Use Laziness To Your Advantage - The 20 Second Rule 

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"Let's be honest: we're all lazy to some extent, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's natural." Thank God. **closes video and continues to do nothing for the next 50 years**

"The cost of procrastination is the life you could've lived" Now go study.

There’s only one way to do things: DO NOT THINK. You wanna do something? Get up and start doing it, do not consider doing it later or how much time would it take. Just start doing it. If you try thinking about details, if you end up thinking about the amount of effort it’s gonna take, you’re not gonna do it. The moment you start to worry and in your head “ifs” and “buts” appear, you’re done.

At some point in my life my normal laziness evolved into advanced laziness like a freaking pokemon. It's when you are so good at procrastinating and sabotaging yourself, that you dont even care if somebody else might be dissappointed in you.

90% of people watching this video are laying on their bed.

Another strategy I've heard and that has helped me before, is to tell yourself you're going to do less than you really want to do. So like, if you want to go to the gym, instead of telling yourself you're going to go to the gym, which requires a lot of activation energy, you tell yourself you're just going to put your shoes on. And then once you put your shoes on, you tell yourself you're just going to grab your keys. And so on and so forth, until, next thing you know, you're working out at the gym.

"Make your desired actions easy to start while making your unwanted actions difficult" - I'm gonna get this quote framed man! Thanks a lot for the lessons❤

I have another 20s rule that works against laziness : counting 20 secondes to let yourself fully enjoy the unproductive but comfortable activity you're doing knowing that at 20, you must stop, get up and start doing the thing you need to do. That way you don't feel like you really stopped doing the comfortable thing because your brain knew that it was gonna end in exactly 20 seconds so it enjoyed it even more, but you're also able to move on to the productive activity.

"It's easier to make things harder rather than making harder things simpler."

*Video about being less lazy and more productive* Me: Great, this is just what I need! *Almost 15 min video* Me: Oh that's too long, I'll save it to watch it later

Dude. This is not silly. You are legit describing my life and mental struggles. I'm happy to hear I'm not a weirdo and other people also struggle with this.

last year i had to write a huge paper and i made this nice plan to write one page every week, but then i quickly fell off and got lazy. one thing that really helped was just committing to write one word per day. that way i at least built a habit of opening my computer and pulling up the document every single day, so it didn’t seem like it took much energy. once i had that habit in place, I was already over the largest burden, and i began to write more

"Nothing would change if you wouldn't change".....

“If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got”

My favourite part is Sean being completely clueless as to what happened to the remote… one day after after removing the batteries and putting them in the drawer. I think Sean has bigger problems than laziness

🤯 This just blew my mind. Every thing I need to do before doing another thing... makes that second thing EXPONENTIALLY harder to start! ♡

3:53 the 20s rule 8:05 examples 11:37 rewind Conclusion: "Make your desired actions easy to start, while making your unwanted actions difficult."

i’m so lazy i put this video in the “watch later” section

We are so prone to taking the path of least resistance. Thank you for the practical advice for establishing successful habits by removing barriers to getting started.

This is a really helpful video. I used something similar to this strategy to introduce new things to my birds, but never used it for myself. It is very true that almost every single time, it's the 1-3 small, short things I have to do before an activity that deter me. When I want my birds to do something new (ex. go inside a new carrier), I make it as easy as humanly possible for them to do it. I use boxes to line the opening up directly with the cage top. All they have to do is take one step and they're in. I place treats right on the cusp of the opening, with a few more right inside, so all they have to do is take one step to get the treat. I use familiar items in and around the carrier so they see things they recognize. Even asking them to jump over a short gap to the opening is a barrier against use. Asking them to step down into the carrier is a barrier. Placing treats too far in is a barrier. Placing the carrier anywhere but their favourite spot to hang out is a barrier. Looks like I should be using some of my bird training methods on myself!

As a former dental hygienist, I must say that teeth-brushing is nothing automatic at all and a high percentage of people never do it.

