How can I motivate my brilliant but lazy sister to put a little effort into what she does?

Question

My younger sister is really smart. Her mind is really quick and her analytical skills are beyond normal. She has an answer for everything and gets As in classes she barely studies for ( I hate her for that). But those are only the classes she says she's interested in. Anything that requires a little more effort, she gives up and is satisfied with a lower grade ( although she could have easily gotten a better grade).
She's super lazy but people don't see that because she manages to be at the top of her class without any work. I feel it's going to hurt her in the long run. Is there any solution?

Answer 1

you're right to worry. sounds like she's a perfectionist - if she can't do it well without effort, she's afraid to make an effort. I was like that as a kid. The quicker she can get over it, the healthier she will be. I used to think that unless I was perfect, people wouldn't like me. Make sure she knows that she will be loved no matter how badly she fails something.
She's lucky to have you there to watch out for her and to notice these things.

Answer 2

Pay her.
$100 for an A, $50 for a B, $0 for a C, and anything below that she has to pay you money. Good grades and bright futures were too abstract of a goal for me to appreciate as a kid. But spendable cash can motivate anybody.

Answer 3

Find a puzzle or riddle that she cannot solve easily, and then tell her that you did it in 5 minutes.

Try Einstein's Riddle, but switch the names of things so she can't just look it up on the internet.

Answer 4

You heard of a baseball bat? Yeah go knock the hell outta her till she learns to LOVE to study.

Just kidding. Here's a better idea.

Go throw her in prison for a couple days. Oh she'll learn to succeed and love studying for school alright.