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The Art of Being Lazy
Larasati Oetomo
08 August 2017

Living in the rush of urban life for 24/7 does not only impact to the impossibility of being lazy, but also causes the love-hate relationship with our own laziness.


Alright, you might want to say, "No, I don't have that silly relationship with laziness". It's your call. However, when there comes a weekend when your physique is on the state of sublime comfort, and you just want to stay at home all day, would it be easy to say, "No, I'm too lazy to go out" when our friends asked for a weekend hangout? No.

Because, as it often goes unnoticed, we feel utterly guilty for being lazy.

But, who says being lazy means being unproductive, or even worse, dysfunctional? Being lazy could mean that you are efficient, and you do not have to be (or look) busy on doing your work because you know how to do that the easy way (hint: this could mean you are a hidden genius). As Forbes once said, the arithmetic equation of laziness means "the lesser effort, the more result", with its ideal balance goes: for 80% result, invest on 20% effort - an easy 4:1. There is more complicated equation on this, but of course, we are now too lazy to learn about that.

Instead, why not start on the easy hacks on being lazy, efficiently? Below is our comprehensive list on being comfortably lazy, mostly on weekends.

1. Don't even bother to move from where you are.

Weekend hangouts? Why not call back our friends to invite them for dinner at home? I mean, who would not want to indulge in home-made delicacies without having to act formally like we do in public spaces?

Feeling bored with home-made food? There is always alternatives. A pot-luck dinner with friends? Nice. Junk food delivery? Why not. When you are lazy, the guilt should evoke when you have to get up from the comfortable sofa to do something you can actually do from your sofa.

2. Alright, just kidding, it's time to move now.

One of the conflicting moods on being lazy is when we can no longer tell if we are lazy or just bored. The art of being lazy, however, does not only rely on staying at the same place for hours. When you are working, staying at the same place for hours does not only remarks laziness - but unproductivity as well. When you are somehow bored with where you are and your work does not seem to make any progress, don't stay. Leave it, get out for a walk. Perhaps snack, or simply for a chit-chat. An hour or two of "time out" is more effective than staying at the same place to figure out your work.

 3. To-do-list? What to-do-list?

The problem of to-do-list lies on its subconscious impact for us into thinking that every activity is time-bound - and there can only be one activity at one time. But of course, that's a myth.

You can always do more than one thing at a time, that's no secret. Does your home need a minor maintenance when it's time for your kids' weekend activities? It would be nice to let your kids help you doing your simple house works. The less time you spend to finish one work at a time, the more time you spare to get lazy at the end of the day. Instead of a to-do-list, create yourself a priority chart based time and energy cost.

4. Be strategical.

Now we're getting a little bit serious. When you are in the need of laziness, it is essential to pick just the right time and place. Your laziness is more likely to be channeled through creative activities when you are in your most familiar space: home. It is also important to keep as little company as possible, since keeping up with a quite number of people may drain your energy, despite you are in energy-saving mode (read: lazy). The best time to be lazy, among all time, is when you understand precisely your objective situation and personal resources. After all, your laziness should signify your efficiency - not remarking your flight response from responsibility.