laziness – Godinterest

September 14, 2022January 16, 2023

Wisdom Wednesdays

brown cardboard box on white wooden door

Our word for today is procrastination. It means the act or habit of putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.

Are you putting something off that needed to be done a few hours, days, weeks, months or even years ago?

This something could be as serious as your health, finances, family, relationships, work, business or ministry. Or it could be as simple as cleaning up your house. It needed your attention before now. Time has lapsed. Now, your excuses seem to justify your inactivity. You’ve allowed fear to paralyse you. You’ve allowed what people might say to delay your progress.

The lazy man, in this bible proverb, didn’t follow through on his actions but instead allowed procrastination to steal his attention from the care and effort required to get things done this laziness cost him. Do not procrastinate any longer or things will become more difficult to deal with. Now is the time to get it done.

You will be glad you did ? – Pastor Sophia Peart

April 1, 2021April 1, 2021

Just Do It For God

At this time of year we think about the sacrifice Christ made on Calvary, even when He seemed like He was under massive pressure. He could have said I don’t feel like it today, I’m tired from a long night. You can probably think of many times in which you simply did not give your best effort, or didn’t really try very hard, or you felt too tired to give your best. Every person, because of our human imperfections, sometimes chooses to be lazy and not try.

The example given by Christ, and the one mentioned in Colossians 3, is completely the opposite. Christians are to be the best at whatever they do, because they are to do everything as if they were doing it for God alone!

Today, when you put your whole heart into whatever it is you are doing, God will recognise that and bless you for it. You should strive for and pursue excellence in all you do for God’s sake. Rebuke mediocrity, laziness and self-centredness and give of your best for God, He blesses excellence!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
(Colossians 3:23, NIV)

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank You for the reminder that I should always pursue excellence at all times. Father, help me because I want to do my work and everything else to please You. Please remove laziness, mediocritiy, and selfishness from my thinking. God, give me Your power to be an example of Christ to those around me. In Christ’s Name! Amen.

October 13, 2017October 14, 2017

Sleepy-Head!

“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9). Remember, the same God who “gives to His beloved in sleep” also created the rooster! It’s time to rise and shine for the Lord! He has work for you to do!

You city-folks, don’t forget to turn-on and turn-up your “mechanical” and “electronic roosters (i.e. alarm clocks)! What’s your version of cock-a-doodle-do?

See you bright and early tomorrow morning! It’s going to be a wonderful day – God wants to speak to us, and listen to us, before we’re on our way!

March 24, 2016July 1, 2022

How to Cope with a Mis-Sold Job

Everyone knows a story about a smart and talented professional who has lost his or her passion for a role, who no longer looks forward to going to the office yet remains stuck without a visible way out. Getting on the career ladder is a great thing, you start off at the bottom and work your way up, but sometimes you can get stuck and do not even realize it.

“One in Five Employees Claim They Were Mis-sold Opportunities When They Joined Their Organisation – Kelly Global Workforce Index (Kgwi).”

Commenting on the findings, Debbie Pettingill, Director, Kelly Services UK and Ireland said

“Employee retention will become an increasing challenge for employers as we move out of the recession. As we move into a more candidate driven market, this trend is likely to accelerate. Our findings indicate that this problem is being exacerbated by the misrepresentation of job role or company culture at the interview stage, leading to the dissatisfaction of new hires.”

Most of us know what we are trying to escape a “mis-sold” job resulting in a narrowly defined career, inauthentic or unstimulating work, numbing corporate politics, and perhaps blackmail including direct threats of being used as a scapegoat. A job where you are both overlooked and underappreciated. One may ring true for some of you.

“Fewer than Half of Uk Employees Are Happy with the Way Their Careers Are Progressing According to New British Research.”

Why Would A Company or Person Block Your Move?

Well, this could be because of his or her personal insecurity i.e. as the team works well, why rock the boat? Comfort zone: sometimes the team gets too comfortable? Golden child syndrome: you’re working your butt off and your sponsor or other senior is reaping the recognition from your amazing deliverables?

Working a job you don’t like can leave you feeling stuck, forgotten by God, and asking yourself questions like:

Why hasn’t God opened another door for me yet?

Why is God not moving?

Why would God leave me here in this job I hate?

