No.1 Lazy Innovation

There’s a common saying that necessity is the mother of innovation. Every new invention aims to satisfy some kind of need. People needed to see without wearing glasses. So someone invented contacts. People needed to communicate with friends and family from far, far Away, so someone invented phones. I say the word need pretty loosely, more often than not these inventions don’t really change our lives. It’s not a life or death situation if we don’t have a TV or a recliner chair. People want these inventions because they make their lives easier. Now the more you have, the less work you have to do. For example, plenty of people live their whole lives without a microwave, there are lots of other ways to cook your food, but who wants to expand the effort if they don’t have to? Wouldn’t you rather just press a button and wait two minutes. Of course, my point is that laziness and Innovation go hand in hand, and not just because customers are lazy. Inventors are often the laziest people out there. We’ll just look at Benjamin Franklin, he famously called himself the laziest man in the world. He said he would invent things simply to save himself a little bit of time and effort. He was tired of working so hard when he went swimming, so he invented flippers. He only created bifocals because he was too lazy to switch between different pairs of glasses.

Lazy people make fantastic inventors since they’re always looking for the fastest and most efficient way to get things done. They’re laziness motivates them to find creative solutions. They’ll improve, streamline and automate, so they can spend less time doing things that they don’t like. You can and should use your laziness the same way. When you’re unwilling to do something, start looking for ways to save time, not only is it more fun, but you’ll also find yourself more motivated to succeed. Think of it like driving to work in the morning, now your normal route may only take you 30 minutes, but there’s nothing you hate more than sitting in traffic, so you discover a shortcut, you realize if you cut down a few side streets that you can completely skip the usual congestion. Even if you only end up saving say five minutes, your commute will feel significantly shorter and more exciting. Finding a workaround also gives you a unique sense of accomplishment, it feels good to know that you’re working smarter and not harder. So the next time you’re not in the mood to work, use that laziness to your advantage.

No.2 Listen to your thoughts

Even when you’re avoiding your responsibilities, your mind is actively thinking about them. You may discover you have a hard time enjoying whatever you’re distracting yourself with. Your mind is too focused on your laziness to prioritize anything else. You end up feeling irritated and guilty because as much as you want to forget, well, you can’t. People are laziest when they’re in denial. Imagine you have a paper do next week, and the backyard mind you know it’s going to be a ton of work. you still have to gather sources, find quotes, write your thesis. you know the list goes on and on. Yet here you are spending hours on social media. you can venture yourself you still have plenty of time. But your gut is telling you otherwise. Whenever you continue thinking about one thing, it means it’s time to get started. Not tomorrow, not in a few hours, right now. Because this thought isn’t just popping up out of nowhere. It’s the productive part of your brain telling you the right thing to do. So don’t try to block it out with TV or video games. You can use the same trick when you have a completely packed to-do list. If you’re struggling to figure out what to do first, tackle the task that you can’t stop thinking about. The longer you try to ignore it, the more frustrated you’re going to feel. You’ll never feel satisfied until you get that big ticket item out of your head.

No.3 The Power of Reliability

Even if you’re great about setting new goals, you may have a hard time following through. you might make a to-do list and lay out specific concrete steps. But what stops you from bailing at the last minute? Let’s say you want to start working out. Your research exercises, you buy gym clothes in, even get a gym membership. Yet you never actually show up. You end up watching TV or playing video games, because, well you can. If you decide to skip the gym for the 10th time, you’re not affecting anyone but yourself. There’s no one there to hold you accountable. You should use reliability to motivate yourself to do things that you normally wouldn’t. So, the next time you plan on going to the gym, ask one of your friends to meet you there. That way someone else will be counting on you to show up. They’ll expect you to follow through. So if you don’t, you won’t get off Scott free like you did before. Reliability is effective for a number of reasons, but trust is a big one. You show up, because you don’t want to blow off your friend. You invited them to the gym so you can’t just bail because you’re feeling lazy. Sitting around watching Netflix is a pretty terrible reason to damage a friendship. Reliability also motivates you, because you want your friend to think haila, you want them to see you as someone who takes their goals seriously. So when you’re on your own, it’s easier to fail. Because no one has to know about it. Your friends and family won’t have a different opinion of you if you don’t go. But now your friend will see first hand whether you’re following through or not. So you show up to make sure you leave a good impression. For the same reason, you’re more likely to actually try while you’re there. You can’t just leave after five minutes or sit on your phone the whole time. Sitting there watching your friend do what they’re supposed to do well motivate you to follow suit. Finally reliability can make things more fun. It gives you someone to talk to, which relieves anxiety and stress. Your friend might also be more experienced, so they can help you get the most out of whatever you’re doing. If you’re struggling to find motivation on your own, hey there’s no shame and calling for backup. The simple fact that someone else is involved will jumpstart your work ethic.

