Are Your 'Do-Nothing' Days Helping or Hurting You?

Sometimes, you just need a lazy, do-nothing day. It’s been a hectic week or a crazy month. You just need to chill.

And there are benefits of lazy days. They help you unwind, decompress, and de-stress. It’s called balance. But what if these lazy days turn into a cycle? Then what?

How Your Laziness Might Be Hurting You

Being lazy is easy. It’s always the easiest choice - always. Yet, in life, it’s the hardest choices that make the biggest impact. You know this. I know this. We all know this.

However, sometimes, we choose to not acknowledge it, which is fair. We all need a break. Taking a lazy day is absolutely necessary for your mental health most times.

But when you are persistently lazy, you start to have some problems.

What Do We Mean by Laziness?

Laziness is defined as a habit that you develop over time and involves a consistent resistance of effort and a strong desire to do nothing or remain idle.

In other words, laziness is like driving to the store, but instead of going to the store, you sit idle at the corner of your street for hours on end. It’s rather pointless. And most of the time when you are lazy, you just don’t care about anything. Unlike procrastination, you don’t feel guilt over it. It just is.

But Here’s the Catch…

It can turn into a vicious cycle. Fast forward 20 years later, you have nothing to show for it. Your dreams? You haven’t even come close. Your aspirations? Forgotten about.

Now, you probably don’t want your nice lazy days to turn out that way. None of us do. How can you prevent that?

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Breaking Through Laziness

Alright, so you are allowed to take a lazy day every now and again. But when it becomes a vicious cycle goes, consider going through the following steps to break your bad habit.

STEP 1 - Ask Yourself: Why Do I Feel So Lazy?

It’s almost a laughable question. But in all seriousness, it can help to identify why you just can’t put the effort in or muster up the energy to be anything but lazy. Are you bored? Or overwhelmed and have a strong urge to shut everything out? Are you afraid?

These are all worthwhile questions to explore and answer about yourself. By answering these questions, you can start to come up with solutions.

STEP 2 - Think About the Long-Term

Sure, in the short term, a lazy day feels good. You get to binge Netflix, read all your favorite books, eat whatever you want, and so on.

Yet, let’s revisit a point we made above… What about 5, 10, or 20 years from now? Where will this behavior put you? Will it get you to where you want to be? No? You need to change that.

Shift your focus toward the long-term. It can help you understand the consequences in a more realistic light.

STEP 3 - Set Goals

Okay, so where do you actually want to be in 5, 10, 20 years?

Set the big goals - those overarching dreams, then set smaller goals to go after them. What do you need to do starting today to get there? What can you do?

STEP 4 - Action!

Got your goals? Good. Now it’s time to take action! Start small. You don’t want to do too much, too quickly, since this can lead to overwhelm and discouragement. Go forward by taking small steps toward your goals. Slow progress is always better than making no progress at all.

The Pros and Cons of a Lazy Day

Now, these above steps are more so for individuals who are chronically lazy. What about the rest of us? There are pros and cons.

The Pros of a Lazy Day

• You get a much-needed break.
• You give yourself time to decompress.
• It can help manage stress and anxiety.
• It can help you find clarity about a situation or task.
• It can help you prioritize.
• You end up well-rested and reset.
• It can end up making you more productive and efficient at tasks you need to get done.

The Cons of a Lazy Day

• You might feel bored.
• It can develop into a bad habit.
• It can aid in developing other bad and unhealthy habits.
• You don’t accomplish your goals or dreams.
• You may end up with health problems from chronic laziness.

The Goal: The Middle Ground

Frequently, it’s all about finding your balance. It’s about understanding your body and mind, and knowing where your limits are and when you need a break. Because the truth is, we all need a break once and a while.

But you don’t want those breaks to interfere with the possibility of accomplishing your dreams and goals in life. Essentially, you don’t want life to pass you by. Find your balance - between lazy days and productivity!

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