by Jen Harley

Created on: September 04, 2008

How many of us are turned off by the term lazy? Usually when we think of a lazy person, we picture someone who looks for an easy way out of a task or just ignores their tasks altogether. There are many traits of laziness and most of them are obvious and can be remedied.

Procrastination is a major trait of laziness. Putting off something that can be quickly and easily finished is a major issue with some people. The degree of difficulty with a task can contribute to procrastination. There are many times I've put off finishing something as simple as folding clothes because it's just such a simple task. Other times I put off something such as paining a room or cleaning out a closet because I know it will take time, effort and I just don't care for those two tasks.

Being spoiled is another trait of laziness. We're all guilty of putting off doing a task at some point in our lives because we knew that someone else would take care of it for us. Some people just happen to do this more often than others. I worked with a partner once who I spoiled without my knowing at first. She caught on after a while that I would pick up her slack and she began to go on more and more breaks. Soon after that she would ignore work altogether. Eventually it became clear in the office who was putting the effort in the work. If you make little or no effort to work on a task, not to mention have someone else do your work for you, people can come to realize that the other people is a better asset.

Taking the easy way out is a strong trait when it comes to laziness. Many people cheat, lie, and steal to get what they want without having to work hard. Plagiarizing is the easy way for students and professionals to quickly write up what might otherwise be a lengthy, time consuming report. Gambling is often seen by some to be the lazy man's way to make money rather than working hard for a paycheck. Many criminals steal because they want what another has but they don't want to work to get it.

More often than not, excuses and emotional responses are a knee jerk reaction to the questioning of lazy behavior. Ask a person prone to laziness when they are going to finish a task, or why they are taking their time and you could get numerous excuses with a casual reply. If you continue to ask, your answer could be an emotional outburst, sarcasm or sometimes tears. No matter what happens, the lazy person will never think they are at fault.

Laziness is the not the worst thing that could happen to a person although it can certainly leave negative effects in their life. It's a shame that many let laziness take over many aspects to their lives. There's nothing like the feeling of a job well done, not to mention the perks and rewards that sometimes accompany that job.

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