No.4 Undermine Your Fears

Sometimes a laziness isn’t really laziness. You might procrastinate or avoid doing something because ,well, you’re worried about what will happen when you try. You might have set your expectations way too high. You might feel an overwhelming amount of pressure to succeed. This can make even the smallest chores feel like huge responsibilities. You end up running away because you can’t fail it something that you never actually do. Now to avoid this kind of laziness, check your expectations at the door. In other words, when you start a project, you only have one job, and that’s to start. Don’t be afraid of making something terrible, just begin working on the first thing that pops into your mind. This gets you pass that initial roadblock. Every project is way less intimidating when you’re already halfway done. This is the same reason that teachers encourage their students to write rough drafts. You make something rough and imperfect to get an idea of where you’re headed. Yeah it won’t be very good, because it’s not supposed to be. There aren’t any expectations or pressure. but you’ll find that things seem a lot more doable afterwards. So when you’re feeling lazy, don’t be afraid to get a little messy, improving something bads a whole lot easier than making something perfect from scratch.

No.5 Dress for productivity

Where are you the laziest? Well if you’re like most people, you’ve probably feel lethargic whenever you’re trying to work or study in your room. And your clothes may be the biggest reason why. Everyone knows it’s a whole lot more comfortable to work in sweatpants or pajamas. if you’re going to spend all day doing something that you don’t want to, you might as well be comfy right? The truth is your clothes can directly affect your habits. This is one of the biggest reasons why so many companies make their employees dress up for work, even if they aren’t interacting with customers. Your brain naturally associates your habits with your environment. Think about studying in your room, versus studying in the library, The latter is way more efficient, because your brain doesn’t see your room as a workspace. So, when you’re in your room, your brain unconsciously thinks about relaxation and sleep. Because that’s what it used to doing. But the library puts you in a different mental space. this new environment primes your brain to work and think harder than it would anywhere else. Clothes weren’t the exact same way. what do you usually doing when you wear sweat pants? Chances are you aren’t taking tests are going to meetings, you’re probably playing video games or watching TV. So that’s what your brain thinks about when you’re wearing them. The lazier you’re close are, the lazier you’ll feel. To overcome this kind of laziness, changing into clothes that help you focus. Don’t worry, you don’t have to wear a suit and tie. You should choose something you wouldn’t mind wearing out into the world. This is an especially helpful tip for students and people who work from home. Yeah it’s tempting to lounge around all day in your comfiest outfit. But you need to tell your brain when it’s time to shift gears. A change of clothing is an easy and effective way to do just that.

contacts 隐形眼镜
recliner 斜靠著的人；躺著的人；活动躺椅
go hand in hand 手拉手地前进；紧密联系；息息相关
flippers n.脚蹼；橡胶蹼；鳍状肢
bifocals n.远视近视两用的眼镜；双光眼镜
streamline v.精简（工商企业、组织、流程等）使效率更高
shortcut 近路
commute n.通勤
workaround n.应变方法；变通方法，替代方法；
in the mood 心情好，有兴致：情绪状态良好，愿意做某事
irritated adj.恼火的，急躁的；疼痛的，发炎的
go on and on 不停地说或持续发生
venture v.敢于去（未知或危险等地方）；冒险；小心地说，谨慎地做；敢说，大胆表示
gut 内心
tackle v.应付，解决
frustrated adj.懊恼的，沮丧的，失望的
bailing v.保释；摆脱困境
counting on 指望
follow through 坚持到底
show up 出现，露面
blow off 不理睬，忽视：拒绝注意、尊重或处理某事物
bail v.保释；（往外）舀水；从……中摆脱出来；离开
on your own 你独自一人
see first hand 亲眼目睹
relieve v.缓解
jumpstart 促进，推动
end up 最终
roadblock 路障
 from scratch 从零开始
lethargic adj.无精打采的，懒洋洋的；昏睡的
sweatpants n.（美）宽松长运动裤
pajamas n.睡衣；宽长裤
comfy adj.舒服的；轻松的
versus prep.（比赛或诉讼中）以……为对手，与……竞争；与……相对，与……相比
unconsciously 无意识地
prime v.使准备好；装填
lounge v.懒洋洋地站（或坐、躺）着
comfiest 舒服的，轻松的（comfy 的最高级）
outfit n.（尤指在某一场合穿的）全套服装；全套工具，全套设备
gears n.[机]齿轮，[机]传动装置（gear 的复数形式）