Laziness has always been counted as a negative attribute, it always gets the stick. Lethargy, Slothfulness, Sluggishness, Tardiness, Dullness; call it what you will, the image conjured will always be of someone unwilling to work. Is it because we are always told that Laziness is a sin or because the world is full of stressed-out work machines who feel that rest and relaxation will cause the world to fall apart?
But try to look at laziness in a different light; it is not the soul-demolishing demon it is always made out to be. Laziness teaches how to manage deadlines with minimum fuss. Doing things on time and doing them right might be much better than dragging a task for hours on end without attaining effective results. In fact, it might very well be the path to contentment, a longer life(a fact backed by medical science) and smarter living.
"I like the word 'indolence'. It makes my laziness seem classy." - Bernard Williams
Lazy people never started wars. Peace and friendliness seemed much easier. Most of the advances in technology, especially the appliances and devices we use on a daily basis owe a lot of gratitude to laziness: think of cars, washing machines, word processors, microwave ovens or even remote controllers for that matter.
“I don't think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention . . . arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.”
― Agatha Christie
Laziness means breaking the routine and taking rest and relaxation that is well deserved. Neither the mind, nor the body are designed to work endlessly, in a pre-set schedule. Life is not just about productivity and efficiency, it is much more about effectiveness. Laziness gives you time to introspect. Consider the impact of the actions that you take, and may be you can eliminate some of those actions and still get the same, or may be even better results.
“Efficiency is intelligent laziness.”
― David Dunham
'Do Less, but do it smartly': that is the essence of laziness. If you buy less, you will spend less, acquire less, have lesser debt, and have more time for truly important activities. Many people over-manage, the less you do that, the more others will figure out how to do things. Do little things to guide subordinates or team-members, but mostly, back off and let them be. Let communication be limited but sincere, talk less and listen more (lesser effort, you see, laziness at play!). Do Less complaining and criticizing. Do Less planning and worry less about the future. Be Lazy because the future cannot be predicted and it is futile to try and control all the little variables. Do Less judging and expecting, less expectations will lead to more acceptance and that in turn will lead to peace and happiness.
There is a basic tenet in Physics and Chemistry : Actions and reactions take place in the direction that requires lowest energy and least resistance. Do not try to force things and people. Learn to go with the flow, look for opportunities, find the natural path of things, and do what is needed in the moment. It is good to remember that you can not control the outcomes and laziness helps to guard you against this.
“Doing nothing to disturb the spontaneous flow of things.” – Lao Tzu
Laziness lets things take their own course and most often, things will turn out much better than they would have, if we would have fretted and fumed about the obstacles and hindrances. I would have liked to write a little more to sum things up, but it seems better to end up with a couple of quotes as I am already feeling lazy after writing all this about Laziness..........
“You gotta know when to be lazy. Done correctly, it's an art form that benefits everyone.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Choice
“I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because he will find an easy way to do it.”
― Ziad K. Abdelnour, Economic Warfare
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