It can be difficult to overcome laziness when it’s so common in all of us. Everyone can get lazy sometimes. Once we get tired, or when we lack motivation and we get lazy. This stands in the way of fitness goals, education and work goals, and even our life goals. So how do we stop laziness so that we can complete our goals and complete important tasks?

There is a certain science behind laziness, which we need to understand in order to overcome it. Once we know the cause, it is much easier to overcome laziness.

What causes laziness?

In a study of 40 volunteers, MRI scans provided images of the brain at peek brain activity as they decided whether or not to put effort in for a reward. When people make a choice to do something, the pre-motor cortex tends to activate before other areas of the brain that control movement. In those who were apathetic, the pre-motor cortex fired more than in the motivated.

Scientists think that this is due to the brain connections in those who are apathetic being less effective than in those who are motivated. Dr. Husain, a neurology researcher at the University of Oxford, explained that, “If it takes more effort to plan an action…Their brains have to make more effort.”

To really get motivated, it takes a lot more effort from your brains to motivate you into actually working. This makes it difficult to get started, as the first hurdle just seems too high.

So, is it possible to overcome laziness? 

If your brain has to work harder to get you motivated, then there are a few ways to boost your brain activity and motivate yourself.


Timers are a great way of getting a boost of motivation in a short space of time. Set yourself a short timer, 10 or 20 minutes, and make a deal with yourself to get as much done in that time as possible. By forcing yourself to get started this way, you are much more likely to carry on with your project because you’ve already made progress in the beginning. Even if you don’t make as much progress as you may have wanted, at least you have done something. Sometimes, the fear of starting a project can be the biggest cause of laziness and we end up procrastinating.

Plans and Goals

Making a plan and being strict with it is another great way of making progress and overcoming laziness. Set out small goals and develop a plan around them. Making progress slowly and steadily takes the fear out of a project by making it feel smaller.

If your task doesn’t feel so big, then it will take less brain power to motivate yourself into starting the project. Once you see yourself making progress it will be much less difficult to carry on making completing the project seem much more realistic.

Eat Fats

Fats have a really bad reputation, and it’s completely unfair. Fats are essential in assisting brain function, hormone regulation and so many other areas of body function. You need the right kinds of fats in your body to keep it working at its best and your brain at peak performance.

If your brain takes more effort to get motivated, then boosting the good fats in your body is essential. Omega-3 fats are the fats you desperately need to boost brain function. You can find omega-3 fats in oily fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados. If you’re looking to boost your brain function, bring these foods into your diet and I promise you will feel the difference.

Plan Your Breaks

When a task feels too large, it’s easy to want to take breaks more regularly than you probably should. This leads to procrastination and laziness. The best trick is to know when your breaks are and how long you need to concentrate to earn one.

By planning clear breaks, you know exactly when your breaks are and that you have them. It is suggested that a person can truly concentrate for about 45 minutes at a time, so plan a 15-minute break every 45 minutes to get the best performance from your periods of work. If you have more work to do, you can go up to an hour, but make sure you don’t overwork your brain.


Popularity in mindfulness has grown in the past few years and its benefits are incredible. Studies have shown that after only 5 days of mindfulness training, there were measurable improvements in productivity and the finished product. Practicing mindfulness may be the best tool for overcoming laziness.

You can practice laziness in a number of ways. Some use meditation, others use commitment techniques. Find what works for you and practice mindfulness techniques to boost your productivity.

How to overcome laziness when you are naturally inclined to it? It can feel impossible. We slip into lazy habits and it gets us stuck and unable to move forward. However, to make progress in life, we need to overcome our laziness. These simple techniques can help us unstick ourselves from our lazy ways and start moving towards our goals.


Francesca Forsythe, LL.M., M.Phil.


the power of misfits

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    Pang Angh

    Hi, your article is as beautiful as you. Please post your article more😘

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