When feeling lazy go for a walk or meditate. Much better then procrastinating or scrolling

Hey my man, I normally don't listen to this sort of thing because so much of this self help stuff violates biblical principles but I have watched quite a few of your videos and you have gave absolutely no advice that violates my conscience, I'm deeply appreciative of your content , I feel like your a good friend , you have become one of my favorite channels and that's hard to do...God bless you my friend

This works for me. I actually wanted to read 30 mins per day. But then, I was already tired of reading and the time hadn't finished. It was no fun anymore. So, I changed my duration of reading to become 20 mins. And I finish my reading before I get tired and it becomes rewarding. In addition, if I feel like to continue, I will add a good ten mins. So I get 30 mins reading each day. To limit restriction or 5o make it easy, I apply it to my workout. I don't want to exercise outside as I have to put more clothes (I am a Moslem where I have to be fully covered if seen in public). And I hate the idea of having more laundry after that. So, I choose working at my own room and wear my comfortable workout clothes. I have a set of RU-vid vids for my workout. When I am lazy doing exercise, I will get up and do just determine to get done only the warm up part. But then, I always find myself doing at least 2-3 vids on my hard unmotivated days 😂😂😂

pov: you’re procrastinating watching this procrastination video.

“Making mistakes is better than faking perfection.” -- Anonymous

I love this because it just takes a little bit of thought and a small moment of conscious change, rather than huge daily habit changes. Helpful for those who thrive off of environment and external influences (e.g. me). Excited to put it into practice. I spoke to my roommate about this and she said, oh, i kind of did that but with my phone! She hid all the apps on her phone except for like 4 important non-time-draining apps so that if she wants to use any other apps she has to search for them. I thought it was a good example of the 20 second rule for bad habits (±15 seconds lol) and a great way to adapt the concept to electronics and mental space/time, not just physical space.

thank you for reminding me that there will always a way to change your mindset. and be more active although i cant apply it to my self but im always trying my best to do new things and don't pressure my self

Summary: - Starting any activity requires an initial effort to start doing it. - Increase the effort (for 20 seconds) to start that activity you want to avoid, for example put the control of the TV in another room to avoid watching it. - Decrease the effort to start that activities that benefit you, like going to gym, you could sleep with the gym clothes on, then when you get up in the morning you are ready to go.

'Simply throw all the unhealthy food out of your house. This way, all that remains is healthy food.' * meanwhile i'm standing here.. staring at an empty fridge*

It feels good to know I’ve been doing this intuitively! This video was confirmation I’m on the right track 🥰

Thank you, this gave me great ideas! I use a similar idea for snacks, I always put 2 barriers between me and them (1 must block visually), like putting cookies in a container in the back of the bottom of fridge or bottom cabinet. Also, even if I have decaf coffee, it's enough to get me started on any project while not destroying my sleep cycle if it's in after noon.

“Everything in life is easier when you don’t concern yourself with what other people are doing” Hope you have a good Monday 💜

“You did not come this far just to come this far”

Thank you so much for your series of very helpful ideas. I'm 77 and you have encouraged and helped me to improve. Another idea is the Swiss cheese approach to tackling seemingly huge tasks. Punch holes in it by doing just a bit at a time. Yard by yard things are hard, inch by inch things are a cinch.

This video is a lifechanger! Before watching it a week ago i ate junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. After watching i threw it all away and now every time i want some, i go to the market that is 15 minutes away from my house to get some and i still do this every day!

I think all of us naturally struggle with laziness and procrastination. What works best for me is to force myself to get up and do something. It could be as simple as brushing my teeth or taking out the trash. Whenever I complete a bunch of small tasks, I find that building up positive momentum can make a huge difference with overcoming laziness.

Me: adds this video to “Watch Later”

Bless your heart for this unique content, thank you!

This content is truly helpful, People like me do need some instruction to working on our ideal life easier. And I also think the way this video sponsoring has the most successful advertising I have ever seen, it just completely match the point of 20s Rule.

