7 Lazy Habits that Lead to Being More Productive

You’re Not Lazy, You’re Smart

If you’re looking to be more productive, then learning to love your laziness may sound counterintuitive, but it can be the key to reaching your goals.

Laziness gets a bad rap in our society. We’re constantly told that it’s better to work hard than to be lazy, but what does that even mean?

Is it better to stay at the office late or go home early? Is it better to invest time into being productive or being social? The truth of the matter is that every person has their definition of lazy and productive, and most of these definitions don’t line up with popular opinion. Here are seven habits that people often consider lazy but help you get more done.

1. Work in Batch

It may sound counterintuitive, but working in batches can increase your productivity. If you’re a multi-tasker, try batching similar tasks together into blocks of time. When you batch tasks (e.g., research, write, edit), you gain momentum and avoid checking email for an hour or two at a time.

When it comes time to wrap up one task (maybe write), set a timer for five minutes. This gives you just enough time to stop what you’re doing and check your work before moving on — and helps make sure emails don’t hijack your attention away from other tasks. Also remember: You can turn off most notifications on smartphones, so don’t let yourself get distracted by them!

Creativity is a limited resource, so putting things off helps you get more done. Research shows that people who schedule their most difficult tasks for first thing in the morning are better at managing time and getting things done than those who start with easier tasks. Try batching similar or repetitive tasks together; it makes it easier to manage your time and be productive.

2. Ditch Your To-Do List

Having a list of things to do is helpful, sure.

But it’s also a recipe for feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by everything you have left to accomplish. To-do lists stress us out because we look at them as all-or-nothing commitments (rather than encouraging yourself with progress checkmarks along your journey).

Try breaking up your tasks into smaller and smaller steps until they’re so small you can’t procrastinate on them anymore. For example, if you want to write a post, instead of making it a huge task — you might enjoy writing posts — make it something like this: Write the intro section

If your list has 20 tasks on it, for example, all of them seem important and must be done today. And since they’re all so pressing, you end up not getting any of them done because you keep thinking about how important each one is. Instead, try using a calendar app for your scheduling needs (like Google Calendar) instead of sticking everything on paper.

3. Relax Before Starting

If you’re crunched for time, take a few minutes and relax before starting your project. Give yourself a few moments to loosen up, drink some water and breathe deeply — this will help clear your mind and put you in a more creative headspace.

You may be surprised at how much more you get done! Relaxing does not have to mean wasting time — it can be a good way of reducing stress, improving energy levels, and boosting productivity. It also makes you feel better, which helps keep you motivated to complete tasks on time.

(According To Psychology) : It’s hard work being productive all year long — and if there’s one thing we know about getting things done, it’s that stress is one of our biggest enemies.

Many different factors contribute to feeling stressed out (and who doesn’t these days?), but it doesn’t have to derail your holiday cheer or hinder your ability to perform well at work. It might seem impossible, but managing your workload and beating stress is possible.

4. Dedicate time to planning

We’re all busy people, but if you want to get ahead in your work life, set aside time each week to plan.

That means deciding what big-picture goals you want to accomplish, writing those down, and scheduling out when you plan on completing them. When it comes time for a task like writing a report or submitting an important project, you can spend less time stressing and more time working.

It also means dedicating time during your day for brainstorming new ideas and reaching out to colleagues with questions — which takes fewer hours than scrambling around at 11 p.m., before an important meeting with clients.

Planning for your day gives you a good starting point for achieving your goals. Setting aside time each morning (or evening) to prioritize and plan out your workday is one of the best things you can do if you want to feel productive. As with any skill, practice makes perfect — but it’s always a good idea to have a system in place from day one. Here are a few tips for planning effectively

5. Reward yourself when you reach your goal

While some will tell you it’s a bad idea, others say it’s necessary. You can have a latte, or you can have a couch — but you can’t have both today.

After all, if we keep rewards in mind while we work toward our goals, then we don’t need them when we achieve them — as small as they may be. And small rewards can add up to big ones when enough time passes. So schedule your reward for later and set reminders along the way so you don’t forget about it!

If you don’t like treating yourself once in a while, try rewarding yourself more frequently — it could be as simple as giving yourself permission to take a half-hour and do something fun. And if you are really struggling with procrastination and negative self-talk (you will get there; I promise).

6. Don’t be too hard on yourself

If you have trouble doing your job, it’s easy to get upset with yourself. But being hard on yourself can often lead to stress and a diminished sense of worth. Instead, try looking at your work more objectively.

It may be easy to fall into I should have mode — especially in your own head — but indulging in self-criticism can be harmful. When we fixate on what we could have done differently (or better), we fail to acknowledge how far we’ve come.

Even worse: These negative thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you’re constantly critical of yourself, you’ll perform at a lower level than your true potential and miss out on opportunities for growth and learning along the way.

7. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination

One of my favorite quotes is from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat says, If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

This wisdom is relevant for time management because it reminds us not to forget our priorities while we are busy doing things that aren’t necessarily part of those priorities.

We can all be guilty of letting tasks like cleaning up our inbox or checking out our social media profiles creep into our workday, and these minor distractions can add up quickly. When possible, remind yourself what your overall goals are so you can determine if each task will help or hinder them — and then let go of anything not directly related.

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