Q&A: Advice for a Lazy Person
Advice for a Lazy Person
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael Abraham, I need some advice.
I want to learn a lot of things—both Torah, general knowledge, and also things that would help me advance at work (beyond what’s strictly necessary).
I’m not married and already finished my degree, so in principle I have quite a lot of free time.
The problem is that I’m lazy.
Instead of studying and moving forward in my free time, I just browse random websites, read the news, play games, watch videos, hang out with friends, sometimes read a book (fiction, not anything analytical). I’m basically wasting my life on whatever is easy and comfortable at the moment. I do study a little here and there, so I’m not a complete bum, but when I was in yeshiva and also at university, I imagined my life afterward very differently. I thought I would keep progressing. But in practice, I’m barely advancing in anything.
I’ve thought about it, and I don’t really, really enjoy the learning itself. It’s just important to me to study, but I don’t love it more than anything in the world.
That’s the problem, Rabbi, do you understand?
So now I’m asking for advice about this. I see that the Rabbi has accomplished a great deal in life, so I’m sure you have a few tips.
Answer
I don’t know how to study without studying. You can read surveys or overviews instead of learning the original material itself. And maybe it would be worthwhile to set aside a fixed amount of time—say, an hour a day—for serious study, and spend the rest of the time entertaining yourself. Slowly, you can increase the amount of time. It’s best if you do this with a study partner, or at least under the supervision of a study partner who keeps track of your progress.