are you stuck in a season of laziness?
If you catch yourself in laziness during this time, do not be discouraged. It’s normal to experience something like this, especially now in a time where anxiety and stress are rapidly increasing and fear of the unknown is a constant. However, you need to be cautious when it comes to how long you choose to sit in your laziness. I have caught myself several times sitting and doing nothing when I could be proactive in my current job and for my future career. What matters during this time is how you choose to approach your season of laziness.
I always wanted to be able to work remotely. Every so often I would have the opportunity to go to a coffee shop for a few hours and focus in on my task list. Without even thinking, I would get so much done in such a small amount of time. Now that I have nothing but time, and I feel like I get less done.
I currently work as an event manager. Because of the current situation, brides everywhere have had to either had to reschedule or cancel their wedding plans. We’ve had two months worth of events get rescheduled. Because of this, it makes it very difficult to stay busy. There is only so much that you can do at a time like this. Even my acting plans have been put on a hold indefinitely.
What you have to know is, you are not alone in this; it is a difficult time for everyone. When the things we were looking forward to have been stripped away from us, it makes us ask ‘what’s the point? Why should I still invest my time if no one knows when this is going to end?’
Because of this reason: you have been given time. For people like me who are single and living at home with a small income, this is probably the best time to create content and get it out for the world to see. If I were going to work every single day like I had been, I would not have invested as much time into my passion as I am right now. Do not get me wrong, I am still keeping up with my current job, but I feel like I have more hours in the day to invest in the things that truly matter to me. I would not have done this had I not evaluate my life and where I needed improvement.
This is how I found out how badly laziness was affecting me. From elementary school through my junior year of college, I was always a go-getter and I worked hard. When I went through my bought of depression is when I began to sit in my laziness, and it took me a long time to notice where my mind was and what was happening because of it. Whenever I got a new job, I would always work hard — but the intent behind it always seemed to be just shy of 100%.
Now more than ever, it is the best time to reevaluate your life, create good habits for yourself, and organize.
Over the course of the last eight weeks of being in quarantine, I did just that. The first thing I did was turn to my Bible. The one I own has an index that has key words and links them to verses. Being that I was in a state of reevaluations, my eye was immediately drawn to laziness. Some of the verses described being lazy while others discouraged laziness. One of the first suggestions that really helped me gain a new perspective on how I can overcome my laziness was Proverbs 6:6-11 because it helped me to kick myself into high gear. After I sat with that verse in mind for about a week, I focused on Hebrews 6:11–12, which encourages diligence. Diligence and doing everything to the fullest is pleasing to God. He gives us gifts for us to use for His glory! In the back of my mind, I always knew this…it just got to the point where I needed a reminder.
Second, I started making daily to-do lists. I tell you what, there is nothing more satisfying than checking everything off of your to-do list by the end of the day. Even if I did not get everything done that I wanted to, I still felt like I had lived that day out to the fullest and did everything with my best effort. From there, I was able to make a consistent schedule for myself.
Third, I started looking up different ways to challenge myself. Some of my favorites are ones that I am still consistently doing! For example: I have been wanting to read more, be more active on social media, lose weight, improve my voice, and improve my endurance. I started the 75 hard challenge, which is both a weight loss and mental toughness challenge. It requires one to exercise twice a day for 45 minutes each, read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction self-help or entrepreneur book, take progress pictures every day, and stick to a diet for 75 days. It’s amazing because I get to tackle almost everything I wanted and wrap it up into one challenge! Because of it, I feel amazing and I am getting more done than I thought I would!
Finally, I have been finding little projects for myself. On the days when I do not have much on my to-do list or schedule, it can be so easy for me to just sit around and watch tv. There is not anything wrong with that, but since my reevaluation, I feel like I need to accomplish something while I am doing nothing, whether that is cleaning, writing, knitting, etc. As long as I have something to do, I feel like my time is still well-spent.
Laziness today can mean a lot of different things. The positive connotations revolve around taking a day or two of rest after a long week or going on a vacation where you do nothing but lay on a beach. Niether of those things are bad. They are actually essential and encouraged! But how you deal with the constant battle of laziness on the day to day level is the real test. With stay at home orders, states still closed down, and work being scarce, it can be easy to fall into a season of laziness.
I want to encourage anyone who is reading this and feeling like they are going through a season of laziness that it is going to be okay. Everyone goes through something like this at least once in their lifetime. You can bring yourself out of it! You have been given a gift: time. Time to evaluate how you are reacting to everything going on in the world. Time to give yourself that much needed break. Time to finally get your crazy schedule in order. Time to pursue your passions. Time to reevaluate and organize.