But the truth is God has not left you. He’s not holding back on you. When you feel God is silent, that’s exactly when He’s moving! Your situation does not change God. He still loves you and is with you no matter what.

Instead of looking at our situation from a perspective of fear and worry, we need to look at it through faith and hope.

What Can You Do About it?

Don’t fret, you can handover your work or completely leave the organisation and still stay sane. You might worry that announcing your intentions will cause your company grief, but ultimately you have to do what’s best for you no matter what!

Think and pray long and hard about how you’re going to drop this bombshell as you will need to give notice. A sound method is required to overcome the assault and possible backlash – including of course more prayer and fasting.

So how are you going to approach it? What’s your reasoning going to be? How are you going to get them to understand exactly why you’re doing this? What do you need to do in order to prepare for the big day?

Easy, you’re going to read this guide.

Strategy 1 – Remote Working Arrangement

This could be a great approach if 80% of your work can be undertaken remotely. However, while there is a very logical argument to be made in favor of working from home, many people equate remote work to a lack of productivity and laziness. These people do not realize that the switch from an office to working from home can actually lead to significant increases in productivity.

Strategy 2 – What’s in It for Me?

What’s in it for me? That question sounds a little selfish, doesn’t it? Maybe you aren’t being compensated fairly, or you’re not happy with the effort vs return. When you know your client and team needs you and you’re willing to stay for a price, don’t mess around. Give them the real number or offer that will make it worth your while to stick it out for awhile.

Strategy 3 – The Budget Cut

The re-structuring. The downsizing. The dreaded budget cut. Whatever name you want to give it, this can be terrifying for a lot of professionals. However, if you’re already thinking about leaving, so maybe it doesn’t have to be such a scary thing. In fact, maybe it can be extremely positive for both parties.

Strategy 4 – The Ease Out

Still feeling weary about leaving the organization. Propose easing yourself out of the post. Pick a time frame, maybe four weeks or so, and come up with a plan for slowly taking yourself out of the position. This also allows you some time to slowly ramp down your time commitment.

Strategy 5 – Burning Bridges in the Industry

“Sometimes it’s about networking and being nice to people and not burning any bridges – but remembering to draw line where you must.”

There’s no harm in an early exit from a job you never plan to mention again or an interim role where you have clearly agreed on a start and finish date. But if your manager is well connected to your industry you should try to leave on a good note. Why? Because it’s a small world and the next hiring manager may put in a call to his or her former colleague (a.k.a., your new manager) to get the unofficial scoop. It happens, so if you’re going to leave anyway then try to fulfill your end of the deal.

Strategy 6 – Get Moving Fast

Imagine, for example, that you were hired to help the company manage multiple programmes and projects across the globe, but a recent change in leadership means all efforts moving forward will be focused locally.

If you’re spending your days just trying to find ways to be productive or are undertaking a role you never signed up for, you have every right to pursue new opportunities. Of course, the first course of action should normally be to discuss this with your manager to see if there are other roles you can take on. But if you know that this isn’t going to happen in the new world, get moving fast.

Strategy 7 – Your Dream Job Awaits

“When you’re being interviewed, always treat the interview as a 50-50 thing,” says Andy Dallas, a director at Robert Half International, recruitment consultants. “Ask what you can expect to be doing in your first week, month and three months. Ask what a successful year looks like.”

Dream jobs don’t come every day. So, if you have a chance at yours, take it quickly and congratulate yourself for being strong enough to leave when you were unhappy.

Strategy 8 – Remeber to Be Patient

We will not always be in a job we desire. Maybe you are fresh out of school and are working a job that has nothing to do with the degree you just earned. Maybe you are in a situation where you are working at a job where you are overqualified, overworked, and fed up. Maybe, for the most part, you love your job but get discouraged by the mundane tasks that take up time from doing the aspects of your job you love most.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” – James 4:10 NIV

Here’s the thing: God will still use this season to grow, develop, and prepare you. Any season that humbles us is preparing us for what God has next.

Any thoughts to share?

March 6, 2016July 1, 2022

You Were Never Made to Be ‘Productive’

Compared to people in other industrialized nations, Americans work longer hours, take fewer vacation days, and retire later in life. Busyness, once seen as the curse of the disadvantaged, has become equated with status and importance. Our work increasingly defines who we are.

“Godly rest (distinct from play, relaxation, or sleep) is inextricably tied to our identity as children of God.”

