How many times have you heard a friend tell you how lazy they’ve been lately? Whether we are procrastinating another assignment, sleeping in or spending an entire weekend doing nothing, we have all had our fair share of “lazy” moments. Often, this leads us to panic, condemning ourselves for our laziness and realizing that we’ve gotten nothing done. But with a little shift in attitude, mindset and actions, we can understand what laziness really is and allow it to work for us, not against us.
What is Laziness?
From the time we are children, we are taught not to be lazy. Our parents and teachers tell us about the importance of working hard and that being lazy doesn’t get you anywhere in life. Right away, this results in our internalization of a definition that doesn’t quite match up: that laziness and success are oppositional.
When some people refer to laziness, what they really mean is idleness: the concept of being still and unmoving. Others still are really referring to procrastination: putting something off that you need to get done. Laziness is really a separate category, defined by Oxford Languages as, “unwilling to work or use energy.” You might be thinking, how can this possibly be useful?
The Truth about Lazy
Although many people praise the idea of laziness, the truth is, almost nobody actually wants to be lazy in the traditional sense. When we talk about how we enjoy that time spent sleeping in or avoiding work, what we are really praising is the rest and moments of self-care that we gain from those activities. When we spend time procrastinating those assignments, we know that we would feel better if we just got them done. That “laziness” is a natural response to fear. Our body senses a threat (in this case, an assignment that feels overwhelming) and forces us to shut down and disengage through distractions, avoidance and other procrastination tactics.
Cultivating Compassion
Laziness must be reframed to reflect reality: we all need rest time, and we all need support when things become challenging or our bodies will naturally bring up our defense mechanisms. Almost no one is intentionally being a bad student, failing a class or neglecting their responsibilities. We know that doing those things brings up feelings of guilt, anxiety and shame. As such, it’s important to recognize what is really going on under the surface: not laziness as we know it, but a cry for help.
A New Definition
If we revisit the original definition of laziness, we see that it involves a desire to avoid work and exerting energy. However, we also realize that almost no one actually wants to avoid work completely; idleness results in boredom, which is equally as uncomfortable! We feel a sense of accomplishment and growth through our work, and only avoid it through means of “laziness” when there is an underlying problem, like feeling overwhelmed and under-supported. Therefore, I would like to propose a new definition that reflects the benefits of laziness: avoiding unnecessary work and energy exertion. This translates into a life where doing work becomes less pressured and overwhelming, as you work smarter rather than harder. Through the idea of a new laziness, I have been able to produce more solid and focused work in an hour, work that would have taken me four hours if I was trying to work especially hard. The notion of needing to work hard generates additional pressure that directly stimulates the negative aspects of laziness: avoidance, fear, distractions and more.
By working smarter, you avoid the negative parts of being lazy by completing your work. You also gain the positives, as your increased efficiency through the lack of unnecessary work will provide the time you need to unwind and socialize (think of the three hours I gained from doing that assignment in only an hour). Using laziness to your advantage can result in a more balanced life overall, one which no one would call unsuccessful!
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