“Laziness Does Not Exist”
by Devon Price, PhD
2021/Atria
$27/247 pages
Assume this position. Feet up, head back, fingers laced over your belly. Eyes shut. Teeth unclenched. And there you are: ready for a nap—if you dare, if you have your work finished, if you can ignore the nagging feeling that there are things left undone, if you can stop feeling judged. Impossible? Not so, if you’ve read “Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price, PhD.
For centuries we’ve quietly been led to believe “The Laziness Lie,” which has three main facets: we are only worth what we can accomplish; our feelings and limits can’t be trusted; and we can’t ever do enough. These beliefs can cause health problems, burn-out, relationship problems and more.
In combating The Laziness Lie, Price says to realize that overwork doesn’t deserve a badge of honor. Re-frame your idea of “lazy” through compassion. Listen to your body: taking care of yourself is absolutely not “lazy,” and taking time off is essential to your health. Get off social media and turn the news off sometimes. Stop fearing your inner laziness, and build a healthy, happy, well-balanced life, Price says. Weekends, naps and binge-watching are all good.
With a clarion call tailor-made for new work-at-homers who can no longer leave work at work, author and social psychologist Devon Price gives readers plenty of reason to kick back and put their feet up sometimes, showing that doing so can actually enhance productivity. Readers are offered ideas, including exercises, that can help undo the damage of the word and its associated meanings. This book should sit on every desk.
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