Some people get stuff done, others don’t. I spend a lot of time to learn and read about what makes these people get so much more done and why others are just lazy and seem to be overwhelmed by the smallest assignments.
I found that by changing some of your “learned” thought patterns and habits you can simply become one of these high-achievers and here is my list of the 8 reasons for your (possible) lazy behavior. Check them out!
1. You don’t know your priorities
Finding your priorities is so key when you are trying to get ahead in life. Everybody has the same 24 hours per day. But some people (somehow) use them more efficiently. They “make more out of it”, so to say. I found that the reason for that is that they focus on very little KEY things instead of spreading all their attention on too much things. They are trying to get little things right instead of making everything work.
When I came to that realization I started doing the same and it worked for me too. I had these big ambitions and ideas swirling around in my head and I wanted to make them ALL come true. I was working full-time as a game developer, working on my blog to make it a success in my free time, making apps to make a new living and earn an additional 1000$ per month, training for the Vienna City Marathon in May, watching my diet to stay fit and healthy, pre-cooking meals and bring them to work so I don’t have to eat all that crappy food from the supermarkets, working out everyday with the Freeletics program to stay in great shape, got rid of alcohol and any other toxics, and ALSO get out to clubs and bars each weekend or in-between to socialize with new people and stay “normal” and not get a crazy weirdo that sits in front of his computer the whole time and does not know how to talk to people!:)
Sooner than later I found myself scattered and aimlessly trying to get anything done, but ended up getting nothing done at all. Once I made the shift to focus on 2-3 top priority things per day and GET THEM DONE! I “magically” got way better at getting ahead in my life. Find out what is most important for you right now. And then get this done.
2. You lack the ability to focus
Once you know your priorities you just have to focus. But what I believe is that people nowadays have lost touch with that ability to focus. They are too scattered and too easily distracted by all the “noise” that is going on everywhere. TV, Media, News, Facebook, phone calls, messages, Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, etc. There is just too much noise going on which hinders most people from getting anything done and stop being lazy. When was the last time you did something very intensively for about 2 hours without getting interrupted? Even at work you rarely have a whole lot of time where you can truly focus on your tasks. You get interrupted by colleges, you maybe interrupt yourself with coffee breaks, and smoke breaks or go for a little chat, there are meetings who drag you out of your precious focus, sooner than later there is lunch break and afterwards you have to restart to get back into it. People are not used to focus on stuff anymore. When you want to get something done, FIRST get rid of any kind of distractions. I recommend you read: The Power of Focus: What the World’s Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret to Financial Freedom & Success
- Quiet your phone or even better turn it off completely.
- Disable your mail client and turn auto-receiving off.
- Turn off the TV and the radio.
- Get rid of any kind of messengers for your “focus period”.
- Then sit down and just do it. Stay focused for about 60 minutes per day and see for yourself what you can get done in that little time.
- Once you get used to it, do more.
- (Take good breaks in between to get some fresh air though, it helps to keep your brain stay fit)
3. You are filled with doubt
I found that doubt is your biggest enemy when it comes to getting ahead in life. When you no longer know WHY you are doing things and WHY they are worth pursuing, you just won’t do it anymore. You have to have a bigger goal for yourself, some kind of greater vision on WHY you do things. This is so important. It has to be such a strong reason that it makes you wake up and 5 am and go for a run. It has to enable you to cut back on sleep because you believe that what you are doing is way more important! Once you know WHY you do stuff, and you have some greater vision for yourself that is pulling you towards it, you don’t need any “motivation” anymore. You are just doing. Instead of pushing yourself, you are now getting pulled towards something. Something that you become. This is not even you anymore. This is something greater than you. You BECOME something else. These limitations that human beings have, you don’t have that.
4. You are focusing on the instant gratification/success/fix
Everybody is looking for that instant fix for their problems. They are looking for that magic pill that turns their life around. People don’t understand the long-term consequences of their actions and non-actions. They believe that they can always turn around and fix whatever problem they might have. They believe they COULD, but in reality they just WON’T. You have to understand that anything worth getting in life is a consequence of a huge load of tiny, minor tasks. “Success” in any area of your life is just the habit and the decision to make a tiny steps towards a greater vision EACH day. It is the sum of all of this. It is the sum of the endless of hours in the training rum, or the hours in the lab, the countless books you have been reading, the miles you have been running, it is each day you watch your diet to stay fit. Success is very quiet. But a lot of people don’t get it (or don’t want to believe it) and they just try to quick fix their life and feel disappointed and confused that it didn’t work.
5. You are always thinking: “What is in it for ME?”
Everybody is so focused on themselves nowadays. It seems like everybody is just saying “What is in it for ME? Why should I do this for you? What do I get out of it?”. Instead of being of service most of the people focus their thoughts on what OTHERS can do for THEM. They don’t understand that you have to be of value to get value. You have to give first in order to receive. Only when people see and understand that “Hey this is something I find valuable for my life!”, then they will “value” it. But you see, the problem is that a lot of people around are just trying to get stuff. They want to get the most out for them. They believe they are worth receiving it, just because it is them:) You will always get “paid” for how much of service you are for other people. So get rid of your ego and help some people. Instead of trying to become a millionaire yourself, why not teach 1000 other people how to do it? If you could do that, do you think that you will still be broke afterwards?
6. You have little commitment
Commitment to a greater cause is very much crucial to get anything done in life. Once you make a decision to do something you have to stick to that decision. You have to commit to it. Because if you fail to stick to that decision you will fail at your larger scale goals. When you tell yourself that you want to work out and lose weight and you stop after the 3rd day, how do you believe you will realize your dreams? If you can’t do the minor tasks EVERY day, how do you believe you will be able to do the big stuff that is necessary to live your dreams? That is the reason a lot successful people use death as analogy for sticking to their decisions. They say that they would rather DIE than to not stick to their decisions. It is not that they really want to die, it just means that there is NO other possibility. They just won’t leave. There is a zero percent chance that they will stop. They just do it, and they do whatever is necessary to get what it is that they want.
7. You try to please others and ignore your own wishes
Although I mentioned that you have to be of service to others, you cannot live your life for other people. When you know you have that burning desire in your heart to do an important thing, but you ignore it and let it die inside you because you think that you might offend other people around you, you are literally committing spiritual suicide. You are living another person’s life and you are actually discriminating your own self-worth. Sometimes you have to piss off other people to get what YOU want out of life. In the end you have to look back at your life and be happy with it, not the people who try to make you do things THEY think are best for your. (Read: Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success)
8. You are OK with less than you are capable of
Don’t accept being less than you are capable of being. Once you get out of your comfort zone and get into the habit of exploring your skills and abilities, you will find out about special talents you have that you didn’t know you have! You think you cannot do certain things because you have never done it. I thought I cannot create a successful blog once I started out. I thought: “I cannot do this, because I am not a writer. I can’t write, how should I blog?” But then I just did it. Get into the habit of finding your hidden passions and abilities and you will be surprising yourself more than often!