“Do as much as you can in a day, and then do a little bit more” - my uncle

“Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” ― Robert Heinlein

This behavior of us is also known as habit I'm reading a book about it atm and it's rly interesting since it shows how our brain functions. This video basically described a tip for improvement in the third law of the "4 laws of behaviour". The accessibility and simplicity or complexity of an action. "The habit must be easy to do/get access to" or (for removing a bad habit) "The habit must be difficult to carry out"

It is such an awesome idea!! I do suffer from this inconvinience every time when I want to paint. It takes a huge time to get prepared my working place and afterwards it takes even more time to clean everything up, because oil is not very easy to clean. I've always thought that I am too lazy or not inspired enough, but thanks to this video now I clearly see that all I need to do is to lower the activation energy. Btw, if anyone here is also keen on oil painting, please give me some tips (hacks) on how to make preparations quicker and especially how to simplify the cleaning process afterwards.

"stop reading these silly random quotes and go do something useful" -me

"The problem with quotes on the internet, is they are often not true" - Abraham Lincoln

Thankyou guys for all your efforts

Totally true! I paint sooo much more minis, when my paints and utensils are on the table, ready to painting session. There is a mess on the table, but I paint 500% more often!

I often struggle with standing up from bed at the morning I just say "I count to 10 Then i stand up and do what i have to do" Than i just count to 10 and when im done I just jump out like i got bitten by a snake or something It really helps

I wanted to smoke less so I put my cigarettes in a shed at the end of my driveway. Now I just hang out in the shed and smoke all day...

Had this video in my watch later for the longest time and am just now finally watching it

I'm just gonna say that this video has been sitting 2-3 years on my watch later list, talk about freaking procrastinating. Thanks for the explained content, I can relate to this way, way too much, gotta love spending 5 hours doing nothing because I'm too lazy to do 10 minutes of preparation so I can do something.

It's okay to put off the things that have little significance to us. However, some of us keep putting off the projects or chores that are the most crucial.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” ― Pablo Picasso

One of the best videoes to improve ourselves ... so true about Activation Energy. Rewatching it. Dhanyāsmi 🙏🏼

This is so obvious its almost stupid and yet I've never thought of using my own laziness this way. Killer video!

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful" -Eric Thomas

Haha, the opening sentence: "We're all lazy to some extent." "To some extent"? Lol. The extent is unquantifiable for me...

Thank you very much for this motivation!!! It is so easy, when you know how it works!

Ótimo vídeo, obrigada por compartilhar essas informações.

I feel like the bigger problem is that we are sucked in by social media and tv, even if the guitar was next to us the majority still wouldn't practice.

I didn’t even realize I was doing this to help my mornings haha. I have adhd and I always tell myself I’m gonna finish hw in the mornings cause I’m too tired after school and after school activities. So I use the burst of energy that I get late at night to set everything up to make my morning as easy as possible with as little distractions as possible so I can get ready quickly and do my work. It usually works! I should apply that to other things lol

Great video! Thank you

Extremely useful video! Saving several tips from it.

I have personally found that when you don't have motivation to do something, and you think about how much effort it takes to do that simple thing that it is easier to just not think about it, and just get up and do it. You stop thinking ab how much you dont wanna do something, you just get up and do it. This has helped me stop hating certain tasks that i found tedious before. And actually somewhat enjoy them. Or be content, at least.

Laziness is a wrapper feeling, the true emotion u feel when u feel lazy is fear

Wow! This gave me so much perspective! Thank you for this!

Out of all the world languages, this guy decided to speak facts

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

This reminds me of Newton's first law and static friction - how an object takes more force to _start_ moving across a surface than it would to just _keep_ moving across that surface had it already been moving. Weirdly relatable..

Learned something new today, thank you for the advise and strategies that I could be doing but don't. I came across this video for a reason, I will put use to this knowledge.

