Challenges at the workplace: Chapter 2 – Fighting laziness

High productivity is great – it makes us feel alive, gives us sense of achievement and helps us drive through any challenges work may present. When we are up and running nothing is impossible and no enormous task list can do us harm – we just get on and do it! We delegate, talk, advice, perform, achieve, complete and we feel great!

However, being human means being imperfect. We are not robots and our productivity is dependent on too many factors, both external and internal. Examples include:

• External – distractive office environment, dissatisfaction in current role, poor line management, the weather (rain will make you sleepy, sun will make you think about outdoor activities, snow will make you think about mountain slopes and/or red wine), other people, interesting news, etc.
• Internal – fatigue, stress, personal matters and distractions, feelings and emotions, hunger, thirst, etc.

The variety of causes for low productivity is vast. But there is one thing that’s worth highlighting because of its amusing and unpredictable nature: LAZINESS. While Corporations focus on implementing practices and tools to increase productivity, they sometimes ignore the simple fact that every now and then, people just feel lazy. This is the case with senior leaders, managers, professionals at all levels, graduates – all the people in any Corporation, including Corporate Bohemians.

Competitive advantages of Corporate Bohemians compared to most employees are: the high level of awareness about the importance of laziness, and resourcefulness when it comes to finding ways to tackle it. Here are some key principles that shape the bohemian view on laziness:

• Respecting temporary laziness means acknowledging the importance of taking your time.
• Practicing short-term laziness increases follow-up productivity and prevents burn-outs in the long run.
• Laziness at work may be caused by lack of inspiration with current task. It is important to acknowledge this and use laziness as a stimulus for new inspiration quests.

Fast-track ways to beating laziness and getting back on track include:

• Switch off, have a break – just go outside of the office and wander the streets, clearing your mind and refreshing your body. Have some food/drink. Fifteen minutes to an hour would suffice.
• Search for inspiration online – read anything that is not work-related, whatever your interests. Bohemians would usually read about art, performances, listen to music, buy tickets for anything that interests them, work on their personal projects, etc. Take your time to enjoy your private entertainment, and very soon you’ll find yourself working hard and efficient.
• Find the problem & fix it – as mentioned above, laziness can easily be caused by tasks that lack challenge and are generally boring for the creative bohemian mind. If you identify that this is the case, then you must:

a) Find someone to delegate the task to. You surely know how to make that boring piece of work seem appealing to anyone else!

b) If option a) is not applicable, then postpone. This doesn’t mean delay the job, or fail meeting the deadlines. It only means that you can switch between inspiring and boring tasks, while making sure everyone’s expectations are managed.

• Talk to your friends – that’s a powerful cure for any emotion or condition you may fall into, so use it to beat laziness too! Chat, e-mail, call, etc. You probably want to stay in touch with a huge number of people anyway, so use 10 minutes of your precious corporate time to stay tuned to whoever matters to you. Chances are that these are interesting people who will inspire you, or least make you laugh!

In conclusion, laziness should be embraced as a normal human condition. Disregard any negative associations that others may have, give yourself the pleasure of enjoying laziness for a little while, and then get back to work, high-performing and over-achieving, as usual!