Is Laziness a Good Thing?

Our Student Column this month comes from Nanuet Knight Tarun Ravesanker. Want to be a part of our student column? Email editor@rocklandcountytimes.com

By Tarun Ravesanker

Okay, let’s be real, I was too lazy to start writing this article. 

I stared at the blank page for a solid 20 minutes, and then somehow out of nowhere, began to clean my room. I never do this unless I’m avoiding work, and I told myself I was “gathering inspiration,” but really, I was just setting it aside and being lazy. Then it hit me: Maybe laziness isn’t the enemy  everyone says it is.

We grew up hearing that laziness equates to failure, and that successful people are up at 5 a.m. doing push-ups, starting household chores, or sitting in an office wrapping up emails. Meanwhile, the rest of us are hitting snooze on our alarm clocks and wondering whether to finish our homework now or “later” ( meaning 11:30 p.m.). Ironically, being really lazy would mean that you are a more creative and efficient person. Lazy people are experts at finding smarter shortcuts. If there’s a faster way to do something, lazy people will find it. Half of modern technology that has been developed, from remote controls to dishwashers, were invented because someone thought, “There’s got to be an easier way to do this.” And let’s be honest, who would want to manually do the dishes every night? 

Additionally, laziness can also be your brain’s way of saying, “Hey, slow down and take a break.” Balancing school and your personal life can be very stressful. From the classes, sports, clubs, and out-of-school activities, it can be a lot. Taking a break or zoning out for a bit shouldn’t be considered useless; it’s giving your mind a chance to relax and reset. Most of the time, my best ideas don’t come from thinking beforehand and prior brainstorming. They come when I am not trying at all—like during a shower or while staring blankly at something in the name of “thinking.”

Of course, there’s a fine line between slowing down and being lazy. There’s the good kind of lazy—being able to relax and recharge, thinking, “I’ll-do-it-better-later” kind. And then there’s the bad kind of being lazy, where you end up with missing assignments and undergoing a caffeine-induced panic at midnight. But if you find the right balance between both evils, a little laziness can be a good thing and end up helping you do tasks in a more efficient manner.

So the next time you catch yourself putting off tasks and sitting around aimlessly, don’t go into full panic mode.  Maybe you’re not avoiding work, you’re just giving your genius brain a little time to think while not being stressed. I mean, that’s what I told myself while writing this article, anyway. And, I guess it worked!