It’s early Thursday evening. Martha (a fictional character you might identify with) has the usual blues of wasted time, wasted days, wasted weeks, and then she spirals down to wasted life.
Why is it that Martha is always so lazy at home? It’s true: her kids are fed, it’s relatively clean, and all basics are covered. But that doesn’t make her feel fulfilled or happy with herself. Something’s missing! Martha knows she CAN do more, and she WANTS to do more.
Yet, by default, the first thing Martha reaches for, once she has a minute or two of free time, is her phone or the remote control.
And she just knows that the evening is gone because once she gets lost in the digital world, there is no coming back. Chances are, she is even going to fall asleep later than she should, so tomorrow, she’ll feel tired and even more disappointed with herself.
Well, my dear Martha, you are in a loop, but there is a way out, and it won’t hurt, I promise! It will actually make your life so much better.
I’ve got a few straightforward but powerful tips to get truly productive at home that might not surprise you but will inspire you and assure you they work!
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How To Stop Being So Lazy At Home
1. Set Time To Relax
First of all, sitting down on the sofa and scrolling on your phone isn’t “being lazy”. Labelling any action that disconnects us from the day for a few minutes as lazy means we deny ourselves relaxation time.
But you aren’t a robot, and you need time to do nothing (guilt-free). No hobbies, no reading, no sleeping – just losing yourself in another world through the devices we have. It is okay!
If it gives you a mental restart, it is okay!
If it helps you feel like placing a healthy wall between the day’s issues and you, it is okay!
It only becomes a problem when that’s the single thing you ever do, and you do it for hours every day. Think if it isn’t better to set a specific time to relax and “lose yourself” in the digital world. Maybe 20 minutes is absolutely enough, and then you really need to move on.
Setting alarms helps!
2. Have Your Priorities Straight
You can’t pour from an empty cup, they say. But once your cup is full, you need to distribute it where it matters because it isn’t bottomless (unfortunately).
Set your priorities straight!
Firstly, fill your cup!
Then, see what (or who) needs your attention. Meaning, what’s next? Is it dinner? Laundry? School projects? Deep conversations with your partner? Planning holidays or events? The following section will tell you exactly how to set your priorities.
3. Make Lists and Set Goals
There are two ways of going through a day, week, month, year (life?):
- by setting goals and creating action lists (even the smallest ones count)
- by floating around aimlessly and wishing for things to happen, working for them to happen (occasionally), but never really knowing how far ahead we move.
I’ve lived both ways and still switch sides from time to time. It is okay if you do it, too.
However, just in case you wish to stick to the more productive side of You, there is a simple, very first step you need to take: make lists.
Write down absolutely everything that needs to get done, all unfinished projects, all ideas to research, and anything else that pops into your mind.
This is called Brain Dumping and essentially means decluttering your mind of unnecessary luggage (tasks and ideas to remember) and creating a physical representation of that clutter outside of your mind.
The best way to create a brain dump sheet is to grab an empty notebook and write until nothing pops into your mind anymore. I’ve got a very handy (free) brain dump template you can grab right here plus a 100-word trigger list (100 words that can bring forgotten tasks and ideas o the surface).
4. Set Realistic Expectations for Yourself
Now that you have that list of tens of tasks to do, ideas to explore, and projects to work on, your mind is free to dream, and it will usually try to convince you that you can do it all in a week.
Don’t believe your mind!
You cluttered yourself mentally with so many things; now you are on your way to exhausting yourself physically from trying to get it all done at once. That’s a recipe for disaster, and the funny thing is: you’ve done it in the past, and you KNOW it won’t work.
Instead, depending on what’s on that list, start with the time-sensitive tasks, finish up with anything that’s urgent, and leave the rest aside.
Imagine that “rest” is a pizza chart (’cause the pie chart is fully booked right now). Divide it into small pizza slices. How many slices would you have in total? You can divide them by importance, by time required to get it all done, by desire to do them, whatever you wish, and that makes it less overwhelming.
Let’s say you have 10 pieces in total.
Pick one a day or even one a week. Make it manageable and realistic. You know yourself. If you know that one hour of deep cleaning is your weekly limit, that’s what you should do. Now isn’t the time to prove yourself wrong (’cause you won’t).
5. Routines Are Your Best Friend
Humans are creatures of routine. Yes, we are.
We thrive on establishing habits, and we feel comfortable with following routines because they make us go through different small daily actions without having to “convince” or “overthink” the process of doing those small daily actions.
Brushing your teeth, making a cup of coffee, and enjoying breakfast might sound like the dullest explanation of a routine, but it is such, and just as those three habits have become a non-negotiable routine, you can turn anything else into such “non-negotiable” routines.
I can’t tell you how to create your routines because I do not know you, but whatever good habits you decide to stack together and turn into a routine, they will make your life easier in just a few weeks.
How To Stop Being Lazy At Home – Practical Tips
I’ve got a few practical tips for you that would help you get over that laziness surge that often overwhelms you and paralyzes you. These are all life hacks I’ve used and still use when needed, so I know they work (for me, don’t forget to tweak if necessary).
1. Set a Timer
Once I realize that a task is undesirable and something I would likely procrastinate on either until eternity or until reality doesn’t force me to do it, I set a timer.
It could be 5-minute, 10-minute or 15-minute timer. It all depends on how much time I am willing to give to that task without getting the urge to drop it and set it aside.
For me, a task like that is daily tidying up. I would rather walk through the mess and deep clean once a week than have to clean up as I go all day long (keep in mind I work from home, so I make the mess and see it all the time).
