Why Lazing Beats Hard Work Pants Off In Creating Extraordinary Results All The Time. The Ultimate Guide To Doing It Right

If you think working hard for long hours pays, think again.

Before pointing out a hard worker like Gary Vaynerchuk, the Internet Wine Guy and his 15-hour workday, it’s time to jog your memory.

If you've ever sat for an exam, then you know the after-exam effect. As soon as the cool breeze hits your face outside the exam room, your brain ceases to overheat and the right answers appear. Damn it!

A few seconds of slacking would have done the trick.

While the thought of being the busiest ant in your block is super kinky, there’s more to success than hard work and a 15-hour workday. Both are incomplete without rest. In fact, the most successful people in the world consider rest the catalyst to their success.

But what kind of rest do they mean?

Lazing on a couch while watching your favorite cartoon?

Here Are 15 Ways To Lounge Your Way To Extraordinary Results This Year

Before diving into your 15-hour routine, read this guide. You will learn how to incorporate in your day the most innovative ways to kick back, relax and laze your way to stunning results.

1. Swinging in a hammock

Instead of lying in it while reading your favorite book, lie on your back and initiate a slight side to side swing. Keep your eyes open and allow your mind to linger around a difficult situation at work. The intention here is to encourage yourself to fall asleep while thinking about a specific thought.

Ever rocked a baby to sleep and witnessed that cute smile flush across their face?

That’s the desired result; a safe smile!

When you wake up, don’t jump off the hammock cursing about the time lost while sleeping. Remain in the same position and try to remember your dream. Therein lays your solution!

Aren't you glad you didn't waste your time banging your head against the wall to generate answers?

If you don’t have a hammock, use a rocking chair. Ensure it is a place where you can see the sky, or beautiful photo of it.

2. Listening to the rain

Something about falling water; it gives your brain a feeling bordering fright and thrill. Quite sensational!

Whenever it rains, take time to watch the rain coming down and enjoy both the sight and sound. Epic brain massage!

Otherwise, download a rain sound mobile app and use quality headphones to listen to the rain. Most apps have thunder effects incorporated making the rain sound more realistic. Don’t forget to set the timer to at least 10 minutes.

Don’t worry if you don’t fall asleep when listening to the rain like most people do. The idea is to rescue your mind from tumultuous events of the day and restart your thought process.

3. Taking a long hot and cold shower

Ever wondered why most senior managers have private shower rooms in their offices?

It has little to do with cleanliness. It’s all about easing the burden that comes with the bloodcurdling workload in their positions. At any one time, they are bombarded with myriads of urgent and delicate decisions to make. Taking a shower comes in handy then.

Turning on the shower isn’t enough though; the choice of the shower head is key. The guiding thought should originate from a relaxation perspective. Hence the need for a spa-like rainfall shower head with high pressure or better.

Here is a list of top ten shower heads you can choose from. Go through the list, pick your choice and have a professional install it.

When taking the relaxing shower, alternate between the cold and hot water on high pressure. Up to 5 minutes of each relaxes your body allowing a charge of insane ideas to work on!

Remember to keep your feet apart and your hands on the wall for great results.

4. Swimming in the ocean

The healing effect of large water bodies comes in handy when your thought process comes to a dead end. Even a large deathly swamp does the magic; but don’t try it!

Soak your whole body, head included in the water to experience the new and wild environment. For a secret sauce; the fewer the clothes you have on, the spicier the effect.

Avoid carrying your daily office baggage in your mind when in the water, oceans hate double-dealers. Your loyalty is rewarded with a rich adventure!

5. Watching the sunset

Where does the sun go at the end of the day? Does it have sun-friends to go to? Does it dim out to end your day? What if scientists are wrong about the sun?

For great results, anoint a precise spot where you can sit and watch the sun setting. Allow awkward questions and wild imaginations run through your mind as you watch it go home.

Encouraging yourself to imagine alternatives to what you know allows you to innovate. You need this in your 15-hour workday.

6. Flying down a slide

This sounds immature, doesn't it?

So does working long hours without slacking off to power breaks. It’s the shortest route to sub-par results.

Engaging in kid’s play allows you to reactivate the child-side of you. It encourages you to generate unbiased ideas; those that aren't inhibited with generalization. Slides in particular give the free flow sensation freeing your mind from uncalled for worries.

Try sliding with your hands up in the air and allow yourself to laugh at the thought of it.

7. Talking to random kids

What do kids think about things that adults do?

Besides playing with kids, try engaging in a conversation with a 7-year old. Avoid being mature about the topic, instead, insist on getting their thoughts. When they ask a question, ask them, “What do you think?” Chances are they will say they don’t know. That’s not a call for you to give your opinion, ask further.

If you feel stuck getting kids to talk to you, use any of these 63 questions to get the ball rolling. You will love the flow!

