#LAZY DEFINITION FREE#

Another benefit of letting our mind wander without paying any attention to a productive task is a higher focus on long-term goals, according to a study published in Consciousness and Cognition. Mind wandering, a form of diffuse thinking, is a useful mechanism for our brains to process information-sometimes leading to non obvious solutions. We need to maintain constant oscillation between the two modes in order to be our most creative and productive. Our mind has two modes of thinking: the diffuse mode and the focused mode of thinking.

Lazy time encourages diffuse thinking.

By taking regular breaks, lazy people will give an opportunity to their body and their mind to recharge, thus avoid burnout. “Boredom and laziness should be used as a means to regain control over one’s own body and one’s own time,” explains Dr Isabelle Moreau.

Being lazy makes you less prone to burnout.

Activities (or lack thereof) that may be perceived as lazy by adults are necessary for the mental health of young people. Research suggests that procrastinating away from work and spending unproductive time can help us cope with stress.

Unproductive time helps us manage our stress.

Such energy multipliers include automating monotonous and time-consuming activities. Instead, they perform high-leverage tasks with minimum input and outsized output. Because they carefully manage their energy expenditure, people who are prone to laziness will tend to avoid unnecessary tasks.

Lazy people focus on high-leverage activities.

Not too bad for people often labelled as lazy. They prefer to work under pressure, and they make deliberate decisions to procrastinate.” The authors found that active procrastinators had great control of their time, coping mechanisms, and overall performance. In contrast, active procrastinators are a “positive” type of procrastinator. They are paralyzed by their indecision to act and fail to complete tasks on time. Passive procrastinators are procrastinators in the traditional sense. Specifically, the authors differentiated two types of procrastinators: passive procrastinators versus active procrastinators. In a study about procrastination, “the authors proposed that not all procrastination behaviors either are harmful or lead to negative consequences.

Slacking off can be a form of active procrastination.

While it may be true that necessity is the mother of invention, laziness is a strong motherly figure of innovation as well. famously said: “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it” (often misattributed to Bill Gates). Light switch, remote control, escalators, smart speakers… Laziness has been the source of many innovations. Here are ten overlooked benefits of laziness: A change in attitude towards laziness is overdue. From increased wellness to better work efficiency, being lazy can lead to a more relaxed but also more productive life. Ten benefits of lazinessįar from a fatal flaw, laziness can be beneficial. In short - and as counterintuitive this may sound - laziness is often the other side of the productivity coin. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” - Robert A. Furthermore, laziness can be the trigger for smart work in and of itself. Rather than a sign of inefficiency and unproductivity, laziness is often the result of smart work freeing up time for well-deserved idleness. The apparent paradox stems from a lack of nuance in the definition of laziness.

#LAZY DEFINITION FREE#

In Time Resources and Laziness in Animals, Professor Joan Herbers explains that because they have more free time, highly efficient predators may appear to be lazier than relatively unproductive predators. Even beyond notoriously idle species such as pythons - which sleep about 18 hours per day - most animals spend a majority of their time doing nothing in particular.Īnd the amount of time they spend doing nothing is correlated to the amount of time they don’t spend on activities such as hunting, foraging, and reproducing. Nature seems to have optimised our biological processes for laziness.

If laziness is so bad, why is it so prevalent? “For all these arguments against laziness, it is amazing we work so hard to achieve it,” writes Hal Cranmer in In Defense of Laziness. Even the most motivated and hardworking people sometimes feel lazy. While laziness can be a coping mechanism in depression and anxiety, it is very common beyond these medical disorders. And being lazy can actually have advantages - many of them backed by scientific research. Whether or not you believe in such moral vices, most cultures see laziness as a negative trait.īut once you step away from moral judgement and focus on its most basic definition, laziness is simply the disinclination to use energy. Slacker, couch potato, bum, bludger… There are endless pejorative terms to describe lazy people.

Lazy definition