7 years ago, in a moment of meditation, I got a clear message that I needed to slow down.

Slowing down has changed nearly every aspect of my life.

One of the most frustrating (albeit interesting) ways it’s impacted me is addressing head-on the idea of laziness. 

The book Laziness Does Not Exist (by @drdevonprice) is one of my favorite books on the matter. 

The concept is simple: Laziness is a myth given to us by harmful productivity culture.

In concept it’s brilliant. But in practice, it’s a lot more difficult to internalize. 

Take, for example, a conversation I had with a good friend recently.

We chatted about the activities our kids are involved in. My list was pretty short - robotics club and swim. End of list. 

She rattled off a collection of activities and classes her children were involved in because, in her words, she “doesn’t want them to get the idea that it’s ok to not be involved in something. I don’t want them to be lazy.”

These kids are all under the age of 8. 

I respect my friend, and understand we have very different parenting styles, but I wish SO desperately that she understood that laziness is a myth.

✨ It’s safe to sit and daydream.

✨ It’s safe for kids (and adults) to be bored.

✨ It’s safe to do something just because you enjoy doing it.

✨ It’s safe to slow down.

But even when you know in your brain that slowing down is safe, our internal programing tells us otherwise.

➡️ You have a rare moment to pause and feel immediately like you must do SOMETHING (cue grabbing your phone to check notifications.)

➡️ You feel guilty for spending time relaxing, even though you know it’s good for you.

➡️ You can’t focus on doing only one thing at a time because it feels like you’re not being efficient enough.

We’ve tied our worthiness to our productivity. Unlearning that idea is a long, painful process. 

So what can you do? 

Do it anyway. 

Be “lazy” anyway.

Slow down anyway.

Do it out of rebellion if you need to. Or do it as a joke.

However you choose to do it, though, try slowing down.

Let yourself feel lazy.

Give yourself permission to just BE without bring productive.