Such a great conversation to be having. I, myself, was always labeled “lazy” growing up by my family and of course I took that on as an inner voice when I was a teen.
When, as an adult, I dug into my shadows, I came to discover that it was about all sorts of deeper things… perfectionism, disinterest, overwhelm, exhaustion, boundary issues… but at the core, it was about me trying to force myself to be who I was not and being unsuccessful at it 😅
I love the awareness you have brought to this here. Very well written. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Natalie, I think we can all probably see “lazy” in ourselves at one time or another. We can’t all be 100% productive all the time and our greatest critics might be ourselves.
It’s not necessarily about giving ourselves a break, but realising why we are the way we are. It could be one thing but often life’s not that simple and things stack up against us and the end result just happens to look like lazy!
I love this Mark. Your work always gets me thinking. I am still unpacking procrastination and being "blocked" with executive dysfunction. I've been called "lazy" by people who don't understand that I need downtime to process hard things. I need to isolate myself, spend time alone, exploring what's in my head in order to make hard decisions, to solve problems and to recover from burnout and overwhelm. It's some times referred to as taking a mental health day. I might need a week! Thank you! Love, Virg
It can be difficult for people who've never experienced it to understand how those who do feel.
MH days- More often than not when the opportunity arises to take one, I find myself doing anything but recharging.
Makes me think that the best thing to do to fully enjoy one would be to just pretend to go to work and go to a spa or something instead, spend a day in a sauna and jacuzzi. I feel that would sort me right out.
Actually, we're being lazy(disinterested here) to define lazy in more detail. You've done a good job. The term needs different identities thrown at it in different times. Curiosity was the answer I needed to hear. Well done 👏
Ah my weekly reminder that I have stopped using mine again! Every few weeks with the best intentions I pick it back up, I just can’t seem to stick to it, which is a shame because it is incredibly useful!
I think the issue is that “lazy” has such a negative connotation that it puts you on the defensive and makes you feel like it’s a character defect, when in reality, it’s much more nuanced.
I see the word as negative about a person, but if I was to say I'm going to have a "lazy afternoon" that might sound quite nice, but the connotations of negativity are still there. I say it because I intend to do very little and I should always be doing something.
I've got no doubt it will take some time for even me to stop using the word entirely but my first draft of this was written in November and I think I commented on maybe 6 or 7 posts where people used the word in that time with some shorter version of this post, so bit by bit it is sinking in for me.
On February 16 2025, I celebrated the 28th anniversary of my last day of paid employment. Forgive my smugness. I do realize that I am very fortunate. I do not feel any guilt. I do not consider myself lazy. I am planning to write an article on the benefits of procrastination but I am not sure that I am ready.
That’s a brilliant milestone, congrats on 28 years of freedom! Smugness forgiven, especially when it’s well earned!
And as for the article on procrastination… I admire the commitment. Honestly, delaying that piece might be the most authentic form of research possible. Looking forward to reading it, eventually.
Such a great conversation to be having. I, myself, was always labeled “lazy” growing up by my family and of course I took that on as an inner voice when I was a teen.
When, as an adult, I dug into my shadows, I came to discover that it was about all sorts of deeper things… perfectionism, disinterest, overwhelm, exhaustion, boundary issues… but at the core, it was about me trying to force myself to be who I was not and being unsuccessful at it 😅
I love the awareness you have brought to this here. Very well written. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Natalie, I think we can all probably see “lazy” in ourselves at one time or another. We can’t all be 100% productive all the time and our greatest critics might be ourselves.
It’s not necessarily about giving ourselves a break, but realising why we are the way we are. It could be one thing but often life’s not that simple and things stack up against us and the end result just happens to look like lazy!
Thanks for reading😊
I love this Mark. Your work always gets me thinking. I am still unpacking procrastination and being "blocked" with executive dysfunction. I've been called "lazy" by people who don't understand that I need downtime to process hard things. I need to isolate myself, spend time alone, exploring what's in my head in order to make hard decisions, to solve problems and to recover from burnout and overwhelm. It's some times referred to as taking a mental health day. I might need a week! Thank you! Love, Virg
Ha yes I think I need a week too.
It can be difficult for people who've never experienced it to understand how those who do feel.
MH days- More often than not when the opportunity arises to take one, I find myself doing anything but recharging.
Makes me think that the best thing to do to fully enjoy one would be to just pretend to go to work and go to a spa or something instead, spend a day in a sauna and jacuzzi. I feel that would sort me right out.
Thanks for reading Virg and your kind comments
Actually, we're being lazy(disinterested here) to define lazy in more detail. You've done a good job. The term needs different identities thrown at it in different times. Curiosity was the answer I needed to hear. Well done 👏
Thanks Mayank, appreciate it 😊
This is really helpful, I might have to create a spread in my bullet journal to remind myself of all the different things that could be going on! 🥰
Ah my weekly reminder that I have stopped using mine again! Every few weeks with the best intentions I pick it back up, I just can’t seem to stick to it, which is a shame because it is incredibly useful!
Thanks Sarah
I think the issue is that “lazy” has such a negative connotation that it puts you on the defensive and makes you feel like it’s a character defect, when in reality, it’s much more nuanced.
I see the word as negative about a person, but if I was to say I'm going to have a "lazy afternoon" that might sound quite nice, but the connotations of negativity are still there. I say it because I intend to do very little and I should always be doing something.
I've got no doubt it will take some time for even me to stop using the word entirely but my first draft of this was written in November and I think I commented on maybe 6 or 7 posts where people used the word in that time with some shorter version of this post, so bit by bit it is sinking in for me.
Thanks for reading Bette.
Right?!? It kind of suggests you’re doing something luxurious that you prob shouldn’t be indulging in.
Thanks, this really resonated for me, and helped me excavate more reasons I’m feeling stuck in certain places. I like to call lazy the “L” word. 🙂↔️
Thanks Rachel, I appreciate that, thank you for reading.
On February 16 2025, I celebrated the 28th anniversary of my last day of paid employment. Forgive my smugness. I do realize that I am very fortunate. I do not feel any guilt. I do not consider myself lazy. I am planning to write an article on the benefits of procrastination but I am not sure that I am ready.
That’s a brilliant milestone, congrats on 28 years of freedom! Smugness forgiven, especially when it’s well earned!
And as for the article on procrastination… I admire the commitment. Honestly, delaying that piece might be the most authentic form of research possible. Looking forward to reading it, eventually.
Thanks for reading Michael.
Good reframes for the word lazy 👊🏻
Thanks Kyle
This is an excellent article. So perfect for our time. Thank you for creating it. It hits home.
Thanks for reading JNelliE
Nice one Mark
Keep it Up.