Coach Paul's top 5 tips to stop being a LAZY F***

Some of you may not know this, but I am naturally super freaking lazy. People who are close to me probably would not typically describe me as a lazy person… With being a full time recruiter in the military, running for the National Guard marathon team, coaching needy endurance athletes, having multiple ‘side hustles’, and a 2 year old kid… Lazy probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind, but trust when I say, when Im not careful, I can fall into a super lazy spiral.

This past few weeks, I have fallen into the trap of being lazy as shit. I became inefficient at work, blew off appointments, skipped workouts, and over ate. It can happen to ALL of us. I believe all people are inherently lazy. With that, I believe all people have the ability to stop being lazy… The way to get out of the lazy spell is though making conscious effort, and taking steps to fix it.

The good news, is that I know I have the ability to get out of this lazy funk, and I know you do too. Its time to snap the F out of it, and get back to business.

Here are some of my tips for getting your ass out of a lazy funk.

Don’t give yourself a choice. This idea, once mastered is a game changer… I am quite certain, that every time I have set my alarm for 4 or 5 in the morning, I did not WANT to do it. The thing that got me to get up is that I did not give myself a choice. I treat my morning workouts as if they are my job, I dont give myself a choice. Sometimes, when you have other commitments, 5am is the only opportunity to get that job done, so therefore there is no choice.

Think about when you have a flight to catch, or a major appointment that’s mandatory. Do you miss it? No, you don’t, because you know you dont have an option, so your brain repeatedly reminds itself that its somewhere you have to be. So when it comes to the gym, or that workout, or whatever it is that you tend to procrastinate on, don’t make it an option. Put it on your calendar, as a mandatory appointment, and just make it happen.

Do whatever you need to do to convince yourself that you do not have a choice in the matter.

Put your tasks on a Calendar: This goes back to not giving yourself a choice. I put all my tasks for the day on my calendar. If I think a task is going to take an hour, I block off an hour of my day on my calendar, to include workouts, and hell everything else really, even down to doing my damn laundry.

I even go as far as color coding. When the task is complete, I turn the block green on my calendar as a reward. Try it out. Some call this idea “time boxing”, or something like that. Do this for your workouts, tasks, or anything you can think of.

Hang around with people that you want to be like: Have you ever heard this phrase? “You are the average the 5 people you hang around with the most.” If you hang around with successful people that motivate you, you will slowly learn from them and become more like them. If you hang around with shit bags that are doing nothing with their life, and have no direction, what direction do you think you are going to go? It’s pretty much common sense. Find people that you want to be like, and learn from them, let them guide you. Behavior is contagious.

Read books that motivate you: Not all your mentors need to people you know in person. This is similar to the previous tip, learn from successful people, there are many great books out there. If you think you dont have time to ready, get the audio version. Some of my favorites are Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins, Extreme Ownership by Jocko, and The Fearless Mind by Craig Manning.

Don’t be a little bitch. Some people won’t like this one… But, If that hurts your feelings, this is directed at you. So many people today are just weak minded. Stop crying about everything, stop wasting all your time debating politics on facebook and arguing bullshit you have zero control over. Figure out your priorities and focus on them. You have the time in the day, you just do. Dont be a punk, get your ass up, stop making excuses, and let’s go. Understand that you are not a victim, your life isn’t that hard, you live in America, and you are on the internet right now reading this article. if you have time to read this article, you have time do get shit done.. So do it. It really can be that simple.

Hire a coach: If you cant hold yourself accountable to the above tips, consider hiring a coach. You can hire a coach for just about anything, but this is more geared toward my endurance friends that need a point in the right direction. Most people that hire me as their coach, are really just looking for someone to provide them with a structured plan to help achieve their goals, and to hold them accountable to the plan. While all the tips above may sound easy, sometimes its easier said than done, this is where a coach could be a game changer for you. A good coach can give you an outside perspective on how to achieve your goals.

That’s all I have for now. In the comments, tell me what tips would you add to this list?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul is a full time military recruiter, a member of the “All Guard Marathon Team”, USAT Certified Coach, QT2 Systems Level 1 Coach, and OutRival Racing Level 3 coach. For coaching inquires, click HERE.

Paul also competes in triathlon and running events in his spare time.

70.3 PR (4:24:26)
140.6 PR – (9:51:53)
Half Marathon – (1:24:21)
Marathon – (2:57:27)