The winter of 2013/2014 was not a cold winter in The Netherlands. It felt more like a six month lasting autumn. Endless drizzling, grey days… I had one client at that time in Amsterdam and and traveled mainly by car. The route I took was the same route every day, but I didn’t mind. It started in the morning near the small lakes of the “Loosdrechtse plassen” in Hilversum (my home town), past some meadows, and ended in the business district of Amsterdam. And somehow, every day I saw that one tree. It was lonely, it was naked, and it was just standing there, every cold rainy day. I noticed how the grey days effected my mood, which gave me an idea for a picture. All I needed was the right foggy weather to make this shot. I had this picture in my mind for nearly six weeks, when finally I decided the weather conditions were perfect. And what happened? I was tired, wanted to lay down and eat, and did not want to ride my bike for 3KM (2 miles) to take a picture during bad weather.

I almost didn’t deserve this picture, since I was almost too lazy to get out for some photography.

At that point, as I sat down on the couch, I became a little angry with myself. What was I thinking? That picture has been in my mind for six weeks and now the perfect opportunity presented itself and I was to lazy? So I got up, took my bike, rode it for 10 minutes and took some pictures. And in the end it all worked out, I took the picture I had in mind.

Laziness almost prevented me from taking pictures, while photography is a real passion of mine. That is one of the reasons I started this blog, I needed a game plan to continue doing what I like to do. I have thought of a couple tips for those of us trying to overcame laziness:

• Just do it (like Nike). Schedule your calender, block some hours to do what you need (or want) to do. Make sure you schedule regularly, to make it part of your daily/weekly rhythm.
• Have a rhythm. I know, I said it before, but it is really important! Creating a rhythm is exercising your “overcoming laziness-skills”.
• Have a game plan. Write down what  you want to accomplish, when you want to accomplish it, and how you are going to do this (like a blog). And stick to your plan!
• Be hard on yourself, but love yourself. Don’t get mad at yourself if you don’t reach your goals, reward yourself when you reach your goals.
• Take small steps. You don’t know how long you will live, but don’t try to reach all your goals in one year. Make sure you don’t get bored next year. 😉
• Think about the consequences: Whenever I am lazy, I have a hard time accepting myself and I feel unhappy. But when I am active/productive, I feel happy and satisfied. For me, knowing how being lazy or active influences my mood, is a good drive to do what I want and need to do.
• Share: You are not alone, find someone to help you and join you on your journey away from laziness.

Keep one thing in mind however: what you consider laziness, might be being really (chronically) tired. So listen to your body, but be completely honest towards yourself. If you feel you are tired for a long time, talk to your doctor.

I think working against laziness is an endless battle. But I am working on it, and it gives me a feeling of satisfaction. I hope it will do the same for you!

Kind regards,

Tieme

A lonely tree during a misty evening in Hilversum, The Netherlands. This was a second photo I took on that particular day I decided to stop being lazy.