“You’re always looking for the easy way out.” I heard that more times than I can count throughout my life. Unfortunately, I hate that saying. Not necessarily because I disagree with it. I have no problem admitting that I am a lazy person. I hate that saying because, at least to me, it doesn’t make any sense. Of course I’m always looking for the easy way out. Who isn’t? Are there people who constantly look for the hardest way to do something? Who are these people and why do they hate life so much? I know that isn’t what is implied when someone says that you’re looking for the easy way out. I understand that they are trying to say that you’re looking for a way to weasel out of responsibilities or you’re trying to cut corners. Yes, I admit that sometimes I am guilty of doing that, and that’s because I am lazy.

Yes, I admit that I am a lazy person, but I think laziness gets a bad rap. When most people think of a lazy person they probably envision someone who has little ambition, no drive, terrible work ethic, and they are extremely unproductive. I would have to disagree. I think you can still be lazy and be ambitious, driven, have a great work ethic, and be productive. They are not mutually exclusive traits. In fact, I would say that I am all of those things because I am lazy.

I’ll concede that if left unchecked laziness can destroy a person’s productivity. It can cause people to cheat, take dangerous shortcuts, and lead to a lifestyle where they never seem to get anything done, but that’s true about anything. There are also those who are predisposed to work to a degree where working takes over their life. These people are called “work-aholics.” It’s all about management and moderation. In the right hands laziness can actually be an asset and not a hindrance. In fact some of the greatest inventors and visionaries in the world are lazy. They are great because they learned how to weaponize their laziness. You weaponize laziness by moving from “finding the easy way out” to “work smarter not harder.”

My high school math teacher taught me about how laziness can be used as a driving force in one’s life. She always said that mathematicians are some of the laziest people ever. They are always trying to find an easier way to do something. They are so lazy and so determined to find the easiest way that they will put forth tremendous effort to find a way to shave off even one step in an equation. For instance, there had to be a mathematician who got tired of having to say 2+2+2+2+2, so that person invented multiplication. Instead of having to add the number two five times, we now just say 2×5. Even better than that, this mathematician was lazy enough to create multiplication tables and memorize them. That’s a fairly basic example, but all sorts of mathematic formula have been created because mathematicians were lazy enough to try and simplify things.

In fact, laziness is one of the driving forces behind human behavior. Maybe you’re a warehouse worker. I bet your warehouse has forklifts to help move merchandise, because it’s easier than moving it by hand. If you’re a homemaker then you probably spend time organizing your home so that things are easy to find. If you’re a business person, you probably use databases to track all sorts of numbers because it’s easier than pouring through numbers every time you need to know info about a client. If you’re a chef then you find ways to organize your kitchen so that cooking is easier. Our society is structured around humans being lazy.

I am so good with computers because I am lazy. If I have a project that needs to be done, then I spend some time trying to figure out how I might use a computer or other resources to make it easier. I have calendars, reminders, databases, spreadsheets, programs, and web resources that I use to make my job easier. It even works in my spiritual life. I keep prayer requests written down on a virtual sticky note on my computer so I am constantly reminded about what I should be praying for. I can listen to sermons and seminars on my time through the internet. I have an entire bible and reference library on my phone.

All of these things are ways that laziness has helped me, but here’s what I struggle with. If I want my laziness to work for me then I have to make sure that I control my laziness and not let it control me. Here’s how I stay in control. First, I always have to keep my ambitions in mind. I have plans and a vision for not only my ministry but my life. I know if I want to achieve it then I have to keep working. Second, I take action. I have to be a doer. I often find myself starting to waste time preparing and planning and waiting for the stars to align. Sometime you just have to move. The best time to plant a tree was yesterday; the second best time is today. Finally, I take breaks. Some people can sit down and work for hours on end because they get into a groove. I am not like those people. I find after working for a few hours on a task I start to lose steam, so I schedule a short break to give myself some time to refresh and refocus every now and then. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. In fact this phenomenon is called the Pomodoro technique. Google employees are encouraged to take short breaks and to take them often because a person who works for 25 minutes with a 5 minute break gets more done than a person who works with no breaks.

Laziness isn’t all bad, and in fact it can be really powerful if controlled. Though, if left unchecked it can destroy a person’s work ethic. It’s all about understanding who you are and learning how to manage your time wisely. So, the next time someone accuses you of always trying to find the easy way out, simply reply that you are working smarter not harder.