What Is Laziness? (2024)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Laziness is a feeling, not a trait.

Laziness is a temporary state, like being tired or hungry. It’s something all people feel some of the time. Whether or not you let that feeling drive your behavior is a choice.

You’re not a lazy person. Being lazy isn’t like being tall or having blue eyes; it’s not a fixed trait.

Your ancestors couldn’t have survived if they had the trait of laziness. No one is genetically predisposed to being lazy.

Laziness is a habit.

If you self-identify as a lazy person, it’s probably because you’ve made laziness a habit. If you embody the feeling of laziness with your actions (or inaction), then you start to ingrain being lazy into your sense of self.

But like all bad habits, laziness can be changed. Every time you choose to do the work in spite of how you feel, you’re casting a vote for a better identity.

Laziness is an underdeveloped willpower muscle.

If you have a habit of laziness, you haven’t been exercising your willpower enough. You need to pursue challenges and do things that force you out of your comfort zone. Make yourself do things you don’t feel like doing. Otherwise, your mental muscle for willpower will atrophy.

But be smart about using and cultivating willpower. Don’t just brute-force your way out of laziness. Be strategic.

Laziness is often a signal.

Laziness can be a sign that you haven’t been making enough time for rest and recovery from stress. It can mean you haven’t been sleeping enough, eating well, or otherwise tending to your basic needs.

The feeling of laziness is your brain trying to conserve energy. Take better care of your brain, and you’ll be rewarded with more energy.

Laziness can be a signal that your tasks aren’t organized and prioritized. If you’re unsure what to do, the easy option – doing nothing – becomes very appealing. To reduce this kind of laziness, keep categorized to-do lists and plan your days the night before.

Laziness is the inertia of inaction.

We tend to justify whatever we’re doing with corresponding thoughts and feelings. While it’s true that feeling lazy leads to inaction, it’s also true that inaction leads to feeling lazy. Likewise, lazy thoughts justify inaction, but further inaction just inspires more excuses.

Inaction has inertia, but if you can get going, you’ll discover that movement creates momentum.

Just start, and you’ll overcome both the thoughts and the feelings.

Laziness is resistance.

Laziness is resistance in the form of thoughts and feelings that discourage us from taking action. But remember, resistance is always strongest for the things we most need to do.

When you feel lazy, do you believe it’s impossible to do your work?

If so, that’s understandable, but it’s not accurate. Think of a time when you felt lazy and did the work anyway. I know you’ve done it. That counterexample proves that laziness doesn’t make work impossible.

Do you buy into the excuses your mind generates to discourage action?

If so, remember that a lot of thoughts are either unhelpful or illogical. Argue against your own excuses. Focus on why right now is actually a great time to do the work.

How do you stop seeing yourself as lazy?

Laziness is not who you are. It’s just a feeling. If you choose to do the work, you’ll start to feel differently.

Do that consistently, and you’ll stop thinking of yourself as a lazy person.

P.S. Are you looking for help with the strategy part of this equation? Do you want someone to hold you accountable for doing the work? Then schedule a free habit coaching consultation today.