Productive Laziness
Recovery
From sleep to a full dopamin fast, there are lots of ways to recharge the batteries after phases of hard work.
In today's post I would like to talk about productive laziness. As much as I am a fan of doing things and not wasting time I still highly value recovery. And although I don't believe that the work we do on a daily basis should be set up unsustainably where it causes damage to our minds and bodies, I think it is still fair to say that after some period of intense work we all reach a point of exhaustion where a good night's sleep simply isn't sufficient anymore.
What my productive laziness looks like
Before getting into the idea behind the term, let me first tell you about my implementation of it. When I seek out to have some productive laziness it usually looks something like this: A couple days taken off during which I sleep in with no alarm, keep laying in bed for as long as I want, leave my pj's on pretty much all day, take long hot showers, watch films, allow my thoughts to float around however they like to and in general just do whatever my soul tells me to. During these days I might read, but only books I really want to read. I might do some work, but only light work I really feel like doing. I might meet some people, but only if I truly fancy the idea.
Now for the things I don't do: I don't eat total crap as that tends to make me feel terrible. I don't compromise on exercise, again because it is more so a relief for me than something I have to do. And finally, I do make sure my physical environment as well as my life in general stay organized and don't become too messy.
Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Why I feel good about it
productive laziness = intentional laziness
In the paragraph above I gave you an insight into what my productive laziness looks like. And whilst laziness usually comes with quite a negative up to even a shameful connotation in our modern performence society, I still feel genuinly good about my phases of productive laziness. Why is that? In short, because I know I am doing less harm than I am doing good. By giving my body and mind the time to fully recover as well as off set any built up stress or anxiety, I make sure I restore my functionality by refueling my emotional, creative and physical tanks. Not only does this help me to be a more balanced person and thus simply feel better in my skin, it is also beneficial to the people around me who get to experience a much more calm and joyful version of me.
By limiting these phases to a couple days only, there isn't much harm generated either. And by additionally limiting the excessiveness of my behavior during these phases major physical or mental destruction are also very unlikely.
Balance
productive laziness ≠destructive laziness
The core idea of the implementation of occasional productive laziness is to come back to inner balance after long phases during which the augmentation of productivity became the main focus. As a result I want to stress that productive laziness should not be used as an excuse for overly destructive behavior. After all, that is simply not the point of it. Instead of destroying one's own environment it is about softening it for a moment. Enjoying a moment of equally physical and mental cozyness, warmth and comfort with the greater goal in mind to restore one's inner peace and prevent life and work from becoming unsustainable.
There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.
Alan Cohen
Commitment
As intriguing as the concept of intentional lazy phases might sound, there tends to be one big problem: They are often ridiculously hard to implement. In our increasingly connected world, trying to find some time in which to wind down (especially when it is more than just a few minutes) can be pretty difficult. From text messages, emails and spammy notifications to people and projects requiring our attention, the resistance towards committing to a full couple of days of pure chilling is often hard to overcome. As a result you got to communicate quite forcefully that whatever time you plan on taking off, it is your time to decide what you do and what you don't. Let nobody else interfer, be strict with it and most importantly commit to it.
To use the picture down below as a metaphor: Get your train to stop, kick everyone out and close the doors. Just like maintenance of trains is important to ensure a safe ride for the driver as well as the passengers, your body equally demands care for it to function properly.
Conclusion
Work, work and guess what? More work! The modern strive of young people especially, but in many ways society in general to be more and more productive can quickly become toxic, cause physical damage and fragment the strength of social networks. In consequence, I believe it is incredibly important to stress the positive effects of laziness as well. When done intentionally, it allows us to clear the trash, recharge the batteries and start of fresh with an empty directory ready to be filled with new and exciting content. Of course, everybody has got to develop their own methodology of implementing such occasional phase of recovery, but as with all things only practice makes perfect!
But what about you? When was your last chill week? And do you think it is realistic for everyone to implement a routine like this?
If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.
Banksy