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70 Comments
- 2Conservative, on 11/12/2008, -1/+73Could someone post highlights from the article? Too lazy to read it.
- ChronicColonic, on 11/12/2008, -0/+48Could someone read this article out loud, record it in mp3 format, sync it with my iPod, put on my headphones, and push play for me...oh, and make sure the volume is not to loud....thanks.
- samby, on 11/12/2008, -4/+30Sounds like George Bush read these:
3. Act from your gut.
4. Know people.
5. Ditch meetings and other things that don’t matter.
6. Focus on less.
7. Allow things to happen.
8. Don’t do what works. - inactive, on 11/12/2008, -2/+26step 1: get off digg
step 2: live - WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+23I can't be bothered with highlights, so here's a summary instead: A workaholic with zero understanding of what the term "lazy" actually means tries to convince you that doing stuff is actually lazier than *not* doing stuff, and that doing stuff quickly and well is the laziest option of all. Fin.
- darlakbrown, on 11/11/2008, -6/+20great article as always from zenhabits.
- onedigg, on 11/12/2008, -0/+14It's just you
- billbugger, on 11/12/2008, -0/+13and change my catheter?
- inactive, on 11/12/2008, -0/+12I think we hired this guy once.... he barely lasted two weeks.
- Sakumi, on 11/12/2008, -0/+10Digg is really murdering servers today sheeeesh!
- L4mb, on 11/12/2008, -0/+10Thank GOD! eh.. I'll read it later.
- jhul, on 11/12/2008, -0/+9The Lazy Man’s Guide to Getting Things Done
Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead.
What if I told you that you could be totally lazy and irresponsible, and still accomplish just as much? What if you could slack off, loiter, and essentially do nothing and get more done than the average person. It’s a bit of an art, but you can master this skill with some practice.
Some of these things may seem like a lot of work up front, but that’s the price you have to pay to lounge around all day.
1. Be effective.
The indigenous lazy tribesman knows the value of hard work. But he also knows that he can get more done easily and more efficiently by being effective. That means focusing on the things that matter. What matters more to you, having a color coded underwear filing system, or writing that world dominating book you’ve been talking about for the past 12 years?
Focus on being effective, instead of trying do everything perfectly. Let things slide, let your house get a little messy, let your desk be a little less than immaculate. Let your email inbox *gasp* go unchecked for a day. Whatever it takes to focus on what actually matters.
2. Do your research.
This might not seem like something lazy people like to do, but it’s essential if you want to waste a lot of time doing things that, you know, you actually enjoy doing. If you want to work less, it’s important that you do your research. Study trends, follow what major movements are going on in your industry. If you know the right time and place to act, you can be miles above others that were simply working hard, hoping things would turn out for the best.
3. Act from your gut.
People that work hard and achieve little spend a lot of time thinking about the best course of action. They plan and plot incessantly. What eventually happens is these come up that they never could have planned for. The lazy man knows that planning is useful, but often overrated. It’s better to act from your gut then to have a highly detailed plant you’ll simply throw away later.
4. Know people.
A smart, lazy fellow understands the importance of connections. He knows that he can get more done by helping others and cooperating. It’s not always about what you can do, but about “who you know.” If you can focus on helping others as much as possible (being a mensch link) you’ll naturally create meaningful connections with other people. It’s always a lot easier to get help from other people who you’ve helped in the past.
5. Ditch meetings and other things that don’t matter.
Meetings are usually unproductive and a waste of time for everyone. They’re usually irrelevant to most of the people involved. The objective of most meeting can usually be handled with a simple email or phone call. If the meeting doesn’t require high level, strategic decision making, opt out whenever possible.
Whenever possible, cull whatever is not working. There’s certain things that just don’t make much of a difference when you spend twice as much time on them. There’s also things that don’t make sense to do at all. Try to focus only on things that produce the most results. Cut out the rest.
6. Focus on less.
If you’re lazy like me, you probably don’t want to spend unnecessary time churning out ineffective work. It’s much better to work on one amazing idea, than 20 mediocre ones. Focus on producing less. Don’t sacrifice quality to fill an arbitrary quota.
7. Allow things to happen.
Trying to force things to go your way is not only stressful, it’s not very intelligent. It’s better to guide things along, than trying to marshal them in like a dictator. Try to let things happen, instead of making them happen. Remember that a small rudder directs even the most giant ship.
8. Don’t do what works.
The number one dream killer is doing what works. We follow a template of what has worked for other people. But just because climbing a corporate ladder works, it doesn’t mean it’s the best idea for you. If you’re smart and you want to be lazy, you’ll follow your own path. You’ll work from your strengths, instead of trying to follow a predetermined pattern of effectiveness.
It’s a lot easier to apply your unique strengths, then to force yourself into an arbitrary mold.
These things might seem like they require diligent work, and they do. But they also allow you to free up the time to be as lazy and unproductive as you want to be. - trisweb, on 11/12/2008, -0/+7Wow, this really isn't helpful at all. It basically says "do whatever you want but work harder." Yeah, as if I didn't already know that.
Quote: "If you’re smart and you want to be lazy, you’ll follow your own path. You’ll work from your strengths, instead of trying to follow a predetermined pattern of effectiveness."
Meanwhile stealing the name of a predetermined pattern of effectiveness, "Getting Things Done" is what, following your own path? Nice. What a worthless stream of BS. - redhooded, on 11/12/2008, -1/+88. Don't do what works. [Nice one. I find myself getting caught up here sometimes.]
