I consider myself lazy. Like I really don’t want to do anything. Especially things that suck.
And the worst part about being lazy is the hustle culture that makes a sin of wanting to spend the day doing as little as possible.
People like Gary Vee handing out dopamine hits on social media [talking about how they work 600 hours a week] make it seem like the rest of us are losers for not doing more. Well, I don’t want to do more. I’m doing as much as I can right now. In fact, I want to do less.
Now I didn’t always feel this way. I used to wear my work ethic like a badge of honor. No one could outwork me. I would go without sleep until I was physically sick. Thinking I was getting ahead. Living by the mantra ‘I’ll sleep when I die.’
How stupid was that?
I seriously want to go back in time and slap the shit out of myself for being an effing moron.
Instead of working myself to the grave, I should have embraced my inner lazy, pajama-wearing, anti-social, slob self.
I’ve come to see laziness as a positive trait. Something that simplifies my life.
The thing is, just because I’m lazy doesn’t mean I’m not productive. In fact, I would say I’m probably more productive than most people.
Without laziness, I would do things the hard way. I wouldn’t streamline and consistently figure out how I can make life easier. Without laziness, I would probably put up with a lot more drama and nonsense.
Laziness is the path to success
Laziness is what drives me. It’s not greed or status — it’s pure laziness.
Not having to do things that you don’t want to do is a form of self-care.
Everyone should be as lazy as possible.
— But Barry, what about exercising and things like that?
— That’s not what I’m talking about.
There are times to be lazy and times when you shouldn’t. I’m talking about being more productive and doing less work. Working on the things that matter. Putting up with less bullshit.
This is why you should be lazy.
The Gift of Laziness
Simplicity
Stuff requires effort. Tasks require effort. Relationships require effort. Almost everything requires some sort of exhausting effort and I don’t want to deal with it.
Because I am lazy, I’ve made a conscious choice to simplify almost every facet of my life. Hell, I even streamlined my email system to cut down on the number of emails I send and receive.
If it weren’t for laziness, there’s a good chance that I would be cruising through life with excess baggage. Stuff, clutter, low-quality humans, and non-essential distractions would most likely fill my day.
Laziness makes me a more organized person. If you don’t want to spend hours looking for your stuff you need to be organized. I am orderly, in part because I am lazy.
My laziness encourages me to simplify [laziness isn’t the only reason I consider myself a minimalist — just part of the reason]
Productivity
Laziness makes me a more productive person.
The trick to getting things done is getting the right things done. Knowing what tasks are important and which ones are not.
If it weren’t for my laziness, I would spend my days blindly doing tasks that have no real impact on my life. But, because I am lazy, I choose to do the work that moves the needle and I ignore the rest.
Now I don’t really ignore the rest, or at least all of it [sometimes I outsource, delegate, etc.] but I do choose my projects carefully. You get the idea.
Drama
I don’t argue, tolerate stupid people, or listen to their bullshit. I’m too damn lazy.
I also make an effort to keep the people in my life reasonably happy. Mainly to avoid problems that may impede my leisure.
Imagine all of the work involved in getting a divorce [attorneys, courts, finding a place to live, etc.] I’m getting tired just thinking about it.
Arguing with idiots is exhausting, not to mention, it’s a zero-sum game. You can’t make a stupid person understand that they’re being stupid because they’re too stupid — so why even bother?
Hustle Culture Is Bullshit
Not everyone wants to work like Elon Musk.
And to be honest, if you could make the same amount of money working 20 hours per week versus 80: why wouldn’t you?
We’ve been led to believe that 40 hours a week is the standard and to *get ahead,* it should be more like 50 or 60 and in some cases 80 or 90.
I’m a believer in hard work but the glorification of putting in the hours and running short on sleep is ruining more entrepreneurs than it’s helping.
[I’m sure of this because I was one of them]
Hell, we’ve even categorized sleep as being lazy. How the hell did we equate sleep to something bad?
Capitalism has made a sin of leisure
I admire the willingness to work and I work a lot, but, my laziness ensures that I’m not working just to put in the work. I’m working on the things I love and the projects that interest me. The ones that will make a difference.
Working, just for the sake of hustle, is like a dog chasing its tail. [a tiring and pointless activity] And hustle culture sends the message to young people that hard work is the only path to success.
Perhaps if we embraced laziness we could teach others that: the best path to personal success is a path that’s sustainable over the long haul. It’s about earning the most amount of money and finding the most amount of happiness with the least amount of mindless effort. It’s about cutting out the non-essential and if need be — deploying laziness.
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