The Pragmatic's Guide to Laziness

My mind thrives on what I get done in 24 hours.

Functionality and completing tasks is what gives me self-worth, whether that involves working out, writing music, school work, reading or even just cleaning the house.

I like to get stuff done. I enjoy schedules and sticking to them. Deviating from them doesn't hurt me, but it does make me a tad bit uncomfortable and the completion of my goals seems to go unrewarded.

An actual photo of me today, courtesy of Charlie Banks.

However, today, I did absolutely nothing. I watched basketball with my guy friends, cooked dinner and that's about it. I didn't even work out. But, you know what? In doing nothing, I did something for myself. I recovered. In a sense, by not doing anything, the time usually spent relaxing will be dedicated to being more productive tomorrow because I have to make up for it.

Today, by sitting on the couch and just talking, I cleared my mind and I recovered. You have to rest yourself if you expect to progress.

This is the parable of the two men in the forest. Both were hired to cut down giant trees for a company, and whoever did it first got paid more. One worker cut all through the night and wore him, and his saw, completely down, while the other stopped every so often to rest and sharpen his saw. In doing so, he completed the task more effectively and was rewarded handsomely.

This works on a macro and micro scale. Suppose you're running and you just completed one mile. You may feel like you can't go on any longer. So, you stop running and you leave the gym. But you're not really done.

Get back on the track, walk a lap and then run. You'll find that you had some more left inside of you. There's still energy stored inside of you and you can do better. This is the general principle of interval training. Stop and go.

Even after this, your legs may be tired, but the rest of your body may have some energy stored up. Lift some. Don't settle for what you're comfortable with. Try something new and vary your lifestyle.

But I digress. Having done nothing today has allowed me to sharpen my own personal saw and schedule what I'm going to do tomorrow and for the next week.

You owe it to yourself to have a day where you do absolutely nothing, as long as you use that nothingness as motivation to do more later. I don't recommend doing this often, perhaps once every three weeks will suffice, but the body needs a total break.

Even as you're sitting on the couch, catching up on your shows or watching a poisonous amount of Netflix, you can do some of the little things you normally think to do until it's too late. Text old friends and let them know you still care they're alive. Cut your nails. Stretch. 

For now, I will head to bed with a clear mind and a relaxed body.

Who am I kidding; I'll probably stretch and do some push ups, but you get the point!

 If you're going to relax today, be ready to push yourself tomorrow.