How Can I Stop Feeling Lazy to Study? (Explained!)

As a student, you know that studying is an essential part of your academic journey. But sometimes, motivating yourself to study can be challenging.

When you feel lazy, procrastination becomes tempting, and it can feel like an arduous battle to motivate yourself to get started.

However, there are tools and strategies you can learn to help you overcome this habit and make the most out of your study sessions.

The strategies to overcome laziness when it’s time to study include the following:

Make a study plan

Get rid of all distractions

Maintain a timetable for studying every day

Set smaller, achievable targets

Take one step at a time and more

In this blog post, we’ll discuss why some students feel lazy to study and how you can overcome this feeling. Additionally, we’ll provide tips on how to make your study sessions more effective.

Let’s delve in!

Why do some students feel lazy to study?

Laziness is a common struggle for many people. And it is even more common to observe this syndrome in students who find it challenging to dedicate time to study.

While it is understandable to feel unmotivated or unproductive sometimes, consistent laziness can seriously affect daily life.

If a student feels lazy, this can cause them to procrastinate on completing simple assignments, study sessions, and class curriculums, leading to stress, a sense of being overwhelmed, and poor grades.

Additionally, once someone falls into the habit of laziness, it can be challenging to break free from it and regain a sense of motivation.

While there could be a number of causes for the lazy feeling, some of the more common ones are as follows:

Incomplete sleep

Studying involves mental activity. It requires a fresh and alert mind; hence without a proper good night’s sleep, students might feel tired, dizzy, and unproductive while learning.

Lack of future goals or plans

Many students do not have a clear vision of their goals. As a result, they might not put in enough effort to study effectively.

Also, some students may be involved in too many activities or have too much fun, contributing to their laziness toward learning.

Pursuing a course that is not in line with their interests or passions

If students are not enthusiastic about the subject they are studying, they may find it boring or uncomfortable, leading to procrastination and laziness toward studying.

Sometimes students may choose a course because of their parents’ request, which may not align with their career goals or interests.

Hungry, tired, and ill

Some students appear “lazy” simply because they are hungry, tired, or sick.

This affects their physical health. Hence, they may arrive at school fatigued, irritable, disinterested, and withdrawn.

Lack of motivation

When you lack the motivation to study, it’s easy to feel lazy and not want to do anything.

Boredom

Studying can sometimes be monotonous, and it’s easy to lose interest and feel lazy if you find the subject matter dull.

Procrastination

Putting off important tasks and studying until the last minute can become overwhelming, leading to the feeling of being lazy to tackle the workload.

Distractions

In this digital age, getting sidetracked and feeling lazy to study is easy, making it crucial to recognize when laziness becomes a persistent problem.

Taking steps to address and overcome this issue can help prevent it from negatively impacting your work, studies, and daily life.

If you discover you lack the motivation to study, Iris Reading offers a productivity course to help you curb laziness and boost your productivity.

Check out our Personal Productivity course. This course teaches several strategies to help you eliminate distractions and overcome laziness.

How to overcome laziness when it’s time to study?

Laziness is one of the major reasons why you have poor performance in your study. The following are some tips to help you overcome laziness and motivate yourself to study.

1. Make a study plan

A study plan is an effective tool for time management to help you stay organized and prioritize your academic tasks.

When you create a study plan, balancing school-work, jobs, and other social commitments becomes more manageable. You can easily track your progress and achieve your learning objectives with a schedule for studying.

Another benefit of making a study plan is that the regular study routine helps you get emotionally and psychologically ready for each study session, overcome laziness and make studying a habit.

2. Get rid of all distractions

If you want to overcome laziness and boost your productivity, you must eliminate distractions during study sessions. This can be achieved by creating and sticking to a to-do list, moving to a different room, and turning off the phone and TV.

If you are expecting an important call, then you may keep your phone by your side but ensure that you set it on vibration or make it silent.

Additionally, do not hesitate to ask family members or roommates for privacy during your study time.

Eliminating these distractions will help you concentrate better during your study sessions.

3. Maintain a timetable for studying every day

Creating a study timetable can significantly reduce laziness as it provides a clear structure for tracking work progress and meeting deadlines.

The timetable should be prominently displayed in the study area, with fixed schedules for each class and other weekly tasks.

It is critical to adhere to this schedule to help you develop self discipline and overcome laziness in your studies.

Moreover, mastering this practice will give you a competitive edge in your academic and professional pursuits.

4. Set smaller, achievable targets

It is easier to overcome laziness while studying if you set small achievable study goals.

If you keep your targets too high, you may get overwhelmed, and pressure may set in, leading to a sense of defeat. Instead, break down your goals into smaller, manageable, achievable goals.

