Laziness Does Not Exist

by Devon Price

modern children’s shows like Steven Universe and Avatar: The Last Airbender still teach children that it’s up to a singularly motivated individual to save the world. If that person has to sacrifice everything in order to do their job, so be it. In reality, of course, fighting for change is a much more gradual, collaborative process.

When massively successful stars attribute their good fortune entirely to how diligently they’ve worked, they set people up to have unrealistic expectations about the odds of success, and how wealth is actually meted out in this country.

Our media has a selection bias built into it: we rarely get to hear from the people who worked equally hard but failed

there’s a real social cost to the fact that we’re taught time and time again that we should never give up or ask for help, when there are many times that a person needs and deserves a break.

The Laziness Lie is also promoted in our schools. Our modern-day educational system was formulated during the Industrial Revolution, and was designed to train students for employment

the structure of the school day remains remarkably similar to the structure of the average workday. There are rigid schedules and arbitrary deadlines that don’t take into account what else is going on in a student’s life.

feel threatened when a person seems to be “ahead” of me, yet I don’t tend to evaluate other people’s lives in that way.

Like so many of my adult students, Maura seemed sleep-deprived and checked-out from time to time. But from speaking with her, I realized it was because she had so much on her plate.

It’s easy for a teacher to mistake exhaustion for apathy or lack of motivation,

Everywhere we turn, we’re told we’re not enough. And when we finally disconnect from this constant stream of shame and pressure, we often feel guilty for “disappearing” on our colleagues, family, and friends.

I’ve talked to dozens of really accomplished, driven people who remain absolutely convinced that they’re uniquely, shamefully lazy.

it’s dangerously easy to feel like no matter how overwhelmed you are, someone out there is doing ten times as much as you are.

Freelance jobs and gig work have replaced reliable full-time employment for many people, creating an environment of uncertainty

We feel lazy, but it’s not because we’re awful, apathetic people—it’s because we’re exhausted.

Do you have a deadline that you keep pushing back because confronting it head-on seems impossible?

Do you “waste” hours every day scrolling through Twitter

you might be feeling very lazy right now—and that might actually be a good thing.

When we feel unfocused, tired, and lazy, it’s often because we desperately need some time to rest our bodies and brains.

a person on the verge of burnout will have trouble staying foc...

The solution is to cut way back on expectations for a while.

prevent illness and burnout by being gentle with yourself before it’s too late.

Too late

When we stop fearing laziness, we can find time to reflect and recharge, to reconnect with the people and hobbies that we love, and to move through the world at a more intentional, peaceful pace.

In a world that equates laziness with evil, saying no is often deemed unacceptable. Our culture looks down on people who quit things.

When a person juggles dozens and dozens of responsibilities, we laud them for “having it all,” but what happens if they decide they don’t want it all, or that the constant juggling isn’t worth it?

In a world that’s beholden to the Laziness Lie, many of us feel we have to hide our desire for free time.

being up-front about your limits and needs is a sign of strength,

resting, quitting things, cutting corners, and all the other actions we typically write off as “laziness” can actually help us heal and grow.

If you understand what a person is going through, even their most self-defeating, “lazy” behavior can start to make sense.

James told me that sometimes whole days would pass before he’d muster the energy to leave his room. Wasn’t that clearly unacceptable behavior, he wanted to know? Wasn’t that kind of laziness terrible, no matter its cause?

three types of people who tend to get pigeonholed as “lazy” in our society: depressed people, procrastinators, and apathetic people

in these three groups of people, you can find clear illustrations of exactly why a lack of motivation isn’t a personal failing

Depressed People

fighting depression is a full-time job.

Depressed people sleep a lot because their brains get tired from fighting negative thoughts and feelings all day.

Depressed people also have lower qual...

In a very real way, the apparent “laziness” of depressed people is a sign that their bodies and minds are protecting them and working to help them heal.

Depression also saps the brain’s ability to plan and execute activities.

It’s not a moral failure for an exhausted person to let some responsibilities drop.

In many cases, it’s essential that they be “lazy” in a few areas of life if they want to have the energy to stay afloat in others.

Procrasti...

When a person procrastinates, it’s typically because they’re paralyzed in some way: by anxiety, by confusion about how to get started on a big, complicated project, or both.

you go play a video game instead, to distract yourself from your anxious thoughts. Then you feel guilty for not working

which makes you anxious all over again, so you take a nap or go clean your kitchen.

Before you know it, a week...

you’re left feeling like a lazy screwup.

Procrastinators often get caught in a cycle of perfectionism, anxiety, distraction, and failure.

they care a great deal about ...

As time passes and the deadline approaches, they become even more nervous and concerned about failure. That fear makes it even harder to focus and make progress.

To cope with their feelings of anxiety, they distract themselves

when the deadline finally arrives, the procrastinator must choose between submitting quickly thrown-together work that isn...