- Rally603, on 11/12/2008, -0/+7It was really just vague rambling - like a fortune cookie or something. I just read the whole thing and I can't remember a single point it tried to make.
- Kleep, on 11/12/2008, -1/+8Seriously I was too lazy to even read the bullet points.
- LogicBomB, on 11/12/2008, -0/+6Talk later, driving?
Maybe? - blueblazer17, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5Yep, #8 is the best one.
- LanceUppercut, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5Get a better web-host!
- 2Conservative, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5Wow. I got to workaholic and took a nap. Sounds like a hard arti....
- migueldeluis, on 11/11/2008, -3/+8Be efficient to be productive, a smart way of getting things done
- austang, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5This article is false, no truly succesful lazy person would ever make the effort to write an article.
- Asay, on 11/12/2008, -0/+5This man is obviously less lazy that I am since he took the time to write this article.
- jetcombo15, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4Holy crap the dude in the pic looked exactly like me about 5 minutes ago.
Man it's so awesome laying in bed with your laptop instead of having to go through the incredible effort of having to sit at a desk. - savvyguy, on 11/11/2008, -5/+9Great article on being effective yet lazy...smiles!
- skalua1234, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4I loved the idea of doing less. Trying to do everything is causing me to get nothing done. Thanks.
- asgardshill, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4Napoleon had a great way of dealing with paperwork and other clutter. He lugged along a big steamer trunk wherever he traveled. Then, when he received paperwork from his generals, in the trunk it would go, for a period of one month. Then, at the end of the month, he would go through everything and throw away the important stuff that had already taken care of itself in the meantime. This reduced what he absolutely had to deal with to just a few sheets of paper, which he quickly dispatched.
- billbugger, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4Laziness has always been the main motivator for my accomplishments.
- supermanly, on 11/12/2008, -0/+4The way of getting things done that I can't do
1. GTFO DIGG!
2. ????
3. PROFIT!!! - shambalawarrior, on 11/12/2008, -1/+4As Seth Godin asks; are you spending your time reacting, responding or initiating?
- wifirewire2, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3Del-e-ga-tion
- 2Conservative, on 11/12/2008, -2/+5Can you give the Bush thing a freakin break already?
It's the year 2531 and we are under attack by the Morblob race from the Tiwmid galaxy...overheard...
"This all started 528 years ago when BUSH ran over a Delegate from the Tiwmid galaxy while trying out a Segway scooter for the first time." - freezerburn666, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3css fail
- groo68, on 11/12/2008, -0/+3I am way to lazy to do anything on the list.
- Pyros7, on 11/13/2008, -0/+3Speaking from experience...this list would be more accurate if it were titled "Eight surefire ways to get fired in the corporate world."
I agree with all of these points but good luck "climbing the corporate ladder" while following rules like "ditch your meetings, don't plan ahead, and don't do what works." - Princeamor, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2Why did he even write it? He should have known lazy people aren't gonna read it anyway...
- mareln72, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2The handbook for under 30 year olds. Lazzzzzzzzy.
- tgc1, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2Looks like someone was too lazy to keep the server running too. Oh well.
- drjennings, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2Here's great tip NOT on the list... but hinted at in the photo:
"Get a laptop, and a really good smart phone". (I use a MacBook Pro and iPhone) Having to drive 45 minutes to hook up with your assigned HP Windows XP tower because it lives under the desk in your cube is a HUGE waste of time!
Last time a company tried to tie me down with their old clunker I just said, "Thanks but no thanks". I installed their WIN XP crap on my MacBook Pro and never looked back. - 2Conservative, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2How many weight loss books are written by fat people?
- Bunglish, on 11/12/2008, -0/+2Although the actual article seemed lazily written.
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -0/+2that was way too long to read
- inactive, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1The truth is that the TRULY lazy would not have started his computer in the 1st place and thus would not have read this art.
"I'll give $500 to the laziest man in town."
"Roll me over, and put it in my pocket."
fta: "What matters more to you: having a color-coded underwear filing system or writing that world-dominating book you’ve been talking about f/12 yrs?"
I can't go to sleep at night unless my underwear is color-coded & all the labels in the pantry are facing outward. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: a real-world cure f/laziness. - DrummerAndrew, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Great story about my father's sense of humor: My senior art show in college, I struggled to pull everything together, as usual. I'm not exactly lazy, but let's just say that I excel at procrastination. A friend of mine is delighted to finally meet my father and he gains the courage to ask him a personal question about me. "He's got a good style and he always manages to pull everything together successfully. But, why does he always put everything off until the last minute?"
My dad looks him squarely in the eye and calmly replies, "Can I tell you tomorrow?" - ummagummas08, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Thanks?
Wait, no.. - IIECONII, on 11/13/2008, -0/+1Although the LAZIEST option is admittedly not doing anything like you said; when one realizes that to live in this world things HAVE to get done, the only other lazy option IS to do ***** quickly and well. Quite the opposite when you ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY have to do ***** that day.
...and if you have no ***** to do? Maybe that's our new laziest.
not-fin
...also: IS. - Biznessgirl, on 11/14/2008, -0/+1Good tips on beating laziness but clearly the author is NOT lazy.
- rkettner, on 11/13/2008, -1/+2He's actually still the President. I know... seems like he hasn't done anything to prove it lately, but it's true.
- rearlgrant, on 11/12/2008, -0/+1"We are dumb, but we are not so dumb. It takes great thinking and work to keep from working."
-Bill Cosby - darlakbrown, on 11/14/2008, -0/+1Too funny.
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