Why We Work and Why We’re Lazy

What is work, and why do we work? How we view work has varied with time and societal changes. Work is seen as an activity that requires physical and/or mental effort. As our societal perception of work has changed, our views on laziness, which can be seen as a lack of effort and the opposite of work, have also changed. Let’s see how the value of work and laziness have changed over the years.

Christianity and the Value of Work

Hard work and laziness are highlighted in various religions, including Christianity. These topics are mentioned in various scriptures, including:

• Genesis 2:15 New International Version. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
• Colossians 3:23 New International Version. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
• Proverbs 12:24 New International Version “Diligent hands will rule,
  but laziness ends in forced labor.”

Being diligent and hard-working are thus seen as essential parts of being human, and laziness is regarded as something disadvantageous that ultimately makes things more difficult for us in the long run. Additionally, in these scriptures, we see that work involves taking care of things. If you care about something, you work on it.

The Bible does not only speak about hard work but also of the importance of rest, as seen with:

• Genesis 2: 2 New King James Version “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

Working hard is important but having time for rest is emphasised as something important as well. Balance is the key here. We should not spend all our time being inactive, but spending all our time working is not right either.

Laziness in Medieval Times

Ideas of laziness and work are also seen in different time periods. For instance, in medieval times, examples of laziness were highlighted through the popular fables and vocabulary of the day. Popular fables included the tale of the person so idle that he let mice nibble at his ears and then munch all the way into his head (quite graphic I know). Another tale of the time period involved a person with a noose around his neck, who could not summon the energy to shake it off even though they were about to be hanged. In these examples, to be lazy meant self-punishment and self-destruction.

19th and 20th Century Views of Laziness and Leisure

The 19th and 20th centuries saw the emergence of criticisms of capitalism and people taking pride in being lazy. An example of this is seen in ‘The Right to Be Lazy’ by Paul Lafargue in 1880. In this text, the French anarchist denounced the sacredness in which people viewed work.

In 1905, Max Weber wrote about ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ and how the mode of thinking about work, money and dignity has put us in an iron cage that we cannot escape from. Weber described capitalism as an all-encompassing system. In this system people work themselves to exhaustion, chasing success continually, but seldom enjoying the actual accomplishments gained.

It’s no wonder pride in being lazy was becoming more popular! If you’re working to extremes, at what point do you get to rest? In 1979, cultural theorist Roland Barthes in an interview called ‘Dare to Be Lazy’, reprimanded himself for not being sufficiently indolent. The idea of laziness being self-punishing was not as strong a notion at this point and leisure and recreational pursuits were valued over career pursuits.

The 21st Century and If Laziness Really Exists

In the 21st century, criticisms of capitalism increased. In the book, Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, it states that feelings of laziness are often a sign that life’s demands are not being effectively managed. According to Price, laziness can signal that we need more help, more breaks or reduced demands.

Criticisms of work increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, where a lack of work-life balance and work-home boundaries occurred with the increase in remote working. Trends like The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting thus rose. While The Great Resignation involves people actually quitting their jobs, Quiet Quitting entails people doing the bare minimum at work. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the employee may not necessarily be planning to quit, but is simply not willing to put in any extra effort or enthusiasm in their work beyond their job description.

Quiet Quitting is the opposite of hustle culture, instead of attempting to work at all times and ‘hustle harder’ to gain success, quiet quitting is about slowing down. This term was popularised by Bryan Creely, a corporate recruiter turned coach who suggested that if you’re feeling burned out, this way of working can help you to establish better boundaries.

Why Nuance is Required for Discussions on Laziness

There is nuance required when discussing the way people work and laziness. Laziness is not taking breaks and it is not overworking to the point where your body forces you to rest. To me, laziness is when you don’t do what you have the means to do. What each person has the means to do differs based on factors such as family upbringing, mental health, social and economic status, physical health and the amount of support from loved ones people have access to.

It’s also important to note that laziness can result from a lack of job satisfaction or meaning found in the work that you do. People do not always perform well in occupations that hold little to no interest to them and experiencing boredom can make you aware of how tired you are and also lengthen the tiredness felt.

But boredom can happen in our free time as well and can sometimes lead to creative breakthroughs. Science fiction author Kurt Vonnegut once said, “We are supposed to be bored. It is a part of life. Learn to put up with it.” Perhaps the goal is not to be excited at all times but to learn how to manage boredom. This may mean converting that boredom into quiet reflection or engaging in more meaningful endeavours both within our jobs and our free time.

