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Everyone experiences moments where we don’t feel motivated to work; but in order to be successful at our jobs we must not allow our laziness at work to hinder success. Below are five strategies designed to help stop being lax:
1) Understand Your Lazy Triggers
Ever find yourself becoming lazier at work? If that is the case for you, know that you are far from alone as up to 20% of workers globally struggle with laziness on a regular basis.
Laziness at work can stem from many sources, including boredom, lack of motivation or stress; one common trigger known as “lazy triggers.”
Lazy triggers are habits or activities that cause us to feel lethargic, such as checking our phones when bored or taking a coffee break when feeling low on energy.
Poor time management or laziness could have significant ramifications on productivity; just minutes spent using our mobile phones can decrease focus and concentration by as much as 50%!
So if you find yourself struggling with laziness in the workplace, it is key that you identify and avoid its triggers. Here are five of the most frequently occurring triggers with tips on how to combat them:
1. Checking Your Phone
One of the easiest and most enticing laziness triggers is reaching for your phone when bored or have free moments, even though this might seem harmless enough at first. Studies have proven, however, that phone use significantly decreases our focus and concentration levels.
2. Take Frequent Breaks
While taking regular breaks may help ease feelings of overwhelm and stress, too many may lead to increased feelings of laziness and make us unmotivated to move forward in our work or studies.
If you find that you take more breaks than necessary, try being more intentional about when and how frequently they’re taken – for instance taking one five-minute break every hour or two rather than taking multiple ones throughout the day may help.
3. Procrastinating on Difficult Tasks
All of us face tasks we dread or find challenging to finish, which may take more time or require greater resources to finish successfully.
2) Develop an Effective Morning Routine
At work, being lazy can be an acute frustration – that feeling when nothing seems to motivate us forward or even get done is all-too familiar. Perhaps your workload has grown overwhelming or perhaps you simply lack energy; regardless of its cause, being lazier at work is always a significant cause of problems that need addressing immediately.
Trying hard to stay motivated at work? Perhaps creating a morning routine would help. Establishing one will wake you up each morning, prepare you for what lies ahead, and set an effective tone for the remainder of your workday – ultimately increasing productivity!
Here are a few suggestions to assist in developing an efficient morning routine:
1. Wake Up on time each day.
Setting an alarm and getting up at the same time each day will help your body adjust and adapt, making getting out of bed in the morning more manageable. By getting used to rising at a specific time each morning, getting your body moving will become simpler than before!
2. Get Up and Move:
It is crucial that as soon as you leave bed, it is vitally important that you move about. Moving will get blood moving throughout your body, which in turn wakes you up more effectively. Try doing some stretches, going for a short walk, or simply performing several jumping jacks – anything which gets the blood pumping can only benefit!
3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast:
Beginning your day right with a healthy breakfast can give you energy and focus to tackle anything the day throws your way, plus prevent you from snacking on unhealthy food later in the day.
4. Plan Your Day:
Before beginning work for the day, take some time to outline exactly what needs to be accomplished – this will allow you to stay focused without feeling overwhelmed by a heavy workload.
5. Take Breaks:
It is essential that throughout the day, take time out for yourself when needed to help prevent becoming overtired or stressed out. Allowing yourself to unwind for just a moment before returning back to work will enable you to be more efficient when returning back at your desk.
3) Set Small Goals throughout the Day
On occasion, we all experience those days where it seems we just cannot focus or get anything accomplished. Perhaps fatigue, stress or laziness is to blame, yet any form of laziness at work can prove fatal for productivity.
If you find yourself struggling with laziness at work, here are a few strategies that may help get back on the right path:
1. Set Goals throughout the Day
One effective strategy to remain productive is setting yourself smaller goals throughout each day, rather than trying to tackle everything all at once. Focus on accomplishing one task at a time!
If you are undertaking an ambitious project, break it into smaller goals to help motivate yourself. Set an aim such as finishing the first draft by the end of today or conducting research for one hour; or writing 500 words.
Small goals are much simpler and faster to attain than large ones, helping keep you on the path toward your success.
2. Take Breaks
If you find it hard to concentrate, take a break – take a walk, get outside in some fresh air or simply step away from your desk for some minutes and just focus on something else for a while.
Breaks can help clear your head and bring fresh eyes back into your work – but just be wary not to take too many! Otherwise you risk never actually finishing anything!
3. Eliminate Distractions
One of the primary productivity-destroyer is distraction. If emails, phone calls or co-workers constantly interrupt your focus on task completion it may become nearly impossible.
To avoid distractions and maximize productivity, schedule time every day when working in an ideal, quiet working environment – turning off phones and shutting email accounts so you can concentrate solely on the task at hand is preferable!
Set a Deadline:
If procrastination becomes an issue for you, set yourself a deadline. Doing this can keep your focus and motivate you to complete the tasks at hand.
Seek Assistance:
To remain productive and remain focused at work, finding a work buddy could prove extremely helpful. Having someone alongside can keep productivity levels at peak.
4) Take Breaks
Sometimes it can be challenging to focus on anything at work; here are four strategies to take a break and stay productive:
1. Move Around
One effective strategy for breaking out of a productivity funk is simply moving around more. Go for a walk, do some stretching exercises or simply circle around the office – any form of physical movement will help get blood pumping and improve focus and alertness.
2. Take a Mental Break
After staring at your computer screen for too long without seeing a way out, take some time for yourself – you deserve one! Switch gears by doing something completely unrelated such as playing games or reading books to clear your head – these exercises will allow your energy to return with renewed vigor once your break ends and you return to work refreshed and rejuvenated!
3. Breathe Some Fresh Air
Simply breathing some fresh air can do wonders to boost energy and mood. If you feel lethargic or depleted of vitality, step outside for just a few moments and inhale deep lungfuls of air; when you come back inside you may be amazed to feel how much better.
5) Give Yourself Time Off
Sometimes the key to breaking out of productivity rut is taking a real break. Get up, step away from your desk for some fresh air or take time off for coffee or restorative nap. Giving yourself this precious break allows your brain to recharge so when it is time to resume work you return feeling rejuvenated with renewed vigor!
Find an Accountability Partner
At work, many of us know the feeling: You just can’t concentrate. No matter how hard you try, nothing gets completed; restlessness reigns supreme and procrastination ensues – leaving one feeling powerless against productivity and feeling tired all of a sudden.
If this sounds familiar, don’t take heart – we have all been there at one time or another! There are ways you can stop being Lazy at Work!
One effective strategy to combat workplace laziness is finding an accountability partner.
An accountability partner can assist with keeping you on the path towards reaching your goals by checking in regularly to see how things are progressing and holding you responsible for all actions taken towards accomplishing them.
Accountability partners can be invaluable resources in terms of keeping you motivated and on course. But how do you find one?
1. Search for someone whose goals align with yours
An effective mentor should understand your objectives and motivate you to reach them.
2. Find someone you trust.
Your accountability partner should be someone with whom you feel at ease to discuss your goals and progress, while offering feedback in return.
3. Find someone supportive.
Your accountability partner should be someone who provides positivity and belief that will enable you to meet your goals successfully.
4. Verify their reliability.
Your ideal partner should be someone whom you can count on to ful-fill their commitments with consistency, be punctual and reliable.
5. Find someone fun to work with.
Your accountability partner should be someone that makes reaching your goals enjoyable and pleasurable.