Although I can work hard when I set my mind to it, I can also be very lazy without even trying. Most people tend to see laziness as a bad thing and I can also see it that way at times. Other times, however, I see it as beneficial. Here are some of my thoughts on laziness.
For starters, there’s the idea that a lazy man will do the job right on his first try because he doesn’t want to have to do it again. Whenever I’m tempted to give a halfhearted effort, I think about the prospect of having to repeat it later, which usually motivates me enough to do my best. It doesn’t work if I’m in an indifferent or uncaring mindset, but most of the time it works like a charm.
In addition to motivating me to do my best, I think laziness is also why I’ve developed consistent, reliable routines. It’s much easier to establish and stick to a routine than to always make plans. Once something becomes automatic, it requires almost no thought and allows me to save that brainpower for other matters. I don’t have to think about or plan most of my days in a given week since I have solid routines, and I quite enjoy that.
Some of the heavier subjects I discuss can appear overwhelming to me and make me reluctant to even begin writing about them. Laziness comes in handy here since there are often YouTube videos about what’s on my mind, and watching them helps me gather information before writing. I could be trying to learn about something new, remind myself of something I already know, or just look at how others discuss a particular subject so I can figure out how to organize my thoughts. In each of those cases, taking some time to do something easy and productive prevents me from feeling overwhelmed, gives my subconscious time to come up with ideas, and gets me closer to completing a post.
Lastly, laziness helps me avoid burnout by giving me time to rest, relax, and recharge. I normally feel laziest when I’ve had super busy weeks with a lot of stuff going on almost every day. That lazy feeling serves to tell me that it’s time to slow down for a bit and recover; whenever I ignore that feeling, I always end up overextending myself and wearing myself out. This is just one of many ways that learning to listen to the desire for laziness has served me well. So don’t be afraid of laziness. Used properly, it can be a wonderful tool for self-improvement, productivity, and recovery.