Laziness is Like What?

I am very uncomfortable with taking time off, which is why we take so many mini-vacations – if I’m home, I find a way to work. Only when away I’m able to truly relax and take it easy. So as not to make things too expensive, we take a lot of mini-vacations nearby. I should find a way to relax at home, but I’m not sure I can. Not sure I want to. :)
.-= Vered – Blogger for Hire´s last blog ..Back To School =-.

Hi Davina,
Just this weekend, we spent the afternoon at the beach…as a family, just hanging out. No obligations. No hidden agendas. Just playing in the water, building sand castles, and enjoying the nice summer day…all followed by a visit to a local ice cream shop.

For some reason…taking this time regularly is difficult for me. And yet, when I do – I come back so refreshed and connected to whoever I was with (in this case, my family). So good…and yet so easy for me to not “allow” myself to do.

Davina, thank you. You’re gently reminding me of the real beauty in taking time to relax…and it’s so good for me to read…
.-= Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day =-.

Hi Davina – I’ll second everything everyone said, and add: I believe the dark flip side of the cult of productivity is denigration and association of guilt with necessary down time. If we’re not constantly doing something or working on a project, or multi-tasking, then we must be lazy or not motivated or something else “bad.”

Recently I spent a marvelous Saturday, reading, knitting and napping. This past weekend, I unplugged for most of it. What in the name of (insert Deity here) is wrong with that? Some people say the perfect is the enemy of the good. I’d add that pace is the enemy of peace. Slow down, people!
.-= Betsy Wuebker´s last blog ..A MEAL COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE =-.

Hi Davina,

Great post. I am by nature a “do-er”. I am constantly in a state of motion. This was a great reminder to me to slow down. We sometimes get so busy in our busy busy lives that we forget to just be lazy once in a while and I think that is important. The key is to keep some balance. Lazy days and active days. Like Stephen Covey always calls it – “sharpening the saw”.
.-= Amy Jewell / Cirklagirl´s last blog ..Happy 40th Birthday, Jenny!! =-.

The word lazy gets such a bad wrap. I think we use it for two reasons: because we don’t have another word to insert appropriately – and because we’ve given others control over what we think we “should” be doing.

I feel like I have experience with the latter because as a recovering planaholic I’ve spent some time transitioning from a type A personality into what feels like more of my true nature. It required a lot of honesty with myself and the realization that all “should’s” are self induced.

Certainly many are influenced by society, but I’ve yet to find one that is real. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware that some of the “should’s” are things that I’ve happily accepted (like stopping at a red light instead of plowing through the intersection and hitting other cars). But did you catch that? I’ve ACCEPTED them…it’s my CHOICE. There’s a lot of power in that realization. Now when I hear or accidentally use the word “should”, I hear a bit of a victim speaking – and I don’t roll like that ;)

Since it’d be a huge feat to redefine what “lazy” means in this context, maybe we can articulate what’s happening a little better. Other words we could use are “downtime”, “regeneration”, “self checking”, or “a personal timeout.” Or, if you’re feeling really empowered – say it like it is, “I decided I wanted to do xxx today and it was great!”

All this to say, its all semantics…no one knows what you need better than you. So here’s to YOUR decisions and all the possibilities they hold!
.-= Sara´s last blog ..THE MAGIC OF JUST 1 YEAR =-.

To be honest, I barely ever become lazy. Maybe it’s because of my age (I’m only 17). I always feel pumped, and want to work harder, and harder. Motivation has never been a problem for me, because I know that with hard work, there will be a better future.
.-= The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet.com´s last blog ..CommentLuv Coming To iBlogPlanet Soon! =-.

This was another thought provoking post Davina; great comments too!

I rarely use the word ‘lazy’ because I’m very comfortable with rejecting other folks’ definitions of productivity, speed and schedules. I know when I need a break, a rest, a change of activity or a bout of stillness and just being. Life has lots of seasons and rhythms. I don’t let other folk should all over me and try not to should all over myself either.

What has concerned me though are the warning signs I’ve been getting about how unhealthy blogging can be. I can see that for some folk it’s synonymous with addiction and stress, simply because of its never-ending nature and the exponential levels of work it creates as a blogger becomes more hooked or more ’successful’. My blog is tiny, but even so, breaks away from blogging do me as much good as days on the beach. I never take visitors or subscribers for granted, but if they leave because I’ve taken a break, then I’m happy to let go. I won’t sacrifice health or happiness to blogging or writing.
.-= janice´s last blog ..Welcome to My Kitchen Table =-.

