What Are the Effects of Laziness?

Laziness has negative effects on a person’s personal and professional life. Laziness can prohibit important things from getting done, such as paying bills, turning in assignments on time and failing to meet deadlines. This affects the lazy person and those who are depending on him.

There are times when an individual has worked tirelessly and has the urge to be lazy; under these circumstances, taking time to rest is understandable and necessary to rejuvenate the mind and body. Chronic laziness, however, is problematic. In addition to being unproductive, laziness can cause people to be dissatisfied with themselves and their lives.

People can overcome chronic laziness by developing new or different habits. Psychology Today recommends taking smaller steps when starting tasks instead of trying to do big things. For instance, if a person knows she is supposed to do laundry on a particular day but succumbs to laziness, she should start small by separating the laundry into light and dark piles. Next, she moves the laundry into laundry baskets. Next, she puts a load in the washing machine. Starting small instead of dwelling on all of the laundry that needs to be done — and how long it takes to do — can minimize inertia and help get things done.