For people who actually productive or are working hard, how did you stop being lazy?

[yoursophie]

Genuinely asking. I waste so much time procrastinating and doing nothing even though I want to change.
I use a focus extension like Mindova on my laptop and it does help me avoid distractions, but I feel like I need more than just blocking websites.
How did you build discipline or get out of that lazy loop? What actually worked for you? Any advice for someone like me who keeps saying “I’ll start tomorrow” but never does?

What makes you think I was lazy?

I retired! Every weekend whilst working Monday-Friday 7.30am-4pm, I’d stay in bed til 9, very determined to stay there. Now I’m up at 5.30, dogs walked, in the garden doing stuff. I find it difficult now to sit and do nothing because there’s so much to do since we moved.

I’m not lazy because I have so fucking much to do!

We have to track and account for every minute of our day. That focuses the mind for you. If you don’t hit your productivity targets or time usage targets you’ll eventually be sacked.

I’d say the best advice would be to prioritise and start small. Taking the example of exercise, if you want to get fit, what could you realistically stick to. 10 mins walk three times a week? It doesn’t seem a lot, but it’s more than you’re doing now. Build it into your routine, and you could even offer yourself some kind of reward for completing it. Once it becomes a habit, try to push it one step further, maybe 15 mins or more regularly. You could apply this approach to anything you want to get done.
Also, think about which times of day you’re naturally most energetic, and try to get things done then. For me, if I try to do anything after 8pm, I know it’s not going to happen, but night owls might be very productive then and rubbish in the morning.

I like being productive. I also do things when I feel like doing them. So I get lots of stuff done between 9-12, but I have less energy for sitting around in front of a screen in the afternoon, so I do other tasks then that require less cognitive energy. I also do things like emails in short bursts, like waiting at the school gates or while dc are playing at the playground. So little and often for boring tasks.