Is Being Lazy is Really Such a Bad Thing?

One of my all time favorite cartoons comes from Alex Noriega and his series Stuff No-One Told Me. It features a collection of animals all sleeping on top of one another, and is adorable. But what I love about it is not the cuteness, but the caption: “You’re not especially lazy…you’re just a mammal”.

The reason I so enjoyed this strip was that I have heard a similar argument many times. I have even used it (jokingly) myself, and when I was in my teens I used to tell my mother all the time that my sleeping until noon wasn’t laziness. It was an evolutionary imperative that allowed me to conserve energy not being used on necessary tasks. I was simply proving that I was likely to survive in a hostile world of predators. You know, like the sloth.

She’d still make me take out the garbage.

Of course, this is always done in jest. Evolution doesn’t work that way, and it isn’t so much an explanation for every trait found in nature as a process to how it all develops. But it does ask a somewhat interesting question: is being lazy really such a bad thing?

The Benefits of Laziness

I am inclined to say ‘no’. Like most things, there is a line between what is and isn’t acceptable. That line is usually crossed when it begins to impact your life in a negative fashion, but “moderate laziness” seems like a perfectly acceptable state to be in.

Think about it; we all need a break sometimes, don’t we? You have been working extra hours to make a bit more cash for the holidays. Your workout schedule has been strenuous to break through that plateau. You just feel tired, or maybe you are coming down with something your body is attempting to fight off. All of these things could contribute to you feeling ‘lazy’ and not wanting to do anything more than you have to.

In my opinion, that is perfectly healthy. Having a day where you take it easy is a great thing, allowing you to refuel and prepare for the days ahead. I always try to have one lazy day per week, where I do as little as is possible. This might mean being more productive the rest of the week, including on my second day off. But it is worth it for that blissful 24 hours of sitting in my pajamas all day, marathon watching reruns of Doctor Who and eating raw cookie dough.

Don’t judge me.

How do you feel about the issue? Let us know in the comments, and I will check them out if I am not too lazy.

Image Credit: 1, 2.