Every year in early September in the United States, people celebrate Labor Day, an occasion to recognize the contributions of working Americans by staying home from work. Everybody deserves a day off now and then, but there are times we’re tempted to quit our jobs completely.
Laziness is a mood that settles over us, tempting us to shirk our responsibilities in favor of opportunities for rest and recreation. In our commercial culture, we tend to blame people who feel lazy, without considering the context for their emotion. We overlook the fact that people have been required to work longer hours just to keep their income steady, as wages have stagnated for decades even as productivity has increased.
Moral expectations that people should be working almost constantly ignore the economic value of feeling lazy. When people are well rested, they do better work at a faster pace. Schemes of to optimize efficiency through scientific management and digital tracking rarely work out, because they treat people as if they are objects, rather than complex biological beings with a need for balance in order to sustain their efforts.
If you’re feeling lazy, it’s probably a sign that you have been putting other people’s needs ahead of your own for a bit too long. Listen to the feeling. Step away from your work. It’s time for restoration. Any boss or client who doesn’t understand or respect this need isn’t worth working for.
To be lazy now and then is not a luxury. It’s a fundamental human right.
