Why are so many people lazy ?

[LovelyYellowLabrador]

Is it more they are struggling in life or they just genuinely don’t want to do stuff

Hardly anyone who has answered this post really appears lazy. Most people are reporting being single parents (the hardest job I ever did), working and looking after kids, having invisible illnesses or being neurodiverse- all these things are tiring!!! None of them are lazy, can't be bothered types at all. Most women I know work and do extra around the house and most of the childcare, as well as carrying the mental load. That's not lazy, that's unrecognized, unpaid work and often the men in the situation benefit enormously from that in terms of better career progression and salary. I genuinely don't know any lazy mothers. I'm not saying they aren't out there, there are people who try to get others to care for their kids all the time, or work very few hours or have no job for decades, but not compared with most women who are tired running their households and/or working.

My male colleagues aren't lazy but they are good at getting women to do the grunt work and save their energy for the better-paid starry stuff os they look more effective!

I work hard at my (desk) job, always go the extra mile.
My housekeeping standards (I live alone) are reasonable. I keep things minimal so that I can clean easily.

Some people are "high energy" people so they will have stuff planned every evening and all weekend whether at home or out. Me, I prefer to do one "thing" a day. Be it: work, shopping, socialising.

I'm introverted so I get tired around people. I need a day "off" after socialising.

You will NOT catch me up a mountain at 5am.

But if you want furniture or your music collection rearranged at midnight, I'm FULL of energy.

Someone once said "it's not enough to be busy, even the ants are busy, the question is what are you busy ABOUT?" So basically, if it's important, i'll do it. But I won't do stuff for the sake of it.

Just can't be arsed tbh x

@MyDogsTheBestDog

DEPRESSION

A real and debilitating illness that takes over your life and may look from the outside like...... Laziness. You're welcome.

I know you think you are absolutely hilarious and 100% correct with the 'you're welcome' comment. But it's not as cut and dried as that.

Yes of COURSE some people suffer depression and it can appear that people are lazy, and CBA to do anything/make any effort, and expects everyone else to do the same. But no way can everyone who fits this description ALL be suffering with depression. Some yes. All.... no. No way.

There HAS to be a backstory sometimes, but YANBU @LovelyYellowLabrador At my BFF's workplace there is a man who is 55 and has worked there for 18 years. He is off sick around 20% of the year. And he only does 26 hours a week anyway! Off sick with a bad back, a bad knee, a bad foot, a migraine, a tummy bug, covid (3 times he's had that now!) and a multitude of other things.

He doesn't get paid for being off either. Not for odd days here and there. And he only gets £99 a week SSP for full weeks. He is currently off with a 'bad back' and has been for 5 weeks. No-one knows how his wife puts up with him. 35 years they're been together. She must be a fucking Saint. How she hasn't left him yet baffles everyone. It's also a mystery how they survive financially with him on such low pay, and off sick a fifth of the year! Coz SHE is in a fairly basic minimum pay job (part time too... 18 hours a week!)

In addition, his mother died on Christmas Eve when he was 30 (sad of course, and his dad died when he was 27, also sad) but 25 years later, he STILL uses this as an excuse to have Christmas off. The place is open all over Christmas, 365 days a year, and he says 'MY MOTHER died on Christmas Eve, Christmas is a sacred and melancholy time for me. Very upsetting and hard to deal with.' Dude, she died in 1997, and you're in your mid 50s now with adult children. All the young (usually female) are too scared - for some reason - to challenge him, and allow him to have it off. Every. YEAR.

Also, he posts pictures all over facebook of him at the pub, partying, going on trips and Christmas events, and having a ball with his family. Not very 'melancholy.' He is off the charts, the laziest, cheeky fucker my friend knows (and me - as I kind of know him too, coz he lives in my area.)

Maybe there is some 'back story' here, but I very VERY much doubt it.

That’s a good idea re the checklist, I might try that!!

I think it frustrates me cos I hate living in mess, it makes me agitated, but I always go through the same cycle. The house is tidy and then BAM, the kids whirlwind through the house, or one of them gets sick and then I’m preoccupied by taking care of them until they’re better for example, then the house very quickly goes from tidy to not. And then I can see the mess, it annoys me but I have to get to just the right amount of annoyed before I can actually DO something about it. I also have a weird thing of trying to be organised for things like fancy dress day at my sons school, find the exact costume my son wants/needs weeks in advance, then put off ordering it until the night before in a mad panic as another example. Like why do I put myself through that unnecessary stress?! And then I go ahead and do it anyway every single time 🫠😂 I wish I was like my mum and nan, they’re so organised and they make it seem so easy. But my brain is just like ✨nah✨ Every time.