By setting more realistic goals, and as you achieve these smaller goals, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, encouraging you to continue working towards your larger objectives.

5. Take one step at a time

When you set a study goal, taking it one step at a time is essential to avoid laziness and feeling overwhelmed. If you put too much pressure on yourself, it can add up to your laziness.

Breaking your study sessions into smaller, manageable sessions will help you avoid burning out, increase productivity, and even make it enjoyable.

To do this, instead of having a one-hour study marathon, you could break it into a 30-minute study session followed by a 15-minute break and then the next 30-minute study session.

Each batch of the study session is a sub-task you must complete. Completing a sub-task will motivate you to continue other sub-tasks, making your overall task more convenient.

You may also like How Do You Measure Personal Productivity?

6. Reward yourself after completing a goal

Overcoming laziness is a big deal, so you should congratulate yourself upon achieving it and treat yourself with kindness. One approach is to reward yourself with a small treat at the end of your study period.

Also, set goals that motivate you to study and reward yourself for every achievement. Examples of rewards include:

Watching a movie.
Taking a long break.
Eating your favorite dessert.
Purchasing something you’ve always wanted.

Rewards keep you in a win-win situation.

7. Find your motivation

Lethargy and laziness can be completely eliminated with good self-motivation.

As we mentioned, an exciting way to motivate yourself is to reward yourself at the end of your study period.

Also, consider how exciting it would be to achieve fantastic marks in your examination. Think of those you could make proud when you achieve your goals. Don’t be a lazy person; remember, you only have one life.

Another technique that can help you find your motivation is setting goals.

The feeling or desire to achieve these goals will eliminate laziness from your vocabulary. But make sure to set goals that inspire you and not ones that paralyze you.

8. Consider the consequences of laziness

Considering the possible positive results of studying can motivate us to begin learning. But if this doesn’t work, consider the consequences of procrastination and laziness.

Fear can be a powerful motivator. You may receive poor grades or even fail if you don’t study. Retaking the same subject or repeating the year is not desirable and can be a motivational factor to push yourself to start studying.

9. Discipline yourself

Laziness is a common experience for everyone, especially when faced with a large amount of studying without a clear starting point. However, it is crucial to take studying seriously whether it is for a major exam or a small quiz.

Commit yourself to breaking the habit of laziness. Understand that your future is in your hands, and the more disciplined and responsible you are, the greater your chances of success.

How can you make your study sessions more effective?

Many college students soon realize that their high school study methods fall short. This is understandable, given how different college is from high school. Professors are less involved, classes are more extensive, exams are more significant, reading is more demanding, and courses are more challenging.

This does not imply that you are at fault; it simply indicates that you need to acquire more efficient study skills.

Fortunately, there are numerous active and effective study tactics you can learn and implement to help you be successful in your studies.

The following are some tips to help you make your study sessions more effective.

Read actively

Be an active reader by highlighting or underlining essential points, asking yourself questions about the material, and summarizing what you have read in your own words.

If you feel like you have too much to read and too little time, you can even join Iris Reading’s Free “Speed Reading 101” Workshop.

Attend lectures and take notes

Attend lectures, take notes, and try to write down important concepts and ideas discussed in class for future review.

Use flashcards

Flashcards can be a helpful tool to help reinforce the information in your memory. You can memorize concepts, definitions, and formulas.

Join study groups

Work together with your coursemate to review notes and discuss key concepts.

Practice active recall

Do more than just read and review your notes to understand the materials better and retain the information. Instead, try to recall the information from memory actively.

Make use of productivity tools

Use tools like the AccelaReader Speed reading tool. This tool can help make your study sessions more effective and improve your reading speed and memory retention.

Take breaks

Taking breaks during study sessions can help you stay focused and retain information better. Take breaks every few hours for 30-45 minutes to help you recharge and stay productive.

Takeaway: Crush laziness and boost your study motivation

Feeling lazy to study is a common problem among students. And this is because many students have their mind set on seeing learning as an arduous task, and many have yet to learn to study smart.

Luckily, there are ways to overcome these lazy habits and start studying effectively.

Making a study plan, removing distractions, maintaining a timetable, setting achievable targets, taking one step at a time, and rewarding yourself are some tactics to help you stay motivated.

Additionally, attending lectures, actively reading, joining study groups, managing your time, and practicing active recall can make your study sessions more effective.

Remember, with the right mindset and strategy, you can overcome laziness and excel in your academic journey.

Would you like to learn about little-known strategies to help you crush the feeling of being lazy, boost productivity and succeed academically?

Check out our Productivity Courses, which are ideal for students who desire to excel in college and beyond.

Blog