Therefore, I’ve agreed with myself that I would set a 15-minute timer every day to tidy up and clean as much as I can on the ground floor of our home, and usually an additional 10 minutes for the second floor.
Once my time is up, I would either drop it or keep going, depending on how I feel at that point. It’s stupid to admit that I am shocked by how much I am able to do in those 15 minutes. Too often, I stop the timer before the time’s up because there’s nothing left to do.
You might say that this should teach me how easy and helpful daily tidying up is, but I still hate it, so I still procrastinate on it, and I still use timers.
60 Minute Visual Timer Home Edition
Simple 60-minute productivity timer to help you time yourself doing tasks and chores at home.
2. Divide Tasks Into Smaller Chunks
Use the same pizza/pie chart, and if a slice is too big for your mouth, cut it into smaller pieces. Unless it’s something time-sensitive/urgent, you absolutely can split a task into manageable portions. Progress is what we aim for, and there is only one way to make it: one step at a time.
3. Give Yourself Rewards
Treat yourself to something after that first pizza slice is gone (can you tell I’m hungry while writing this?). Giving yourself rewards for progressing on something important will motivate you to keep going.
Celebrate your wins with a good book, a slice of cake, a visit to the nail salon, or whatever feels good for you. Oh, even spending one evening doing absolutely nothing can be a treat in itself.
But…
4. There Should Be Consequences if You Didn’t Go Through With Something
Let’s say you’ve created a plan for tonight to finish up painting that kitchen cupboard or to make a meal plan and a shopping list for next week’s food, but you didn’t do that.
There need to be consequences. And while you might say that watching the unpainted cupboard or overspending on groceries (because you don’t have a clue what to cook) is enough of a consequence… I can assure you it isn’t. Because, most likely, that’s the reality you are used to anyway.
It’s best to partner with someone on this one. Choose the consequence and go through with it. It can be anything, from giving money to a charity that makes no sense and you are strongly against it to canceling a streaming service subscription for a month (or a week, okay, relax).
Whatever you go for, knowing that not following your original plan would get you into trouble is a nice extra push most of us need.
Please, don’t pout and say, I’m not a child, why hsould I punish myself… Why would you punish a child for not doing something, but you would give yourself a slack for the same thing?
5. Put All the Pressure on Your Present Self
If you are still here, reading, let me anger you some more.
Put it all on your present self. Do it all now. Let your future self rest, but also respect her free time and don’t fill it up with more stuff to do. That would be the pebble that would turn your whole cart upside down.
6. Add Joy Into Your Plans
Hey, it’s not just chores we can procrastinate on! It’s good stuff like hobbies, skincare and hair care, too.
Treat things that give you joy with the same seriousness as you would treat those urgent, time-sensitive tasks.
Explore new hobbies, learn to sew, start crafting, or get back to old hobbies that used to make your eyes sparkle 10 years ago. Those are the little things that would bring life back into your soul and help happiness radiate through your skin once again. Nobody who chases a passion of theirs can be seen as unhappy.
7. Change Mindset
You don’t “have to” do anything! You “get to” do it!
This mindset shift is challenging but rewarding, and it will make you a little bit ashamed of yourself, but just for a bit. Then you would feel joy (or at least be alright) doing most of the things on your to-do lists.
Here are a few examples:
- You don’t have to cook for your family, you get to cook healthy meals for a family you actually have, people who love you and fill your home with laughter.
- You don’t have to wake up early and go to work. You get to wake up and get a job that pays the bills, puts clothes on your children’s backs, warms your home in the winter, and allows you to travel and visit places.
- You don’t have to have a hobby. You get to have a hobby because you have organized yourself and your time in such a way that now you get to have something fun and soulful to do every once in a while. You get to have a passion and know what that passion is.
- You don’t have to clean your house. You get to clean your home, your sanctuary, and your safe space from weather and cranky people.
- I suggest you make a list of these and see how that perspective makes you feel.
Free Printable Bundle To Help You Be More Productive At Home
I’ve created a bundle with freebies for you that you can grab by clicking right here. You will also get free access to the Resource Library, with over 40 free printables, once you become a subscriber.
- Brian Dump Template – for all your messy thoughts, tens of ideas, forgotten to-dos, and more. It comes with a 100-word trigger list to help you bring to light everything is forgotten.
- Habit Tracker – see your daily slices of pizza as a habit you track and color the boxes as you go. How many slices of pizza can you mark off this month?
- Weekly Reflection Questions – a list of overdue questions that can help you plan your next week without leaving anything behind.
- End-Of-Month Checklist – to keep you up to date with all projects while planning your next 30 days.
- 120 Two-Minute Tasks – because sometimes you want to do something in the small windows of time but have no idea what that “something” could be. I give you 120 somethings.
- 160 Lists to Make to Organize Your Life – I’ll admit, I’ve gone overboard with those, but you choose whatever fits your lifestyle and whatever you can manage with.
- 4-Week Stop Being Lazy Challenge – just in case you need a little hands-on approach, this challenge would give you the 1-2-3 type of guidance with specifics on how to be more productive both at work and at home.
- 30-Day Happiness Challenge – because we all need the gentle reminder that happiness is the ultimate goal.
Read Next
How to Get Your Life Together: A Simple Step-by-Step Life Reset Plan
I have a life reset blueprint I can always follow, an inspiration, a guide to keep me grounded and focused on what matters. And I will share it with you right here, hopefully to help you find your way out of hard times and bring more light into your soul.
Blogger, dreamer, procrastinator, and lover of everything soul-touching. My mission is to make you laugh, provoke your thoughts, light up your day and inspire you to fall in love with life and yourself.
