How to Overcome Laziness: Practical Strategies for Students (With Tips)

It is human to feel lazy and lose interest in everyday, mundane tasks!

But for students, laziness is a grave issue that often leads to irreparable losses.

When lazy, students are unwilling to learn, complete tasks, and achieve their academic goals. And with time, these deep-rooted habits become unmanageable!

If you are battling with the issue, how to overcome laziness, here’s all that can help you!

This information is based on credible sources and exclusively aims to help stakeholders understand the causes of laziness and their solutions.

Let’s begin!

What is Laziness?

As per the dictionary definition, laziness is the feeling of disliking hard work. It is also associated with inactivity, avoidance of tasks, and slow movements/actions.

Being lazy often leads to task procrastination, missed opportunities, wasted time, and stagnation. And it is alarming that most of us struggle to understand how to deal with laziness!

What is the Percentage of Lazy People and Students?

Globally, procrastination and laziness are the most common problems of around 80% of students (post-secondary). Besides, one-third of the people (33.3%) also struggle with the same issue in their educational endeavors.

Clearly, laziness is a global issue.

But what about India in particular?

Are we any better?

Not really!

As of 2024, India is one of the laziest countries in the world-

Ranking Details:

S. No	Country
1	Indonesia
2	Saudi Arabia
3	Malaysia
4	Philippines
5	South Africa
6	Egypt
7	Brazil
8	India
9	Mexico
10	United States

Coming back to the original problem, how to overcome laziness?

Our next section will help you understand it better.

Why Do Students Feel Lazy While Studying?

Lack of Motivation

Before we understand how to deal with laziness, it is important to know the causes of this issue.

Disinterest or a lack of motivation leads to laziness. And a demotivated student lacks the drive to study/work hard. Lazy students are inactive in completing study tasks. And the loop continues!

Parents/teachers and caregivers often notice signs of demotivation in students. But what they do not notice is that these underlying causes of demotivation are directly related to laziness.

Poor Study Habits

Have you ever come across a student who starts with one topic, jumps to the other, keeps peeping into the phone, scrolls mindlessly across applications, consumes junk food, and takes up another topic leaving the first one incomplete?

Well!

You got this right!

All these are signs of poor study habits. And this is another one of the major causes of laziness!

To learn how to deal with laziness, it is a must to develop good study habits. Teach students how to stay organized, and lead a healthy lifestyle to keep laziness at bay.

Sleep Deprivation

Of all the causes of laziness, sleep deprivation is one of the most underrated yet common issues.

A sleep-deprived student lacks energy. And struggles to stay focused on studies. So to tackle laziness, you need to deal with sleep-related problems in the first place.

Psychological Factors

Anxiety, depression, and stress, also lead to laziness. In students, these traits hinder their academic capabilities. And they keep struggling to stay dedicated towards their study schedules.

How to Overcome Laziness: Tips to Deal with Laziness for Online Students

Set Clear Yet Small Goals

Goals and priorities make all the difference.

So to know the answer to the tricky question, how to deal with laziness, one must know the art of smart planning!

Go for smaller study sessions at a point in time. Avoid multitasking or overdoing, as it will add to laziness and distract you from the real targets. Stick to realistic schedules with manageable targets and try to stay focused with these tricks.

Manage Sleep Hygiene

As discussed earlier, sleep and laziness are deeply connected.

But

Do you know that laziness can lead to sleep deprivation?

Yes!

In a study, 27.7% of students reported that laziness is one of the top reasons for sleeping less. And it is impossible to eliminate the causes of laziness without a good night’s sleep. We all have noticed that sleeplessness can make us feel low, demotivated, and fatigued even during our peak productivity study hours. And for online students, a decent sleep schedule can help in overcoming laziness.

In a country like India where almost 55% of citizens struggle with sleep issues, there is an urgent need to realize the importance of sleep hygiene. We suggest you follow the table below for the recommended sleep hours (as per age group) for a fair idea.

Age Group	Hours of Sleep
0-3 months	14 to 17
4-11 months	12 to 15
1-2 years	11 to 14
3-5 years	10 to 13
6-12 years	9 to 12
13-18 years	8 to 10

Try Task Batching Techniques

Task batching is a powerful technique based on the scientific principles of productivity strategies. It is the art of grouping similar tasks into a single load and taking them up with a full focus.

For online students, task batching can work wonders as the ultimate remedy to beat laziness. It is a great way to reduce unnecessary cognitive load, and a perfect solution to boost one’s performance.

It’s easy to club similar assignments, subjects, or study loads with this technique. Teach this strategy and help students to learn how to deal with laziness mindfully.

Finding Motivation

Dealing with the causes of laziness is often an uphill battle till we know what motivates us to eliminate this problem!

Dig deeper and understand what motivates a student to explore this strength. Most students find rewards, gamified tasks, appreciation, and positive experiences highly motivating. Find these motivators, and make the most of them!

Make it Meaningful

When it’s worth it, we are always willing to work harder!

With students, these human tendencies are like a guiding light.

Habits like procrastination, or causes of laziness can be tackled by developing self-awareness. Teach students about the importance of their goals. And help them reflect on the consequences to keep them motivated to study.

Simple techniques like positive affirmation and reminders of the set goals are great for learning how to overcome laziness. Do not ignore these in this journey to overcome laziness.

Final Thoughts

It is not easy to beat laziness all the time. But again, it is possible to overcome laziness with a planned approach.

Get ready to break the loop of laziness, and help students discover their BEST VERSION!

Thanks for Reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop being lazy?
Understand what motivates you and plan accordingly. Create a realistic study plan. And keep yourself focused through a customized plan.
What is the main cause of laziness?
The most common causes of laziness are demotivation, sleep deprivation, stress, disinterest, etc.
How to overcome laziness while studying?
Take a good night’s sleep, follow your schedule properly, and identify what works well for you.