The solution perhaps is to be “Lazy Intelligent”? That sounds like something an unsuccessful, lazy slacker would say, isn’t it? Actually, it’s the opposite. One of America’s most influential and controversial science fiction authors Robert Heinlein uttered these words during his time. Despite his nod to laziness, Heinlein went on to pen hit titles such as Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land.

Productive laziness is not about doing absolutely nothing at all. It’s not about just sitting around and drinking coffee or engaging in idle gossip while watching the non-delivered project milestones disappear into the horizon. In fact, this behavior would lead to a very short-lived project management career.

Laziness Is Not Synonymous with Stupidity

Instead, productive laziness should be viewed as a more focused approach to management. Adopting this mindset means concentrating efforts where it really matters, rather than spreading yourself thing over unimportant, non-critical activities that in some cases don’t need to be addressed at all.

According to the Pareto Principle — Also Known as the “80/20 Rule” — 80 Percent of the Consequences Stem from 20 Percent of the Causes.

While the idea has a rule-of-thumb application, it’s also commonly misused. For example, just because one solution fits 80 percent of cases, that doesn’t mean it only requires 20 percent of the resources needed to solve all cases.

The principle, suggested by management thinker Joseph M. Juran, was named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80 percent of property in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. As a result, it was assumed that most of the result in any situation was determined by a small number of causes.

Rest Is at the Center of God’s Design

Every smart but lazy person should consider the 80/20 Rule each day. For managers, the principle is a reminder to concentrate on the 20 percent of work that really matters.

Contrary to belief, 80 percent of success is not just showing up. In fact, only 20 percent of what you do during the day will produce 80 percent of your results. Therefore, it is important to identify and focus on that 20 percent during the working day.

When genius and laziness meet, the results can be magical. Being just the right combination of smart and lazy can bring you to have a real edge over others. Interestingly enough, smart lazy people are generally better suited for leadership roles in organizations. These people make great strategic thinkers and leaders. They do things in a smart way in order to expend the least effort. They don’t rush into things, taking that little bit of extra time to think and find the shortest, best path.

They question, contradict, and show dissent against inefficient methods or unnecessary tasks.

“Whenever There Is a Hard Job to Be Done, I Assign It to a Lazy Man; He Is Sure to Find an Easy Way of Doing It. — Bill Gates”

Bill’s not the only guy, who believes that laziness doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. German Generalfeldmarschall Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was the chief of staff for the Prussian Army for 30 years. He is regarded as one of the greatest strategists of the latter 1800s among historical scholars and is the creator of the more modern method of directing armies in the field.

Moltke observed his troops and categorized them based on their intelligence, diligence and laziness. If soldiers proved to be both lazy and smart, they were promoted to leadership because they knew how to be successful with efficiency. If soldiers were smart and diligent, they were deployed into a staff function, focusing on the details. Soldiers who were not smart and lazy were left alone in hopes they would come up with a great idea someday. Finally, soldiers who were not smart but diligent were removed from ranks.

Like Moltke’s army, the lazy manager is all about applying these principles in the delivery and management of work. You’re likely not stupid since you’ve landed the management position, but how are your lazy skills? Applying smart-lazy tactics will not only allow your work to be more successful, but you will also be seen as a successful individual and a top candidate for future leadership roles.

Think return on investment (time spent versus money earned ratio) rather than busy work and don’t restrict yourself to a certain way of doing things just for the sake of the status quo.

These people make great strategic thinkers and leaders. They do things in a smart way in order to expend the least effort. They don’t rush into things, taking that little bit of extra time to think and find the shortest, best path.

In the wise words of Bill Gate’s and American automotive industrialist Walter Chrysler, “Whenever there is a hard job to be done, assign it to a lazy man or woman for that matter; as he or she is sure to find an easy way of doing it.”

For an overachieving people-pleaser like me, thinking of rest as an innate part of who we were created to be—not as a discipline or something to be earned—is compelling. It is yet another form of God’s infinite grace, one that’s needed today more than ever.

Co-Author Peter Taylor

Described as “perhaps the most entertaining and inspiring speaker in the project management world today”, Peter Taylor is the author of two best-selling books on ‘Productive Laziness’ – ‘The Lazy Winner’ and ‘The Lazy Project Manager’.