So I finally figured out how to get myself to do a daily morning run. It’s a simple trick – I just stopped trying to convince myself.
I’ve realized laziness is just one of the voices in our heads. It tells us about all the better things we could be doing with our time. It tells us we can always do this another day or that we’re too tired and deserve a break. The part of us that wants to make things happen, however, starts to argue about why this needs to be done and why there’s no better time than now.
This exact debate goes on and on in my head, from the moment I get out of bed to the time I’m lacing up my running shoes. Once I start to notice that internal debate going on, I just put an end to it. The fact is, you’re never going to beat the voice of laziness. It’s a part of you and it’s really hard to win an argument against yourself.
Once I’m out the door and start running, that voice almost instantly goes away.
So the title of this post is not completely accurate because, one, it’s not that simple to ignore the voice of laziness. Some mindfulness meditation helps, but it takes a lot of commitment to learn to let it just sit there and not try to address it. Secondly, you don’t really “beat” procrastination. You simply choose to let it be until it decides to go away.
In matters like fitness, as well as a lot of other work we want to get done, there’s really no moral compass you can consult when making decisions. So as much as you want to justify things, chances are you’re just overthinking. There are obvious reasons why these things are good for you. On the other hand, there will likewise be a lot of valid points to take a pass. Not much point in trying to convince yourself otherwise.
If you want to make things happen, just do it. Arguing the point with yourself always ends up with you losing.
Dexter is an engineering manager at Synacy, a co-founder of ATeam Business Software Solutions, and founder of TechManagement.Life. He loves to share his experiences and thoughts on managing software teams and running businesses.
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