How do you deal with lazy?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cmbertrand
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

cmbertrand

Guest
Simple question. How do you get yourself out of the habit of being lazy when there’s no drive to do so?
 
cmbertrand said:
Simple question. How do you get yourself out of the habit of being lazy when there’s no drive to do so?
Click to expand...
We aren’t really taught in school how to motivate ourselves, so it’s a skill we have to learn, and especially in the new economy where most of us are going to be self-employed (and to survive, we’re going to have to be able to motivate ourselves to find customers and get our work done on time, since there will be no one there to remind us of what will happen if we don’t) - given that, I suppose what you have to do is make yourself little promises - if I work for four hours, I can go for lunch at my favorite take-out. Things like that. 🤷
 
First of all, it is the sin of “sloth” so Confession is a good place to start. When we confess we also avail ourselves of God’s grace to overcome a habitual sin like that one. Another thing to think about is whether the laziness is due to mild depression or if it is a result of a lack of direction due to poor schooling. Pray for healing and direction. (severe depression usually requires a doctor’s assistance so you might want to get evaluated if you think you are depressed.)

I have fought with this sin and have used the Catechism to study it and meditate on it. In my case a combination of loss, grief, and depression robbed me of motivation for a long time.

Once I decided to get over it, I went to Confession and then I had to break it down into component parts and address each part with God’s help.

Does this help you at all?
 
A few years ago I was unemployed and had lots of time on my hands which made me lazy. One trick I used was I volunteered at a school breakfast program. It forced me to get up in the morning and out. Then half the time I would come home and sleep then other times since I was up I would go do my groceries. Then one lady I met there started to ask me to coffee right after. It is finding the little motivators that work for you.

but don’t be too hard on yourself. Perhaps set a goal of this week I will not be lazy for 2 days, next week for 3 until you get up to 5 non lazy days a week.

Just a suggestion
 
There’s different kinds of “lazy.” I have a long list of undone things, which are witnessed by the unwashed dishes in the sink (3 days), small pile of unwashed laundry, old car in garage with four flat tires, etc.

It’s not simply that I’m lazy, I’m doing something else, you know. I live with my elderly mom and will do things to take care of her, in priority over other things.

I have chronic fatigue and underlying diagnosed medical problems.

Any particular person should “rule out” depression if they are serious about conquering laziness.

Further, I am studying at all hours of the day and night (Ps 1:1).

It also may be helpful to make a list of things that need to be done, and maybe you ought to knock off the easy ones.

I sometimes give the appearance of being precipitous, when I do things. Well, I do think about things for a long time, to figure out which way to do them, and then take action only when I know each step and the pitfalls of each step, so that I get something done and have thought it through sufficiently.

In some cases, I just don’t have an idea what to do, such as dealing with clutter. I’ve found that pitching out about 10% of it helps to organize the rest.

We had 25 years worth of phone books stacking up in the basement. I gave it some thought and then set them out in the paper recycling bin. As soon as they were gone, I regretted the action, because I had subsequently got real interest in my family’s geneology, and I had pitched all those documents of historic interest.

I used to, but no longer, save newspapers. Sorry Nat’l Geographic Magazine, you’re gone after I look at it – nice, but no room for it.
 
cmbertrand said:
Simple question. How do you get yourself out of the habit of being lazy when there’s no drive to do so?
Click to expand...
In what way or ways are you specifically being lazy? Myself, I have been a habitual procrastinator. When I was a child I put off chores, homework, getting up in the morning or going to bed at night. As an adult, I have continued that trend, whether it be putting things off at work or putting things off at home. Yet I have had plenty of time to play computer games and the like. But until recently, I never thought of it as a sin. More of a character flaw. It didn’t hit me until this Lent that my laziness is a sin. One of the Capital Sins or Deadly Sins: Sloth.

I am a cradle catholic and I am on a spiritual journey that started when my oldest child started going to Mass everyday in 1st grade. That was 3 years ago. At that time, I went to confession for the first time in 20 years. However, I did not make it a habit. I went to confession again a year later just before my child’s First Communion. I know the precept of the Church is to go at least once a year, but I certainly needed to go before that as I was living in mortal sin.

Currently, I have been going to confession every 1 or 2 weeks for the past several months. I find going to frequent confession strengthens my resolve to avoid sin. In addition, I stared having a weekly hour of adoration about a year ago. Just recently I have started to look forward to going to adoration.

For Lent this year I gave up alcohol, that is until the first Sunday of Lent when our priest talked about making a true sacrifice. I like to drink wine or beer but usually just once a week. It wouldn’t be too tough to give it up for Lent. But during his homily, I knew that my new Lenten sacrifice would be giving up playing online poker. I would play it everyday, and I could play it hours at a time. I knew that God was asking me to give it up for Lent.

I didn’t know that I was going to ramble on like this when I started to answer your post but my point is that you deal with lazy by making a point to do something. First, you pray. Pray for the virtue of diligence to help you overcome your weakness. Next, go to confession. I have also stared praying the Rosary and have found that this has given me strength to avoid sin. In addition, I am currently watching “Discernment of Spirits” on CatholicTV.com. A very informative series on the 14 Ignation rules for discernment of the spirits.

catholictv.com/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=43&videoID=522

Peace be with you.
 
Teenagers always need money and many have the insane idea that they are entitled to a certain portion of mom or dad’s paycheck every week! You can counter this by offering opportunities to complete special projects around the house as a chance to earn spending money. Is there a room that needs painting? How about a garage that needs to be organized? Give specific goals and only pay when the job is done correctly.

The biggest factor in dealing with a lazy teenager is consistency and communication. Make every effort to continually motivate your teen to have a more active lifestyle through encouragement and support. Do not, under any circumstance, reward or ignore slothful behavior. Parenting is an extremely hard job and only becomes more difficult by failing to instill diligence and developing strong character in our teens. Let your kids know that fun and pleasure come as a result of a good, honest work ethic.
 
When I’m in good form I can trick myself into working “once you’ve finished this chapter you get to have a cup of coffee out in the garden”. That’s as good as I get.
At other times I have to isolate myself. No internet, no phone, no TV, no nothing. Just me and my computer and nowhere to run. This is difficult to get to. I can put up turning off the modem for hours sometimes. Once I’ve done it, though, it works.

Now someone tell me to go turn off that modem! :o
 
cmbertrand said:
How do you get yourself out of the habit of being lazy when there’s no drive to do so?
Click to expand...
The way to break a bad habit and form a good habit is practice. 🙂

Be careful not to confuse sloth with physical inactivity, though. Indeed, real sloth can easily be masked by busyness and hurrying about.

It is not Martha, busy serving, who did what was needed, but Mary, sitting at the Lord’s feet (Luke 10:38-42). Similarly, Psalm 127 warns “It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep,” and Psalm 46 says “Be still, and know that I am God.”
 
I am struggling with this issue also. I recently retired. Before that all my life I have been governed by school schedules, then work schedules, children’s schedules, etc. Now I get up and eat leasurely, with my cat on my lap, gazing out at my back yard and literally watching the grass grow taller – still too wet to mow.

I realized: 1) I’m retired. I’m allowed to relax. 2): I need to organize and make schedules. 3) I need to break the schedules sometimes, for the fun of it. And most things, if they aren’t done today, can be done tomorrow. The exception is prayer. I am making time for more prayer in my life, and that helps me organize everything else. Centering Prayer, as introduced by Fr. Thomas Keating, has helped me more than watching movies and oh, yeh, being on the internet till all hours, like right now!

I appreciate all the answers to this question, which I will also reread. I am new to the forum.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top