#7: I am a lazy person, but I still get things done

Beneath the productivity, I’m deeply lazy. But laziness and achievement aren’t mutually exclusive.

I was supposed to write this post yesterday. Actually, I had all week to do it. But I didn’t. Because I am, at my core, a lazy person.

I’d love to sit here and say that I was too busy, that I had a million and one things on my to-do list. But that would be a lie. The truth is, I just didn’t feel like it. And so, I didn’t.

a screenshot from one of my youtube videos, which I thought was very fitting

It’s not a new pattern for me. I have spent an embarrassing amount of time Googling “am I burned out or just lazy?” and, honestly, I still don’t know the answer.

As a kid, I wasn’t particularly competitive. At school, I did exactly as much as I needed to, never more. I lived by the phrase “a good horse never jumps higher than it has to.”

My parents had to actively force me to continue with my hobbies because, left to my own devices, I would have been more than happy to lounge on the sofa eating crisps. Sure, that’s standard teenage behaviour, but the fact that it remains my favourite activity well into adulthood probably says something about my nature.

The other day, I asked AI how to stop being lazy. It gave me a list of tips:

• Set clear goals (I’m pretty good at that and love Notion to keep me organised)

• Create a routine (I have a hard time getting back into it once I fall out)

• Reward yourself for accomplishments (I should do this more)

• Consider the bigger picture behind your tasks (really helps me to get things done)

Honestly? Pretty good advice. And yet, I find myself struggling with the same thing, again and again. My routine has completely fallen apart lately, and I feel like I’m constantly battling my laziness, blaming it for every goal I haven’t yet achieved. But deep down, I know that can’t be the whole story.

Functional freeze: am I lazy or is it something else?

One thing I’ve started questioning is whether what I call “laziness” is actually something else entirely—something like functional freeze.

Functional freeze is a response to stress or overwhelm where your brain and body shut down instead of taking action. It’s often mistaken for laziness, but the root cause is completely different.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at your to-do list, knowing exactly what needs to be done but feeling completely paralysed, you might not be lazy—you might be experiencing functional freeze. This can stem from anxiety, burnout, or just the weight of expectations. When everything feels like too much, your brain hits the brakes instead of moving forward.

So how do you tell the difference? Here are a few questions I’ve been asking myself:

• Do I feel guilt or shame about not doing something?

• Does the idea of starting a task make me anxious or overwhelmed?

• Do I often feel stuck, even when I want to take action?

• Do I actually lack motivation, or is my brain telling me something deeper is going on?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, what you’re dealing with might not be laziness at all. Maybe it’s exhaustion, perfectionism, fear of failure, or even undiagnosed ADHD.

To be honest, I think it's really hard to figure out what's really going on, and I also think that sometimes I get overwhelmed by a busy schedule and my body just switches me off, which I then interpret as laziness when it's actually not.

I also believe that you can be a lazy person by nature AND experience burnout or functional freeze all at once. I think that was often the case for me.

Embracing laziness - or whatever it really is

Being lazy doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the things you want (take it from me). In fact, maybe my laziness is actually an advantage.

If I’m being honest, laziness might just be the most efficient thing about me. I will do absolutely anything to get something done in the quickest, most streamlined way possible. I don’t waste time on unnecessary steps (I am the queen of shortcuts).

We live in a world that glorifies hustle culture, where working yourself to the bone is seen as some kind of badge of honour. But I don’t want to build a life that requires me to hustle endlessly. I don’t want to measure my worth by how exhausted I am. I’d rather make smart choices, prioritise what truly matters, and go at my own pace.

That said, there is a fine line between embracing your nature and letting it hold you back. I don’t want to use my laziness as an excuse to never push myself. The truth is, some of my greatest achievements have come from moments when I forced myself to do something, even when I really, really didn’t want to.

I don’t believe laziness and ambition are mutually exclusive. You can want more for yourself and still prefer lying on the sofa eating crisps. You can take the easiest route and still get where you need to go. You can be lazy and still achieve amazing things.

Also - I did end up writing this post in the end. It may have taken me a while, but if you really love something, you’ll stick with it. Even as a lazy person.

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