We’ve all, at one time or another, put off something we should have done: going to the gym, studying, finishing a work project… only to feel terrible later and blame ourselves for not having enough willpower. However, as a psychologist, I can assure you that relying solely on willpower to establish a habit is a recipe for failure.
Wanting something isn’t enough. And willpower isn’t an infinite resource. In fact, an experiment conducted at Case Western Reserve University showed that when we’re tired, willpower vanishes. What’s the solution? It’s as simple as stopping negotiating with yourself.
The 2 traps that laziness sets for you
Laziness isn’t just about not wanting to do something. It’s not simply a physical state or a feeling of demotivation. It’s also that inner voice that convinces us to postpone what we know we should do. It’s you finding a thousand excuses (some of them plausible) to avoid lifting a finger.
In fact, laziness manifests itself primarily through:
1. Justifications (more or less sensible)
These are the classic excuses: “I can’t right now, I’m too tired,” “I don’t have time,” or “It’s raining, it’s too cold.” The mind finds relatively plausible reasons to postpone what we should be doing—and the more convincing the excuse seems, the harder it is to take action. These justifications are nothing more than laziness disguised as logic, trying to convince you that you have a good reason not to do what you should.
2. Compensation plans (which are never fulfilled)
But laziness doesn’t stop at excuses. It goes a step further, convincing you that you’ll make up for it later. For example: “I’m not going to the gym today, but I’ll go tomorrow and train twice as hard,” or “I won’t study today, but I’ll catch up this weekend.” These plans give you a sense of control and feed the illusion of responsibility, but the truth is, they rarely come to fruition, so they usually keep you trapped in a cycle of constant procrastination.
The only way to force yourself to do what you must do
I’ve met hundreds of people trapped in the “I’ll do it tomorrow” cycle. As a result, they fail to change their habits or build the life they want. At its core, I always find the same problem: a mental dialogue dominated by laziness.
And when you start negotiating with yourself, you’re bound to lose because no one knows your weaknesses or the right words to convince yourself that you can procrastinate without any consequences better than you. No one is better at deceiving yourself than you.
Therefore, the best psychological strategy to trick your brain and overcome laziness is not to play along. In other words, if you know you should do something, don’t start negotiating it in your mind.
Don’t tell yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “just a little while longer” because that only means you’re looking for excuses not to move and reinforcing procrastination. The key is not to give laziness the chance to start that negotiation: if you know you have to do something, act immediately. Don’t think about it. Don’t weigh it up. Don’t debate it. Just start.
The moment you notice your mind starting to make excuses, get moving. For example, if you know today is gym day, don’t think about being tired or the weather being bad: put on your sneakers and go.
Why does this method for overcoming laziness work?
Okay, it’s not the most sophisticated psychological technique in the world, but that’s precisely why it’s so effective. It cuts procrastination off at the root and focuses on the action needed to build a habit, instead of turning it into an internal debate.
This small change reduces the initial resistance generated by laziness and gets you going. A study conducted at Utrecht University revealed that the level of self-control is not as good a predictor of habit formation as the intention to implement it; that is, formulating specific plans. This involves linking actions to a specific context or situation, such as: at 7 a.m., as soon as I finish breakfast, I will go for a run.
This creates an automatic behavior that doesn’t depend as much on self-control and willpower. Therefore, the two conditions for overcoming laziness once and for all are:
- Make a conscious decision, and
- Plan the necessary actions sensibly.
If you decide to get fit and go for a run, objectively determine which days and times you can do it. Be realistic. It’s better to plan two days and stick to your schedule than to think you can run every day and then not do it.
Once you make the decision and set aside time in your schedule, don’t compromise. Stick to it. And if you’re feeling incredibly lazy, at least commit to starting. Don’t dwell on the hour it will take or all the effort it will require. Just focus on getting started. Usually, that’s enough to overcome laziness and create a momentum that will help you keep going until you finish. That’s the secret.
References:
Weiden, A. et. Al. (2020) How to Form Good Habits? A Longitudinal Field Study on the Role of Self-Control in Habit Formation. Front. Psychol.; 11: 10.3389.
Baumeister, R. F. et. Al. (1998) Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; 74(5): 1252–1265.
Leave a Reply