Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

We’re All Lazy

People don’t think I’m lazy. They know I do my laundry early on Sunday morning and keep my desk neat and my clothes put away, habits that they may find challenging. What they don’t know is the ways in which I am lazy, like when I am in a restaurant and I see something like Lobster, I think to myself, “Seems like a lot of work”. Lobster is good… but, to me, maybe not that good.

My point is, we all have things we’ll work for, a better tennis game, a promotion, a perfect crème brulee… and then there are other things we just think: meh. So how can we transfer the passion we feel for some things into the areas of our lives that need some energy?

First, ask yourself: Where am I good? Where do I enjoy working hard? Maybe you love a particular sport and you constantly challenge yourself to improve your technique. Maybe you need to think of the piles on your desk as a game? Could you set a timer to see how many papers you can get off your desk in fifteen minutes?

Or maybe you are good about cleaning the kitchen after dinner because you always listen to the radio while you do it? Perhaps listening to a pod-cast while you fold your laundry and put it away would make it less of a chore and more of a meditation.

Don’t think: I’m lazy, I never ... Think: I haven’t found the key yet to unlock this task. How can I make it more fun? 

Also, keep your eye on the reward. When you practice your forehand, you want to be a better tennis player because you want to win. When you perfect your crème brulee your dinner guests are impressed. Maybe you haven’t stopped to consider the rewards of the mundane tasks you think you are too lazy to do.

In my book, a clean desk is its own reward, but it’s also a way to avoid paying things late, losing important papers and arguing with your spouse.   An orderly closet is not just more pleasant to look at, it will make it easier for you to get out of the house on time, see what you already own, and keep clothes neat and wrinkle-free.

So, stop telling yourself that your lazy. Find your motivation, your game, your fun and make this the year that you crack the code and master those tasks that you used to find daunting.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll order the lobster.