There is no such thing as laziness.

There is no such thing as laziness. We often use the word “lazy” as a broad umbrella term to describe someone who is unwilling to perform certain tasks or duties. What we then fail to acknowledge, however, are the actual reasons why someone is unwilling in the first place. We completely ignore the many facets and causes of behavior, and simply reduce a person to the label of “lazy;” as if laziness was an inherent part of their identity. And to make matters worse, we learned to attach shame and guilt to laziness, making us think less of the person we call “lazy” — whether this is other people or, more likely, ourselves. Labels attached to self or others are dehumanizing when we fail to appreciate why. In order to avoid such objectification we need to know the actual controlling variables. Suppose, for instance, you learned that a so-called “lazy” adult was horribly abused as a child whenever she showed initiative. Are you still comfortable freely putting that label on her? I hope not. And if not, when did you suddenly deserve less consideration than you would give to others? Why not bring an attitude of curiosity to your own so-called “laziness?” If we were to dig deeper, we might learn that our unwillingness to perform certain tasks or duties might be fueled by… …buying into a deep-seated fear of uncertainty. …entanglement with a recurring worry over the future. …adopting a sense of “not being good enough.” …experiencing a lack of values clarity in life. …a self-objectifying and overly demanding schedule, always filled to the brim. …a poor quality of sleep at night. …a lack of close and supportive relationships. …a diet high in sugar and saturated fats. …and many other such factors. There are many potential sources of why we do the things we do, including why we sometimes lack motivation. What is responsible for your “laziness?” That’s hard to tell, because it always depends on you, your history, and your situation. There is simply no one-size-fits-all way to understand motivation. You are an individual and to move ahead you will need to be more curious about why. Step #1 Look At What Drives Your Motivation Unfortunately the answers your mind gives you about your own behavior are often false or useless. For this reason, the first step in overcoming “laziness” (i.e., unwillingness), is to observe yourself more clearly. You need to notice how your engagement ebbs and flows and the situations that impact it. This may sound simple enough, and yet it’s far from it, because our minds are surprisingly bad at knowing why we do the things we do. Research has shown that the vast majority of our choices are driven by influences that go beyond the simple rule-based formulae we carry in our heads. For instance, holding a warm cup of coffee may influence you to perceive others as more warm and friendly. Yes, really! This is one reason why seeking help from a professional can be helpful, because they can point to our blindspots, especially if they have empirical help in understanding the processes that explain your behavior. Fortunately, you do not need to be aware of every factor that is driving your behavior — only of the ones that matter most — and you yourself can collect much of the information you need. Start this refinement with a bit of introspection. First, rate your own level of motivation on a scale from one to ten (1 = having no motivation at all; 10 = being the most motivated you can be). Next, take a moment to think of a time when you felt more motivated than that (don’t worry — if this exercise is needed you won’t be at a 10 to begin with!). Now ask yourself, what was different back then? Write down whatever comes to your mind that may have played a role. If in doubt, write it out. This is not about accuracy, but about capturing ideas. Your brainstorming might look like this: