Not all lazy people say, “I’m too tired.” Their lines are silkier and crisper. They sound like reason. And even self-preservation. They craft arguments to justify doing nothing and repeat them often enough till the excuses take hold. They transform delay into a way of life. And if you’re not careful, these excuses sound like good sense.
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“I’ll get to it once I feel it”
“I’ll do it later when I feel it.” That does sound very poetic, doesn’t it? It’s the worst one of all. I want you to know that, the moment you settle for this form of motivation, you just locked yourself into eternity of waiting for motivation. I mean this one really works, doesn’t it? Because it’s so harmless. And this is what’s standing in the way of everything getting done.
“I work better under pressure”
You see that student who’s putting off writing their essay for weeks? They’re going to tell you it’s because pressure “fuels them.” It’s the night before, and they’re pulling an all-nighter. They’re half asleep and half awake, making words bleed on the page. They finish it, alright. But it’s not the masterpiece they promised themselves.
“It’s not the right time yet”
“Better timing” is a soothing thought. It makes inaction feel reasonable. But there’s never a good season for things to get better and chaos is never far away. By waiting for the perfect moment, they ensure nothing ever begins.
“I don’t want to start if I can’t finish perfectly”
“Perfect or nothing.” Feels big-brained but it’s really fear. That standard is so high they never make an effort to approach it. Easier to tell you they’re waiting for the “right way.”
“I’m too busy with other things”
“I’m busy.” As with everything, a great defender. But let’s take a look at what these hours are spent doing, Noise. This is the lazy man’s trick. Laziness in a productivity suit.
“I need to recharge first”
Lazy people love to rest. Rest is good for the soul. They just redefine the word “rest” as something eternal. A nap turns into a day. A weekend stretches into a week. A month-long vacation becomes two. Before they know it, they’ve lost a year. They’re not recharging their batteries. They’re stalling.
“I don’t have the right tools yet”
“No equipment, no work.” The mantra. But equipment doesn’t do work, you do. The gear excuse is a fancy way to do nothing.
“It’s too complicated to start”
Picture someone looking at a sink full of dirty dishes. There are a lot, and it’s going to be a long process. They sigh and look away. Five minutes later, they’re still lounging on the couch. If they had just started, the job would be done by now. A “too complicated” excuse only made them wait longer.
“I’ll just figure it out later”
Later never arrives. It’s the easiest excuse to use, and the most fatal to forward motion.
“I can’t do it until I know everything about it”
Lazy people hide behind research. Every article, every video, every other person’s opinion must be read and understood first. There is always more to learn. If you never stop learning, you never start doing.
“I’m not in the right headspace today”
Mental preparation sounds like a reasonable prerequisite, but it soon becomes a moving target. The problem isn’t the headspace itself, it’s the seemingly infinite delay it can cause.
“If it’s really important, someone else will remind me”
Responsibility is outsourced to others. Instead of keeping track of their own work, they’ll just wait for someone to prod them in the back. And if it doesn’t happen, they shrug. An easy out.
“It’s just not who I am”
Identity can be a compelling thing. Once laziness becomes part of it, excuses become cemented in place. The person assures themselves it’s not a choice, it’s who they are.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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