I Am Too Lazy To Study!

by Zintle
(East London)

What can I do to overcome laziness? I don't touch my books when I am at home!

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Hi Zintle,

Do you know what? I don't actually believe in laziness!

It's actually a question of motivation. If you're not motivated, or you've lost sight of the reasons why you were in the first place, 'laziness' creeps in.

You stop taking action and grind to a halt. This becomes a habit or rut that it can be very difficult to get out of.

So, the big question is...

How do you overcome laziness?

Here are three ideas you can try:-

1. Re-discover what you want. Something made you choose what you do. What was it?
   
   What will studying do for you? What benefits can you expect from achieving what you set out to do?
   
   On the other side of the coin, what would happen if you don't finish?
   
   
2. Expect it to be difficult. Life is tough, particularly if you're pushing boundaries and doing something new - and that includes studying.
   
   There's no way round it - you need some commitment to pick up your books and to do the work. Don't rely on how you feel - that changes from day to day. Instead, lock into the habit outlined below...
   
   
3. Do a little daily. Whether it's gardening, exercise, studying or managing a business, this principle works so well.
   
   Why? Because (a) it's easy (you only do a little bit at a time so you don't build up too much resistance), and (b) it's constant, so you keep making progress; and those 'baby steps' will soon add up.

So, here's my advice...

Commit to studying tomorrow for as long as you realistically feel you can. Even if you do ten minutes, you've got the ball rolling.

Record how much you did, then commit to studying the next day. How long do you want to work for? Do it, then stop (if you want to). Record how much you did.

Repeat the process the following day and every day after that. Don't forget to keep a record of how much you did.

Come back in a month's time and let me know if this works for you.:)

Further Reading:

• Developing Good Study Habits
  
  
• Overcoming Procrastination