How to Stop Being Lazy Using Replacement Therapy

You know why habit rhymes with rabbit?

Because at the end of the day, they both end up at the bottom of a big ol’ bunny hole.

Hey, I thought it was funny :), but I digress. On to the point of this post – how to stop being lazy.

Let me start with a question.

Have you ever been addicted to something?

Not necessarily a chemical addiction like the way most people classify addictions, but any kind of addiction, no matter how small it might seem.

If you said no, consider this…

The study of sociology and human behavior tells us that an addiction is any kind of habit that you must perform each day in order to live a ‘normal’ life, and/or to feel good about yourself.

This can be anything from smoking cigarettes, to drinking coffee, to eating sweets, or even things as small as watching the news (omg shoot me!).

A lot of people don’t think of things like television, food, reading the paper, or keeping up with their twitter feed is an addiction, but in actuality, these things can be quite harmful to not only your productivity, but your personal development and your health as well.

But at Academy Success,we think a little bit differently

If you still don’t think you’re addicted to anything, try going a few days without your vices – or the things that just fall into your normal daily routine.

You’ll notice a strong urge to do these things, which is a chemical reaction often called ‘withdrawl’ happening in your brain. When you perform your addictive activity, whatever it may be, your brain releases dopamine, which helps stimulates pleasure and relaxation.

I’m not saying relaxation is a bad thing by any means.

But you know what too much relaxation is called?

Being lazy.

That’s all laziness is – a collection of bad habits and negative addictions.

There’s no reason you can’t turn it around on it’s ugly head.

How to Stop Being Lazy

What I’m getting at is this. There are plenty of things you can be addicted to, and absolutely all of them have some kind of consequence, whether good or bad.

Your challenge is to be addicted to more good things, more productive things, more life improving things, vs. the negative vices in your life.

And that’s where replacement therapy comes in.

Pick an addiction. Any addiction that you want to rid yourself of.

Now ask yourself how you would go about stopping that behavior.

Most people would just try to quit cold turkey. They’d just attempt to stop doing whatever it is. But that’ll last about a week at most before the average person falls back into the same old routine.

It’s frustrating, but it’s common, and it’s actually science.

We only have so much will power as humans, and as long as you’re actively resisting your addiction, your will power reserve is drying up by the minute. If you’ve ever tried to change your eating habits, you know what I’m talking about.

What you must do instead is make it so you don’t have to resist. Put the fact that you have to actively stop yourself from doing something as far away from your thoughts as possible.

How, you ask?

By replacing it with something else. Something positive that gives you the same, or an even better sense of accomplishment or relaxation that your previous addiction.

For example, I used to play a lot of video games back in my college years, and it took an assignment one of my college professors gave me to wake me up to how it was helping me get… well… nowhere.

When I finally realized I needed to make a personal change, I decided to stop that, and start focusing on improving myself as a person.

So I gathered up a bunch of books and started reading every day. Then I started writing what I read about on what, at the time, was personal blog, both of which I really loved to do.

In a couple of weeks, I had completely kicked my video game addiction, and didn’t even really miss it. I loved the fact that I was improving myself, and it was really fulfilling to me.

I had successfully replaced one negative addiction with another positive addiction.

And I challenge you to use the exact same tactic for yourself.

Your Self-Improvement Challenge

Find some kind of behavior you’re addicted to. Anything at all. This is what you’re going to replace with a positive behavior.

That’s the key here. You have to find something positive, fulfilling, and productive to replace your negative behavior. If you just quit cold turkey with no plan, you’re highly likely to either pick back up your negative habit, or replace it with something else just as bad.

Now go. Get started right now. You might just change your life like I did.