Lent is our chance to purify our souls in many ways, and it’s about much more than just giving up certain foods.
It’s a good time to rid ourselves of sin in preparation for Easter.
If you’re struggling with sloth in your daily life, use this Lent to fight your bad habits. Intentionally step out of your comfort zone and make room for Christ in your heart!
Here are some practical and doable ways to fight sloth and feel closer to God.
1. Attend Church Daily
One of the most powerful ways to combat sloth is simply showing up – every day, if possible.
Going to church doesn’t just have to be limited to attending Sunday mass. During Lent, choose to immerse yourself in community and God’s Word regularly.
It might be a short visit to pray alone and light a candle, but it will help keep your faith alive.
When you attend daily, you’re making a conscious choice not to fall into spiritual laziness.
At the same time, you avoid doomscrolling and sitting aimlessly at home, and instead choose to spend your time wisely.
It’s very easy to get distracted, so work on your consistency. It’s not something you’ll do forever, so I’m sure it’s possible to hold yourself accountable for the duration of Lent.
Each visit will strengthen your spirit and keep sloth at bay.
2. Kneel for Daily Prayers
Kneeling is a posture of humility and reverence. During Lent, make it a habit to kneel for your daily prayers.
It’s an act that helps you focus and shows your devotion to God. It also shows that you recognize you’re in the presence of the Almighty.
It doesn’t let you rush through prayers.
So, if you’re determined to fight sloth during this period, take a moment each day to kneel, focus, and genuinely pray.
This act of humility can deepen your relationship with Christ, and defeat spiritual neglect.
3. Be Disciplined About Your Routine
Sloth creeps in when our days are unstructured. During Lent, creating a daily routine focused on prayer and good habits makes all the difference.
Dedicate specific times for prayer or reading Scripture. Write it in your planner, set alarms; whatever works for you.
Consistency is all that matters.
When you stick to a routine, it keeps you grounded even on hard days when you don’t feel like coming through.
The discipline keeps sloth at bay and trains your mind to prioritize God, making laziness much less appealing.
At the same time, faith starts to feel like a more natural, integrated part of your life.
4. Pray the Divine Office
Praying the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) is an ancient tradition that allows you to feel connected through prayer.
It’s a way to sanctify your entire day with psalms and hymns. During Lent, committing to this prayer can be transformative!
It keeps you focused and grounded.
Now, it’s a prayer that lasts seven hours, hence the name, but it’s enough that you take parts of it and do morning and evening prayers.
Its spiritual rhythm keeps sloth away because you’re constantly working on being closer to God.
5. Give Up Screentime and Idleness
Sloth thrives when you waste time and brain cells doomscrolling when you should be doing other stuff.
During Lent, consider either giving up or limiting screen time, online shopping, etc. These habits often distract us from our real lives and God.
Instead, replace that time with being present with family, reading Scripture, or spending time in nature.
Not only does this help you fight laziness, but it also frees your mind for more meaningful things.
Whenever you’re tempted to pick up your phone, pause and say a short prayer.
This small sacrifice can lead to a big spiritual breakthrough, helping you focus on things that aren’t so fleeting.
6. Stop Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking might seem like it’s productive, but it leads to scattered attention.
During Lent, challenge yourself to focus on one thing at a time, whether that’s chores or prayer.
When you give something your full attention, you do a better job, and your sense of accomplishment is greater. It makes your actions more intentional.
If you catch yourself rushing through things, remember to slow down.
Multi-tasking is a habit that affects your patience and ability to focus. This means your work, creativity, and prayers are all scattered and surface-level deep.
Choosing to slow down and do one thing at a time is much more rewarding.
7. Hold Yourself Accountable
Accountability is crucial if you really mean to make a change. Without it, you might easily slip back into complacency.
You need to establish a form of “punishment” for failing to fulfill your daily goals.
Think of it as doing the dishes; if you allow them to pile up today, you’re doubling the work you must do tomorrow. This can be applied to your Lent prayers, too.
If you miss a day, simply pray double the next. This honest approach keeps you motivated.
It keeps sloth away because you’ll make yourself stick to the plan every day to avoid these consequences.
Of course, you can slip up from time to time, but make sure to make it up. Don’t give in to shame; turn that into a moment of humility and new resolve.
A little Aquarius, devoted to writing and embroidery. Through my writing, I hope to empower readers to align with their true selves and navigate life’s mysteries with confidence.