perfectly clean in order for your kids to be happy and healthy. Obviously there should be a basic level of cleanliness, but having it spotless isn't necessary. Stressing out about that can actually do more harm than good.

I try to just take it one task at a time, and routines help. If you make it a habit to clean up some at the same time each day, it will become easier. I have a weekly cleaning schedule for things like laundry, vacuuming, and bathrooms, and beyond that I focus on one room at a time. If it's a little messy, toys strewn on the floor, a few dirty dishes in the sink, I don't beat myself up for it. My son would rather have quality time playing with me even if the dishes sit out for the night.

 

[Zatek]

Ok, think about it for a few days. Start to listen to your body. God designed it to be able to tell us when something is and isn't working. The problem is a lot of people just disconnect the "engine light" when its flashing and don't seek a solution until its to late. Or until the damage is excessive. My point is that once you take care of the physical issues of the body and mind the mind is much easier to train.

I disagree. The mind is much more of an influence on your energy level than your body. I'm in great shape, I can bench 400 lbs, deadlift almost 600lbs, I can go without eating for days and train MMA for hours and feel great, but when I used to be lazy I'd sleep all weekend because I had no goals and no motivation to do anything. I'd sleep like 14 hours until it was time to go to the gym and then I'd feel amazing again because I was motivated and excited about something.

Not saying taking care of your body is bad, but being excited about something is far more impactful on your energy level than anything else. If you aren't excited about anything then it doesn't matter how healthy you are you will still be bored and low energy.