 All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single tiny decision, but as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Success is the product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformations. This quote was written by author and motivational speaker James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits, one of the best-selling self-help books of the last decade, and it promises to help its readers break long-time bad habits and adopt better ones instead, through nothing more than simple everyday routines. The secret, according to Clear, lies in first understanding the power our habits have over us. With that said, if you've been having trouble being more productive lately, but aren't quite sure why, take this as a sign to start looking more closely at your day-to-day habits. According to self-help experts and psychologists, here are some of the most common habits keeping you lazy. 1. An Overly Comfortable Environment This first one might surprise you, but remember, there's a reason why they say we need to get out of our comfort zone more. Because when we're overly comfortable, be it in our workplace, with our academic standing, or around our same circle of longtime friends, it can be easy to become lazy and complacent. Surrounding ourselves with only what's easy or familiar doesn't give us any reason or opportunity to push ourselves for the better. In fact, one study by Laura Prezera has found that for foreign exchange students in Berlin, leaving their comfort zones incited greater self-discovery and personal change. 2. The Attention Economy Ever wasted an hour or two without meaning to just by browsing through your social media feed, deciding what to post, or scrolling through a few TikTok videos? Well, according to therapist Dr. Ralph de la Rosa, constantly being overloaded with information from having the internet at your fingertips can make anyone prone to procrastination and getting distracted all the time. And the fast-paced, hyper-connected lifestyle of being on social media too much can easily make us lazy and self-absorbed. So maybe it's best to skip the bedtime browsing and go on a social media detox every now and then. 3. Negative Thought Patterns According to Cognitive Psychology, there are a lot of negative thought patterns that can seriously hinder a person's ability to function, hurt their self-confidence, and make it hard for them to feel motivated. These are called Cognitive Distortions. First studied by psychologist and pioneer of CBT, Dr. Aaron Beck. Some examples include All or Nothing Thinking. If I don't get the grade I want, I'll be a total failure. Overgeneralization. It rained on my way to work today, so I was late. Why do bad things always happen to me? And, catastrophizing. My crush rejected me. I'll never find love. 4. Lack of Self-Care Here's something that might surprise you. When studying about the life of the late great scientist Albert Einstein, biographers were able to deduce what his day-to-day routine was like, and many productivity experts have used this knowledge, along with the daily routines of other successful people, to apply their teachings. But you know what the surprising part is? Albert Einstein slept 10 hours a night, napped in the afternoon, took daily walks, practiced violin, and spent two hours a day doing nothing but thinking. And while we're not saying that doing everything Einstein did is bound to guarantee you success too, the main takeaway here is that self-care is key to productivity. After all, sleep deprivation, a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, and an all-work-no-play attitude can all contribute to a feeling of laziness and burnout. 5. Poor Planning, Prioritizing, and Organizing Last, but certainly not least, on our list of habits keeping you lazy, is poor planning, prioritizing, and organizing, all of which are important life skills. And when we don't hone or value these skills enough, our productivity can really take a turn for the worse. Poor time management, for example, leads to constantly running late and plenty of mis-deadlines, while an inability to plan and organize can make achieving long-term goals seem overwhelming and impossible. According to a study by German scholars Richard Tinu Nastase and Lakatos, time management skills were strongly associated not only with academic achievements but also life satisfaction, so not knowing how to prioritize tasks or set your own goals could be what's holding you back from realizing your full potential. So if you find yourself struggling with laziness, it's important to first identify what you may be doing to contribute to the problem. Only then can you begin to work on making positive changes and lasting improvement in your productivity. In her blog, The Best Brain Possible, self-help guru Debbie Hampton states that we are all creatures of habit, for better or worse. Even though they know what they want to change, it's common for people to come to me because they haven't been able to take this step from awareness to action. Insight isn't enough. So what bad habits do you need to break today? And what's your plan of action?