I was called lazy all my life by my family. Day dreamer I had no problem with and thought that was wonderful a compliment.

I am the opposite of lazy, I always see a plant that needs watering or a slug in the garden that needs a drink of beer, or towels on the line that need folding. It was so wonderful to be away and have others manage the directions and details. I did actually not write at all except a few notes of interest to myself while away. It was good.

I have no problem sitting down or taking a day off at home, now that the kids are gone, and I did not do picnics when the kids were little because that was really just more work for me…so we did swimming and snacks…make it easy if we were going to relax and play.
Nice ideas, thank you so much for putting this out for me to read today – you are just great at that – your timing is lovely.
.-= patricia´s last blog ..No Reversing Without Rear End Supervision =-.

Chores are time of prayer for me….maybe like prayer beads? These are things that must be done so I think about healing and good energies when I cut the veggies and knead the bread ( I have a bread machine for the Gluten Free bread) I attempt to make it a moment of the present. Brushing my teeth is usually just a couple minutes of total focus and feeling.
But this too can become exhausting, when there is not a concentrated time of quiet and relaxation – even meditation can defeat the spirit and those creative juices.
Laziness is laughing at the shoulds and ought to s!
.-= patricia´s last blog ..Rumbledethumps =-.

Great thoughts here Davina!

I personally have noooo problem taking time off! Over-worked and stressed have long been removed from my vocabulary!
For me, especially now that I am working for my self and no longer going back to a structured job, the challenge is more so of sitting down to get things done. I mean I do sit at the computer, but then in my happy relaxed state get carried away to so many wonderful sites and places, so relaxing – not a problem, focusing right now, more so ;)
.-= Evita´s last blog ..The Comfort of Alone =-.

Great post, Davina! Betsy added a good thought,too: “I believe the dark flip side of the cult of productivity is denigration and association of guilt with necessary down time.” Kathy echoes this, too. I think it is one subconscious reason my mom has Alzheimer’s — because her retirement or “down time” is viewed by here as something horrible.
.-= Lori Hoeck´s last blog ..Using words as a part of self defense =-.

Oh Davina,

This is too funny. Last Sunday I did just that. I slept in and then stayed in my pajamas for most of the day. I got dressed to do a few things outside and it wasn’t but a few hours later when I announced to my husband, “It’s jammie time.” It was a great day. No guilt here. :)
.-= Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..Bloggers – Defining What We Are =-.

HI Davina,
What fun if i could only let myself be lazy..:(
Laziness is something i rarely let myself be. I guess i feel like i am wasting time….but on the weekend..my darling hubby makes it a point to shut my hyper-activities and just makes me sit with him and be a couch potato. I kind of like it…but not more than a day….:)
.-= Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..A Happy Home Recipe =-.

Thanks for this. One thing I’ve found to be true, in myself and others, is that if we’re dissatisfied while we’re working, the same dissatisfaction is going to nag us when we’re resting or playing. This is why I feel sad when I see people honking their horns and tailgating people on the highway — they think they are going to feel better if they get to their destination faster, but unfortunately they are probably going to feel the same way.

I just found your site through Lance’s Jungle – huzzah! I love it.

As for this particular topic, oye. I struggle with this sometimes because yes, I feel guilty when I’m being so-called lazy. Yet on those lazy days, I find that motivating myself to do anything “productive” is beyond difficult. Like if I even tried, I’d waste my time because the end result would feel forced and be way below par.

I loved this line: “Could it be that your self-imposed judgment of laziness is an attempt to sabotage fun?” Oh boy… It’s like you’re in my head now (so many bloggers are in my head these days!). Yes. I sabotage fun, it’s true. Yet I say I want more fun, and then retreat when fun comes knocking because I claim I need to be productive. No wonder fun is an infrequent visitor at best.

Thanks for this thought-provoking post. I needed it!
.-= Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s last blog ..What You Already Are (Quote from Adyashanti) =-.

Another view s laziness does not exist. Only unconditional love and self-acceptance do.
.-= Liara Covert´s last blog ..Attend night school in another dimension =-.