Why Starting Things May Sometimes Be Difficult

With all the reasons that laziness may happen, what else causes people to have difficult relationships with work?

Perfectionism and procrastination.

Procrastination is heavily associated with laziness, but rather than simply not doing something, it involves putting off or avoiding tasks. It can occur when we feel that our results won't be as good as what we imagine. Often, people use other activities to avoid the work that they should be doing, like doing laundry while the due date for an assignment looms closer and closer. Procrastination is an issue of emotional regulation rather than time management and solving it involves managing our emotions in a new way.

Neurodivergence

Another context in which something can be mistaken for laziness are neurological conditions or neurodivergence. Neurodivergence describes people whose brains develop and function differently from what’s deemed “typical”. This is different from people who are neurotypical, as their brain functions and processing are considered standard. There are varying types of neurodivergence, including autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities like dyslexia.

Some traits associated with neurodiversity include difficulties with communication, speech and language, sensory input, learning, executive function, and change. This is not an exhaustive list and the intensity of these traits varies from person to person. Dealing with these challenges can lead to tiredness or exhaustion, which may lead to some people seeming lazy when really there have been numerous aspects to their day affecting their ability to behave and process things.

Anxiety

Long-term anxiety can also impact how people function. While occasional worry or fear is a normal part of life, anxiety disorders are more persistent and disruptive to daily life. Chronic or long-term anxiety can cause mental and physical harm, where people experience tiredness, exhaustion and an inability to concentrate. Experiencing constant stress and anxiety takes up a lot of mental energy and can lead to sleep problems and decreased energy levels. This decreased energy can make working and concentrating on tasks a major challenge.

How can you start working again?

If you struggle with laziness:

Try to understand what is causing it. Are you lacking meaning in your work or free time? Is there a way you can make work fun or exciting? Is there a way to be more satisfied with your everyday life so you feel more motivated to do different activities?

The below suggestions are tips for procrastination, neurological conditions and anxiety but can also be helpful tips for those struggling to get work done.

If you struggle with procrastination:

• Practice self-forgiveness. Acknowledge and accept where you went wrong, feel the guilt without letting it turn to shame, and vow to change
• Practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself, being more balanced and non-judgemental allows you to better approach the situation
• Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start something. Motivation often hits only after you’ve started a task
• Break off bigger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks
• Place obstacles between yourself and your most major distractions. Social media blockers, phone jails, perhaps hiding cleaning supplies.

If you struggle with neurological conditions:

• Learn more about your specific neurodivergence. Therapy, educational books, and online neurodivergent spaces can be very helpful with this
• Make accommodations for yourself, especially if you have sensory issues. E.gs. fidget toys, weighted blankets, earplugs
• Be patient with yourself. Maybe some things take longer for you or you need more breaks
• Make use of time organisers and alarms as they can help with issues in time management
• Ask for written directions with oral instructions if possible
• Plan transition times and shifts in activities.

If you struggle with anxiety:

• Exercise. This serves not only as a distraction from stress but as a physical alleviation of anxiety
• Have a healthy diet. Balanced meals, with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and high-fiber foods are known to improve mood
• Improve your sleep routine. Reduce your screen time before bed, limit alcohol and coffee intake and try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day
• Emotional support. Therapy, journaling, and deep breathing are just some coping tools that can really help
• Go outside. Connecting with nature often relaxes us and improves our mood
• Spiritual support. Prayer, worship and other forms of spiritual enrichment alleviate anxiety and increases comfort.

Our understanding of work and laziness has changed over the years and has influenced the way people function. More important than being productive all the time is examining why we work and why are we sometimes lazy. Understanding ‘why’ helps guide how we approach work. Not everyone functions in the same way and how we work should not necessarily be dictated by social norms.

Some people work more slowly or take time to process things, and that should also be seen as valuable work. Inactivity can happen for varying reasons and looking at why can help us work and function better, in healthier ways. At the end of the day, laziness is a label that can be used to demean or disregard someone when often, looking at the cause behind this action, or lack of action, is much more helpful.

So, what does it mean to work and why do we work? We work to take care of things, to take care of others, and to bring value and meaning to ourselves and others. While work is something that we do not always like, it is something that we all have to do to some degree, and understanding how to manage it is important. And well, that requires work.