How to Be Productively Lazy
Without pushing yourself.
[Sound of the TV playing in the background mixed with the crunching of potato chips]
“Honey, get off the couch and go clean your room. You have so much time now, so no more excuses.”
“I’ll do it later, mom. I have time, so I’m going to finish watching the last seven seasons.”
For all my student and teacher readers, summer’s here. We’re done with online school, hopefully forever, and we all just need a break. And what better time to take that break and become couch potatoes than during the summer, right?
Usually, taking a break is good, but at some point, we’re going to have to get up and do something. Therefore, let’s talk about how to be productively lazy.
First things first, do something productive or useful every day. A good way to do this is to set small goals to complete tasks around your house, making you feel more productive and accomplished than you actually may have been. For example, you can go on a walk, start reading a book, or research a topic of interest. Even more so, keeping the lazy part in mind, you can make bill payments recurring so that you have one less chore to do, and it’s efficient. As Bill Gates once said, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Essentially, being productively lazy could mean making some things more efficient in your life, meaning you're being productive now to be lazy later.
With this comes a balance - the balance between work and relaxation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to relax and be lazy, but maintaining that balance between the two will keep us on our feet.
Let’s think about it this way: if all we did in a day is sleep until noon, then eat lunch; play video games or watch tv; and eat dinner and sleep, where exactly did we learn or do something new or useful in that situation? And if that cycle continues every day, then the summertime would be wasted. Additionally, having the same routine every day would get boring after a while, so inevitably, we’d want to go back to maintaining that work-life balance.
Basically, it’s the difference between using stepping stones to reach a bigger goal versus not doing anything at all. Which one are you going to choose?
Second, we all have those days where we’re just not feeling it. And let’s just validate this: having those days is completely ok. Those are the days when relaxing and being unproductive are actually making you more productive because taking a break now will help you in a few days.
However, let’s talk about the days where we have about a million things on our to-do list but can’t even seem to get up and do just one. Usually, having the extrinsic motivation to complete a task is what gets us to do it, right? For example, I’ll do my chores because I’ll get paid or I‘ll work out, knowing that I will get some ice cream later.
So ask yourself: what’s my extrinsic motivation? Or what’s going to motivate me to check that box off on my to-do list? And when you figure it out, keep that image in your mind so that you treat yourself for all the hard work you accomplished.
Also, when you're lazy, it means you’re lethargic. Being lethargic is something that can be combated with moving around. It doesn’t have to be a full-on, HITT 1 hour workout, but instead, just get your heart rate up. Have a dance party or go on a walk or run - just move around. This will get the blood flowing to the brain again, improving cognitive function and creating the optimal work headspace.
Being productively lazy isn’t something we should always do. As aforementioned, give yourself a break when necessary. Sometimes when you’re not feeling it for some reason, that’s your body’s way of begging you to stop. Don’t push yourself but don’t fall behind. Summertime is a privilege. The sun is out so should your smile. There’s ample time, use it. Because always remember:
Later is NOW.
Thanks for reading! Until next time, stay safe, happy, and healthy.
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