Beware the Sloth!

Whether it is because they move so slowly or because they can be so adorable, sloths have a penchant for making people laugh. After all, what other creature is so sluggish that moss grows on it? When walking on the ground, its movements hilariously resemble that of a tattered, stranded cartoon character dragging himself through a desert in search of water.

(If you must see for yourself, search YouTube for “sloth crossing road” and “bucket of sloths.”)

This animal’s seriously slow movements are the reason they are named after the adjective slothful, which describes a person who is lethargic, not inclined to work, and in no rush to get things accomplished.

Laziness as a human trait is a serious problem. Of course, a bit of down time and relaxation is beneficial, but sluggishness becomes harmful when it is habitual and prevents you from accomplishing important tasks.

Despite its seriousness, however, it can be a subject of humor. Ancient King Solomon himself poked fun at slothfulness.

If you struggle with a lackadaisical attitude, there are three verses in the book of Proverbs that can help motivate you. When understood, these warnings can be rather comical—they prove just how absurd our logic can be when we take shortcuts in life.

By finding the humor in these examples, you can put on the daily motivation needed to combat slothfulness!

Making Excuses

Each day you wake up, you begin thinking of your “laundry list” of chores to get done. Today is Sunday: I am supposed to cut the lawn, take out the kitchen trash, and wash the dishes.

But as the day wears on, you begin thinking of reasons to put them off.

I don’t need to get it all done in the morning. I don’t want to disturb my neighbors by mowing the lawn too early. And I will just stuff down the garbage and take it out another day. Oh, and the dishes absolutely must soak for at least three hours before I can wash them—otherwise they’ll be too hard to clean!

This showcases one of the most common forms of laziness. “The slothful man says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets,” it states in Proverbs 26:13.

Interestingly, at the time this was written, encountering a lion on rural roadways was a real threat! The slothful person in this proverb did not make a completely unjustified claim.

But the problem is he completely put off his duties for the day and avoided going outside at all because of a scenario he made up in his head about danger that most likely was not there. He did not even bother to look to verify his reasoning.

Realize that in this proverb the writer, King Solomon, poked fun at the idea of a prowling lion being an excuse for dallying! How much less acceptable are our excuses?

There will always be burdens and minor risks to contend with as you go out to complete your responsibilities, but it should not stop you from taking action.

A formula to avoid lethargy is actually quite simple. It comes from a quote: “The hardest part of any decision in life is just making it.”

This means, once you commit to doing something, actually doing the work is usually not as hard as you thought.

It may seem strange that thinking about work is more laborious and stressful than performing it is, but this should help you see that laziness is all mental! Train yourself to perform an action early on instead of lingering and worrying about how difficult it could be.

Snoozing

Another type of sluggishness can also be quite entertaining—that is, if you are the one observing the behavior.

The very next verse in Proverbs 26 states: “As the door turns upon its hinges, so does the slothful upon his bed” (vs. 14).

Doors swing in two directions—they either open or close. In the same way, a person who sleeps in through morning daylight will move in two directions. He lays on his right side for a little while. Then he rolls to his left side. Later, back to the right. Left. Right. Meanwhile the day is wasting away.

Another attribute of opening and closing doors: They creak and squeak! The longer you sleep in, the more aches and pains you will have. A sore neck or knot in your back would certainly make you groan and moan!

Tossing and turning is a sign that you are not getting deep, quality sleep. This can happen during an extended snooze because you were already woken out of deep sleep and sunlight signals your body to wake up.

Another of Solomon’s books, Ecclesiastes, provides the alternative to waking up every morning with the urge to plow your head back into the pillow.

“The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much…” (Ecc. 5:12).

Expending yourself physically and mentally throughout the day—even during your time off from school—will help you get better sleep. You will feel more energized when you wake up, and it will save you the embarrassment of looking and sounding like a door creaking open and shut with every gust of wind.

Aim to get one hour of physical activity in per day, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for those ages 6 to 17. This can be done through completing your daily chores or playing a sport.

Progressively Lazier

Recall the oft-used quote: “If you want any business done for you, you should ask a busy man to do it, and not a man of leisure.”

In other words, those who do not occupy themselves tend to be less productive when given tasks, whereas those who keep themselves busy tend to be more efficient.

Solomon covered part of this principle in Proverbs 26:15. It states, “The slothful hides his hand in his [bowl]; it grieves him to bring it again to his mouth.”

Picture a person becoming so lax, he gets wearied by the idea of lifting his arm and using his wrist muscles to bring a spoonful of Cheerios to his mouth. So he opts instead to rest his hand on the bowl and hope for “better days.”

This level of laziness may seem ridiculous, but there are times you can probably relate! Perhaps you had a day off from school when you were so stuck in “vacation mode” that, after taking clean laundry out of the dryer, you dumped your clothes on the carpet because you did not have the motivation to fold it. Or a morning you found a piece of trash on the floor but just did not feel like bending your knees to pick it up.

On a day you are unproductive, you can easily get to a point where the simplest duties can seem exhausting. But realize that each time you decide to put something off, you are influencing your overall demeanor and attitude toward life.

Practice this rule from a Forbes article, “15 Surprising Things Productive People Do Differently”: “They touch things only once.”

The article explained: “If it takes less than five or ten minutes—whatever it is—[productive people] deal with it right then and there. It reduces stress since it won’t be in the back of their mind, and is more efficient since they won’t have to re-read or evaluate the item again in the future.”

Another point from the article: “Your future self can’t be trusted…I bought [the P90x exercise video program] because I think I’m going to start exercising vigorously and yet the box sits unopened one year later. What can you do now to make sure your future self does the right thing?”

One thing the writer in this example could have done is take smaller steps such as jogging around the neighborhood or sticking to a regimen of pushups and pullups before purchasing a $120 DVD exercise program. That way, he could prove to himself beforehand that he would follow through on the commitment.

Staying busy and striving to touch things only once are just two points that can keep you moving when important tasks must be done.

Stay on Guard!

There are occasions when you have more time on your hands than usual such as a holiday or summer break from school. These are times when avoiding laziness is even more important because you do not have class, homework or other school activities filling up your schedule.

Whether it is the long days of summer or even just a leisurely Sunday, if you ever find yourself feeling unmotivated and on the verge of laziness, think of Solomon’s examples of wasting morning hours tossing and turning in bed, or being unwilling to even lift a spoon. Each of these descriptions are humorous, yet they should help you motivate yourself.

Avoid the trap of laziness and strive to make the most of each day.