So long as they know they aren't in trouble, their reasoning could lead to your own mental breakthrough.

8. Staring at one spot

A busy day can induce a quagmire of half-baked thoughts crossing your mind. In essence, noise.

How do you order your brain to shut up and handle one thought at a time?

Choose a spot in a closed room where you can sit on the floor undisturbed for 20 minutes. Draw a circle of about 5cm in diameter on a white piece of paper. Color it with your favorite bright color and cut it out. Stick it on a plain surface whose color contrasts its own. Sit about 2 meters away parallel to the surface while maintaining a sharp focus on the circle.

Concentrate on the specifications of the circle; its color, size and feel according to your eyes. As you focus on it, its surrounding will fade away together with all other thoughts. Retain the gaze for up to 5 minutes then take up to 5 deep breaths before repeating the process.

With an emptied mind, you can now refocus on one particular thought by speaking it out to yourself. Hold that thought in like you did the circle while still staring at it.

How does that feel?

9. Riding the subway to no particular place

Have you heard of people traveling to countries media condemns as most dangerous? Say making a trip to Somali in Africa.

Such people aren't attracted to danger but have a quest for knowledge. They long to discover for themselves what it feels to live in such places.

How about joining in the escapade?

Find out how far the subway goes from your domicile and what the trip costs, then ride away.

Experiencing a different culture than your own is mind-blowing! See what you can learn from such differences and how you can apply that in your everyday life.

10. Meeting new people

How would having coffee with a 100 new people in 100 days feel?

You would have to try it to know.

This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. The benefit of meeting new people and listening to their stories is humongous! One hour per person per day is all you need.

Don’t set any business agenda when meeting them; do it to learn and insist on reaching the target.

To get the numbers, use social media to connect with friends of friends who you haven’t met before. Have coffee with those first and then extend to their networks.

This is good for people whose jobs keep them away from interacting with new people.

11. Floating in a swimming pool

Anyone can float in a swimming pool on their back. As insane as it sounds, you must trust the water to hold your weight.

Once in the shallow end of the pool, hold the wall with one hand and lie on your back. Lift your legs off the floor of the pool. Let go off the wall and move your hands a few inches away from the body. The back of your head must remain in the water, your ears included. But your nose and forehead will continue to access the air above.

Stay in that position for at least 10 minutes. If you don’t find it life threatening, you will laugh about the silly feeling when you drift about in the pool.

While floating, think of the many issues that seem impossible to pursue. See them as the water beneath you — you on top of them. Without them your life would turn out boring. Imagine that!

12. Quiet time with pots and pans

Oh, that means cooking healthy meals!

You must think this is insane. But planning a meal all by yourself and making it happen has a way of challenging your brain to understand difficult concepts.

Try not to rush through the session by making a quick cup of coffee and calling it a meal. Instead, get an Indian or Thai recipe from a cookbook and make a sumptuous meal. The time spent trying it out ends up being the most enlightening. Don’t be too hard on yourself when things head South. Focus on the experience.

Best for non-pots-and-pans fans!

13. Watching a stupid comedy

You didn't expect that did you?

While laughing alone in your house or office may not count for intelligence or work, a good laugh is as good as a rest. Try anything from ‘Trading Places’ if you can stand Eddie Murphy to ‘Happy Gilmore’ for a slice of Adam Sandler.

If that doesn't tickle your brain, ask around for any known funny person and have coffee with them.

Watch out for addiction.

14. Writing with the other hand for 30 minutes

That’s annoying. But again, it’s hilarious watching yourself forcing your other hand shape an obvious letter, isn’t it?

When you hit the rock bottom at work, challenge your other hand to take over. Write, color, scrub, move the mouse or try hammering a nail with it. Though it feels like a total waste of time, appreciate the contrast. The art of change takes time to perfect. But as Marie Forleo says, “Everything is figureoutable!”

It’s never that bad.

15. Taking deep calculated breaths

When your boss storms your desk seeking quick answers, springing up to attend to him leads to automatic epic failure.

Instead, take a 3-second deep breath in and then out before opening your mouth to respond. If you find this awkward, count up to 5 by heart while maintaining eye contact before saying anything. It will calm your nerves.

Taking any of these steps seems stupid to people who don’t understand what you are up to. They may even label you ‘the office slow-bo’ because you don’t spring into action as expected. Don’t sweat it. Shock them with well-thought ideas you come up with during the ‘slack state’. Because you act at ease, when you actualize the ideas, you will reap extraordinary results.

Try this out with your clients too. It works!

You can’t take away hard work from the formula of attaining extraordinary results. Neither can you the catalyzing few minutes of slacking. With this guide, you can forget the busy body lifestyle and slice your long busy day into many tiny days with tit-bits of success.