In his book "The Happiness Advantage", Shawn Achor ... decided to call this behavioral approach: The 20 Second Rule. Essentially what he did was, he made playing the guitar 20 seconds easier, while making watching TV 20 seconds harder. And this strategy can be applied to pretty much any behavior you want to change. ... And it's the same with pretty much any other activity. When it comes down to it, most of the activities aren't that difficult to do, they just require a little more effort for you to get started. But once you do start and get settled in, it's always very easy to continue, even if you don't necessarily find the activity as fun.

This channel is purely golden. We must preserve it. 🔥

"Percentage-wise, it is 100% easier NOT to do things than to do them." - John Mulaney

Your voice and accent makes these videos really enjoyable to watch.

You do GREAT work !!

When i watch this video instead of working: *Confused guilting*

“‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ -Wayne Gretzky” -Michael Scott

Utter genius! Thank you so much!

I use laziness and stinginess to cut myself off from time- and money-consuming activities, both “good” and “bad”. I don’t send Christmas card (or even electronic ones), though will send emails around the holidays - and, in fact, expanded the number of people I send such greetings to. I’ve stopped putting Christmas ornaments outside of the house. I do not wrap gifts, preferring gift bags. Unfortunately, Dad’s been using Amazon to send gifts to his friends, and that’s been a headache that reminds me that I don’t want gifts from others and don’t want my friends doing the same for me. Thanks for the video!

I’ve been unwell a while & got to the “what’s the point” stage. This has really motivated me. Thank you so much. 🙏🏻

You earned a like by me when you said EVERYONE IS LAZY.

While studying, I just took the phone Opened youtube... Played this video... Then took it in the drawer.....!!! Significant change that may bring shine my messy life.....!!!!!

Last week i deleted tiktok of my phone, i can still watch it on my computer but that means getting up, going to the site and looking it up. That really worked

Thinking " i will do it later " is the biggest scam

"lmao just get productive and don't listen to these quotes" - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Thank you so much! This looks like I actually can adapt to my life. I definitely do what is easy than what I really want to do. I will try to chane that!

Thanks for the valuable information

Related to the phone, I found that charging my phone next to my bed is a convenient distraction. I moved it across the room away from my bed or you can charge it in another room. You're less likely to stay in bed on your phone, which was a bad habit of mine. If you need it next to you some reason, make sure to move it at times you don't. It's an extra step that pays off. I also moved my playstore app to a place less convenient to access. I found that even after deleting the apps I still would just redownload it when checking my social media. I only do this once week now thanks to moving it off my home screen.

9:08 Eat all the unhealthy food so all that remains is healthy food

At 20 years old I started putting my phone in a drawer on silent the moment I got home. Like you said these things sound simple, but a young age it made a last impression as I experienced changes for the first time…. What can make 20s habits difficult later in life is that it’s so simple we think we know what’s on the other side of our discipline. Im 31 now, it seems mentally difficult to initially implement focus habits or remove distractions but once the momentum is there and you have just a tiny bit of consistency, you notice less resistance.

I used it all my life and it works. Interesting to see a youtube video about it. I play guitar, piano and violin.

"20 second rule" *Makes video 14 minutes*

As a person with adult-diagnosed ADHD, this is the perfect description of something I've learned over the years. My coffee in the morning is one thing that will make or break my day. If I have too many things in my way that I need to overcome in order to drink my coffee right when I get up, it's very difficult to come back from that bad start. But when I put everything necessary to make the coffee in the same spot next to the coffee pot, it naturally improves my success rate and my day starts much better.

Absolutely Brilliant Idea!!

this helps SO MUCH OMG thank you so much!!!

“I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Bill Gates

Does anybody else get these bipolar moments where you’re so positive and with energy then the next day you’re back to square one?? I just started my RU-vid Channel after a whole year of wanting too, trying to stay consistent but I procrastinate tooooo much.Goodluck to anyone else that feels this 💙

Great video thank you! 👏🏼