This doesn't sound lazy to me!

I'm lazy - because I can be. I've done my time running round after people. I work part time, not a lot of cleaning to be done as there's only me and DH - and as he's retired he does a good portion of it anyway . Exercise is a slow walk with the dog . Unlike the poster I'm quoting I can always make the effort to socialise though !

At 60 and having always worked full time apart from a 3 year period in my early 20s where I worked part time with small children, I find I am just a bit knackered these days and being overweight doesn't help I admit. I'm not lazy by a long stretch but tend to be more conscious I don't have the same drive or energy I once had.

@MyDogsTheBestDog totally agree with you.

Hi, I'm Troy McClure! You might remember me from such threads as; 'Why is water wet?', 'How long is a piece of string?', or 'Why do good things happen to good people?'.

Join me for a 40 page special. There's something for everyone! Guilt for the disabled, false sense of achievement for people working 200hours a week on nmw and for the middle class posters there's a choice between narcissistic virtue signalling or willfully ignorant smugness.

You'd think it would be boring but with such a vague and provocative OP you won't be able to click away from the myriad answers and misunderstandings!

I have a very well deserved reputation amongst my colleagues for being exceptionally hard working, over the years many have cheerfully admitted to me that that they like working with me because it means they don't have to so much wokr/get away with the bear minimum or even avoid do anything because they know I'll do it and also do it to an exceedingly high standard. Over the years Ive watched my colleagues vanish into the ether when something that requires a lot of effort needs doing, knowing full well that I'll do it. I'm now late 50's and its beginning to piss me off, I'm an HCP and work in an exceedingly busy dept frankly I'm beginning to run out of stamina I can no longer carry a large part of the work load of 6 - 8 other people. I don't know why people are lazy and I don't know what the hell to do about the fact that I do significantly more work than others except either become like them or retire!!.

I fucking love being lazy. I have a full time job and maintain a house and bring up a child but when I’m not doing one of those three things I’m vertical. I can’t abide overachievement

Why are so many people not lazy? Why are they rushing about doing a load of shit that no one else cares about?

Surely horizontal?

lazy people are generally on the dole or working class, according to mumsnet.

it makes people feel better to look down on others.

I would advise a few sessions of meditation, with humour and a nod to Buddha.

FFS.

@carefullycourageous no I’m a vampire.

(fuck I’m 46 and I’ve always got those two confused)

@poddlefan you’re not going to be proud of working excessively on your deathbed. Live life a bit and stop being a martyr

Time doing nothing at all can be enhancing, to have the privilege to do that, and choose it, is something to be grateful for. The 'work yourself to death' ethic assists no one, and no one gets a trophy for it on their death bed.
Someone mentioned 'western decadence' the other day, and I agree with them. We have too much time on our hands to judge others. It's what turns most of us into bitter tories as we age :(

By the way I don't think it's a virtue to be hard working or due a desire to over achieve. I would love to be able to be lazy with a clear conscience I guess its just the way I'm wired.
A good friend and colleague once said I need to "just let things go".

Well I'm officially lazy then. Haven't worked for money for decades. I accept my laziness . Wish my house was organised though - I was going to get in one of those decluttering people but I decided that was peak laziness and I was too ashamed. 😊

@marvellousmaple

Well I'm officially lazy then. Haven't worked for money for decades. I accept my laziness.

Imagine being proud of that?

Who dictates what is laziness? If I clean my house once a week instead of every day is that laziness because it goes against the 'norm'?

If it's a shit tip after a few days - then yeah... it's laziness and slovenliness.

I recommend everyone on here reads How To Be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson immediately. Being productive all the time never helped anyone

I retired early. I don't do housework apart from a bit of cooking. My better half does the rest. I have a gardener, but I smell my roses.

I love being indolent. It is something I have earned after many years of hard graft. I am also very content in myself and do not feel I have to keep up with anyone else's standards or expectations. I am a woman who does things (or doesn't) as I want to do them, not because others think I should.

Contentment is a wonderful thing. Indolence is even better. I will not run around like a mad thing doing things that are useless like cleaning and shopping (that's online and delivered).

I travel a lot and that's great. I am active and walk miles every day. But I am indolent too. It is bloody marvellous and it's something more people should try, instead of being all things to all people. Guilt is not in my vocabulary.

I do understand that people with young kids, a full time job and so on are full of action, they have to be, as I was once. But not anymore yay!